God is not ashamed of the lowliness of human beings. God marches right in. He chooses people as his instruments and performs his wonders where one would least expect them. God is near to lowliness; he loves the lost, the neglected, the unseemly, the excluded, the weak and broken. – Dietrich Bonhoeffer

And thank God that he does, otherwise he might not have much to work with.

I’m thankful for and often surprised that someone (or multiple someones) would read these daily emails from me.

I’m far from perfect.

In fact, I have quite a lot to work on.

Each day is a reminder that without God’s help, I would not be able to get very far.

Each day is also a reminder that with God’s help I can’t lose.

I don’t have to be perfect or brilliant or handsome or whatever.

My job is to be the best version of me, doing whatever God asks of me.

My job is to lean in to the small whispers that say “try this” or “say that” or “go here”.

My hope is that when I do, I lighten the load of another – even the tiniest bit counts.

My hope is that you can do the same.

Make it a great day.

Jake

Nobody who ever gave his best regretted it. – George Halas

Simple reminder for the day – give it your best.

When given a choice today, be your best self.

Give your best in love to those around you.

You won’t regret it.

Make it a great day.

Jake

Rough diamonds may sometimes be mistaken for worthless pebbles. – Thomas Browne

I sure felt a little better after reading this one.

It’s easy to get caught up in all of our imperfections and get a little discouraged.

But every single person is a rough diamond.

We all have some areas for improvement, but underneath it all is greatness.

Our own, unique greatness.

Don’t mistake yourself for a worthless pebble.

Don’t buy into the ideas that if you could only lose some weight or buy that thing or take that trip that you would then become worthy or “as much as” someone else or some idealized version of yourself.

Don’t fall into the social media trap of viewing everyone’s highlight reel thinking you are “less than”.

It’s not true! You are a diamond.

Make it a great day.

Jake

Invite people into your life who don’t look or act like you. You might find they challenge your assumptions and make you grow. – Mellody Hobson

This reminds me of the advice given by Zig Ziglar – spend time with someone under 5 and over 70.

Whether it is someone’s age or background or simply their likes and dislikes; we can all grow and learn by being around someone different than us.

Who are you currently spending time with that is different than you?

Do you need to seek and find a relationship to challenge yourself in this area?

Some quick ideas on how we might do this:

Travel

Volunteer

Attend an event you wouldn’t normally attend

Visit a nursing home

Volunteer in the nursery at church

Make it a great day.

Jake

https://youtu.be/gOsM-DYAEhY

“Whatever it takes.”

This attitude can be a double edged sword.

Reading some of the books describing the experiences of Navy SEALs gave great illustrations of what we are capable of when take this attitude.

They really do rise above what most think is possible and achieve a sense of brotherhood and teamwork that is extraordinary.

But it can cost them their health, proper perspective and important relationships along the way.

We should all have a little of the “whatever it takes” in our lives.

And if we choose wisely in its application, we can achieve an extraordinary life.

Make it a great day.

Jake

It is better to know some of the questions than all of the answers. – James Thurber

I’ve come to believe that wise people ask wise questions.

Of themselves and of those they interact with.

Questions like:

What’s most important here?

Who could I learn from?

Where is the information needed to make a good decision?

Is there someone who has succeeded here before that I could ask?

What is Jake’s favorite color?

A good question can add a lot of clarity.

If you’re struggling with something, maybe you’re asking the wrong questions.

Make it a great day.

Jake

God doesn’t want anything from us, he wants things for us. – Andy Stanley

Some of my best moments have been when I have gotten myself to have this attitude towards others.

When we can get ourselves to the point of not wanting something from those around us to wanting something for those people we are at our best.

I try to specifically do this in sales and negotiation situations.

I imagine the other person as another child of God’s and imagine what He wants for them and then I work to try to get them there.

Don’t read too much into this, it doesn’t take long in those conversations to get back to worrying about what I want or something else, but I’m working on it.

If you are already great at this, turn it up a notch today.

If you aren’t, try it in a couple of small interactions.

If you think I’m a little weird, thanks for reading any way.

Make it a great day.

Jake

You don’t have to live like everyone else. In fact, you’ll probably be happier if you don’t. – Joshua Becker

I try to remind myself of this often.

Living like everyone else is often the opposite of what we want.

Time to embrace being a bit of a weirdo.

Be the weirdo that likes to exercise.

Be the weirdo that would rather eat a salad for lunch.

Be the weirdo that pays off all their credit card debt.

Be the weirdo that isn’t too busy for her friends and family.

Find some areas in your life to run away from average and start running.

Make it a great day.

Jake

God loves each of us as if there were only one of us. – Saint Augustine

Easter was yesterday. Easter is the “big day” of the Christian faith. The day when Christians are reminded of the core focal point of their faith.

The Saint Augustine quote above reminded me of this core focal point. That God loved each of us enough to send his son to die on the cross.

Whether you are a Christian or not, there is also a life lesson in there. And this quote spells it out.

Love and serve others as if they were the only one.

Search today for an opportunity to serve someone else as if they were the only one.

Make it a great day.

Jake

https://youtu.be/GMezwtB1oCU

Alex sang this song for us in a meeting yesterday so I thought I would send it out for everyone to enjoy.

Everyday its gettin’ closer.

I know he isn’t talking about this, but everyday is another day closer to the end for all of us.

That’s why today is important.

It’s the only one you get.

Make it a great day.

Jake