I was looking through the archives of the daily attitude email the other day and came across the email below.

In honor of the Cubs getting into the playoffs again this year, I figured it was appropriate to send out again.

Resending without the approval of the author.

Make it a great day.

Jake

Happy Friday!

Sorry to copy Ron’s baseball theme from yesterday (awesome DAE Ron! and Susie!), but I thought this song seemed to be the obvious choice for this week’s toe tapper. You can stop here if you do not want to read my rambling about passionate baseball fans. 😉

(Someday We’ll Go) All The Way – Eddie Vedder official video

I feel I should confess that I am not a Cub fan, and also explain why I am nevertheless inspired by the outcome of this year’s World Series. I grew up on the south side of Chicago, and therefore cheer for "The Go Go White Sox…and whoever plays the Cubs!" (most of the time*). However, I did attend my fair share of games at Wrigley as a kid.

There is something so beautiful about being at a game in an old baseball stadium like that, full of tradition, with family and friends, and the pretty green field outside in the open air. It is so exciting to be there in a crowd of so many others cheering for the same team! There is a certain, deeply felt connection of the human spirit. Loyal fans get to know the players so well and want to share the ups and downs of each season with them and each other. Throw in the fact that there have been generations of families connected by this anticipation that someday they’ll go all the way, and now we have some real emotion surrounding this year’s World Series. If sports are not your thing, think of a concert, a movie or play, or a church experience that moved you and made you feel connected to the people who were there with you.

It is no wonder we know so many people who are so passionate about their Cubbies. This song by Eddie Vedder (I am a big fan of his voice) is a tribute to the team and the field that brings those fans together.

Let us be inspired by the people we know who are so passionate about something!

What are you passionate about?

What puts a smile in your heart and joyful tears in your eyes?

What rejuvenates you, or brings you peace?

What teaches you faith and gives you hope?

What helps you feel ready to do good for others, or connects you with people in some beautiful way?

Make it a great weekend!

Meaghan Davis

*I secretly felt like a Cub fan for the series. How could I not root for Chicago? I stayed up way too late watching game seven because I felt so bad for Aroldis after the eighth inning. When it came right down to it, I really wanted to see those guys win. Way to go, Cubbies. Congrats to all of you loyal, lifetime Cub Fans!

Let your mind alone, and see what happens. – Virgil Thomson

Many historical figures extol the virtues of creating space for your mind to wander.

We live in a time of unprecedented opportunities to always be stimulated by something or the other.

But we are missing out on having space to let our minds alone.

Find a few minutes today to just sit.

To think about nothing in particular.

To let your mind wander.

And then try it again tomorrow.

Make it a great day.

Jake

Raise the praise and minimize the criticize.

Not sure what the podcast was that Meaghan and I listened to that said this.

This was a podcast on parenting, but I think it applies across the board.

Take this simple idea out into the world with you today:

Raise the praise;

Minimize the criticize.

Make it a great day.

Jake

The habit of giving only enhances the desire to give. – Walt Whitman

Many of the feelings or character traits we desire in life can be grown out of simple, small habits.

Want to be generous – start the habit of giving a little.

Want to be courageous – find something small but outside of your comfort zone.

Want to be rich – manage what money you have today better.

Want to be healthier – start eating better one meal at a time.

With each step along the way, you will build your desire to do and be more.

Enjoy the journey, don’t beat yourself up for mistakes and stick with it until the end.

Make it a great day.

Jake

Attention – To all those who enter here

If you are coming into this room with sorrow or to feel sorry for my wounds, go elsewhere.

The wounds I received, I got in a job I love, doing it for people I love, supporting the freedom

of a country I deeply love. I am incredibly tough and will make a full recovery.

What is full? That is the absolute utmost physically my body has the ability to recover. Then

I will push that about 20% further through sheer mental tenacity. This room you are about to

enter is a room of fun, optimism, and intense rapid regrowth. If you are not prepared for that

Go Elsewhere.

From: The Management

This note became famous after Lt. Jason Redman (a Navy Seal who had been injured in a firefight in Iraq) posted outside of his hospital room.

I recently read his book and his story was inspiring.

Please go out to his site and make a donation:

https://combatwoundedcoalition.networkforgood.com/

Make it a great day.

Jake

https://youtu.be/FGBhQbmPwH8

One more time.

This seemed appropriate after yesterday’s 7 year anniversary of these emails.

Sometimes you just have to commit to one more time.

Don’t worry about forever or 5 years from now or even next week.

Just one more time.

Just one more work out.

Just one more day on the diet.

Just one more day without that cute blouse (I feel ya).

One more time.

Make it a great day.

Jake

Last Friday, the Mavidea crew gave me an anniversary card to recognize today – the 7th anniversary of the “Daily Attitude Email”.

I am so very lucky to be surrounded by such a great group of people in my life.

I am both humbled and inspired by the responses and well wishes I have received from all of you over the years.

Without the encouragement and positive feedback, I doubt I would have made it two weeks writing these.

The stories of shared conversations with loved ones and of emails forwarded on leave me inspired to write the next one.

At this stage I’m positive that God put this idea into my heart and that he fuels it day after day.

Not for my glory or recognition, but for his.

Not for my attitude, but for yours.

For whatever reason, he had me slated to send these little emails every day to a very special group of people.

Thanks for being part of that group.

Thanks for the encouragement.

Thanks for being you.

Make it a great day.

Jake

Success is the ability to go from one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm. – Winston Churchill

Are you willing to fail?

Are you really stretching yourself enough to make failure possible?

Most of us don’t step far enough out of our comfort zone enough to make failure possible. We manage and mitigate our risk so that we don’t have to face failure.

We insulate ourselves from the uncomfortable feelings associated with failing.

Instead, let’s turn that idea upside down.

Let’s embrace failure with enthusiasm.

Let’s risk failure in order to achieve something worthwhile.

Step outside of your comfort zone. If failure isn’t a possibility, maybe you could aim a little higher.

I know you have heard this before and a lot of this is cliché. I know you already know all this.

Did something come to mind while you were reading this?

Is there a risk you should be taking?

Write it down. Right now. Put it somewhere you can see it.

Make it a great day.

Jake

https://www.facebook.com/goalcast/videos/1496475360429649/

This is a great excerpt from this interview.

She really hits the nail on the head with the basic concept of choosing to change our default mode.

She uses the simple example of deciding to get out of bed like a rocket ship (5, 4, 3, 2, 1….).

The idea being that we need to take action before our brain kicks in with the reasons not to.

“You will realize the amount of garbage you put in the way of your dreams, etc.”

This is a great interview and a great idea.

Challenge for today – whatever thought dominated your mind while watching this video – take action on it – right now.

Don’t create room for the excuses to creep in. Crowd them out with action. Unstoppable action.

Because you are unstoppable.

Make it a great day.

Jake

https://youtu.be/SByymar3bds

This is a great video showing the power of adding a little fun into our day.

All too often we fall into the trap of thinking that anything good for us needs to be drudgery and difficult.

To be sure, some of it is, but it doesn’t all have to be.

How could you add some fun to exercising?

How could you add some fun to budgeting?

How could you add some fun to eating better?

How could you add some fun to building relationships?

I’m certain you can think of something for whichever of these is highest on your priority list right now.

Now go do it.

Don’t wait.

Even if all you can do right now is write down your idea, do it. Put it on a post it note you can’t miss.

Make it a great day.

Jake