I always did something I was a little not ready to do. I think that’s how you grow. When there’s that moment of ‘Wow, I’m not really sure I can do this,’ and you push through those moments, that’s when you have a breakthrough. – Marissa Mayer

We are 12 days into the new year.

Does it all feel a little routine still?

If you aren’t doing something you don’t know how to do (or haven’t ever done), then maybe you need to add something.

Make sure that you are uncomfortable. If not every day, at least once a week.

Embrace the moments of being uncomfortable.

Push through it.

Make it a great day.

Jake

"Never let the fear of striking out keep you from playing the game." – Babe Ruth

One of the interesting things about baseball is the amount of failure involved.

It is a sport uniquely filled with more failures than home runs.

It’s a great life lesson to watch though. The players take all of the mistakes and failures and find a way to be positive and to get the most out of the hits they do get.

Think about this in your life.

What could you do to get back at it after a small set back?

What can you do to get the most out of the small victories?

All too often we beat ourselves up over the small failures and turn them into mountains while ignoring the wins.

Celebrate your wins.

Move on from the mistakes.

Make it a great day.

Jake

EB – Clothes, mom? I told you no clothes on my birthday. – Rowen Barnlund

JD – Once, during Prohibition, I was forced to live for days on nothing but food and water. W. C. Fields

MS – If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. – John 15:7

JW* – Let us endeavor to live so that when we come to die, even the undertaker will be sorry. – Mark Twain

JR – You got the right toys, just swap kids. – Jason Roush

Mark Twain is always good for a sarcastic quote that has some truth to it.

What if our goal in life was to serve and treat others in a way that will make even the undertaker sorry to see us gone?

We choose each day between our selfish desires and serving others and their desires.

We can (and should, in my opinion) choose to love and serve first.

We can choose a life that will make even the undertaker sorry when it is over.

Make it a great day.

Jake

“Motivation alone is not enough. If you have an idiot and you motivate him, now you have a motivated idiot.” – Jim Rohn

Just because the new year has you motivated, doesn’t guarantee success.

We must seek out wisdom as we endeavor to find the path to success.

Take a look at your goals for this year.

Is there a book you could read that would help?

Is there a person you could meet or ask to get more information?

Is there a blog or website you could read regularly to give you some instruction?

Is there a group you could join?

Use your motivation wisely. There’s no sense in running off wildly, only to find out later you have run oft in the wrong direction.

Make it a great day.

Jake

It’s never too late to start over. If you weren’t happy with yesterday, try something different today! Don’t stay stuck. Do better.

This was on a meme that actually got my attention.

It’s a great reminder at the beginning of a new year.

Even if you have totally failed at your goals for the year already, start over!

Just try something different today.

You’re worth it.

Make it a great day.

Jake

https://youtu.be/ru0K8uYEZWw

Watching all of the people dancing in this video should put a smile on your face.

Even if you aren’t the dancing type, find something fun to do today.

Enjoy yourself.

Let go of your worries for at least a few minutes.

And if your version is breaking out some sweet dance moves, please video tape them and share.

Make it a great day.

Jake

Someone recently shared the blog post from Seth Godin below. I really can’t add much to this.

Make it a great day.

Jake

Seth’s Blog : The other person is always right

Always right about feelings. About the day he just experienced. About the fears (appropriate and ill-founded) in his life. About the narrative going on, unspoken, in his head. About what he likes and what he dislikes. You’ll need to travel…

The other person is always right

Always right about feelings.

About the day he just experienced.

About the fears (appropriate and ill-founded) in his life.

About the narrative going on, unspoken, in his head.

About what he likes and what he dislikes.

You’ll need to travel to this place of ‘right’ before you have any chance at all of actual communication.

EB* – Wanting to be someone else is a waste of who you are. – Kurt Cobain

JD – Love will draw an elephant through a key-hole. Samuel Richardson

MS – And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful. Revelation 21:5

JW* – Remember to always be yourself. Unless you suck. – Joss Whedon

The Kurt Cobain and Joss Whedon quote illustrate an important step in maturity.

Somehow we must be who we are while striving to become the best version of ourselves.

Some people use the “I’m just being myself” mantra to excuse the fact that they are a jerk.

Knowing the difference between embracing your love of art and your propensity to be selfish is something we all must learn at some point.

Lean into all the goodness you have been endowed with. Work hard to eliminate the less desirable habits and traits.

Make it a great day.

Jake

Don’t go around saying the world owes you a living. The world owes you nothing. It was here first. – Mark Twain

As the year begins and we look towards achieving all we are capable of, we must let go of our old excuses.

At some point we need to let go of the idea that the world (or others) owe us anything.

No one and nothing owes us success.

We can’t let feelings of entitlement keep us from doing what needs to be done to get where we want to go.

Take an honest look at some of the reasons you are giving yourself for not accomplishing your goals.

Then let go of all of them.

Just forget all of them.

And then move forward.

Make it a great day.

Jake

I hope that in this year to come, you make mistakes. Because if you are making mistakes, then you are making new things, trying new things, learning, living, pushing yourself, changing yourself, changing your world. You’re doing things you’ve never done before, and more importantly, you’re doing something. – Neil Gaiman

This quote captures an important idea for us as we start 2017.

We are all so blessed that it is easy to let the years go by without challenging ourselves.

We get comfortable and choose not to risk our comfort as we go about our lives.

But our potential lies on the outside of our comfort zone.

Regardless of how high or low you set the bar as you thought about 2017, make sure it requires you to make a few mistakes. You need to fall down and fail at least once.

I wish the best of luck with making mistakes in 2017.

Make it a great day.

Jake