The most creative people have this childlike facility to play. – John Cleese

In our sales meeting we were sharing the best thing that happened to us over the weekend and more than once someone said “holidays are so much more fun with kids around”.

One of life’s great balancing acts is the process of becoming an adult and leaving behind childish ways and tendencies without losing the good things about being a child.

Spending time with kids will remind you of this quickly.

They can be exceptionally creative and sweet one minute and selfish and whiney the next.

As parents we get to do our best to encourage the creativity and sweetness and help squash the selfishness and whining as much as possible.

Today’s email is a reminder to embrace the good parts of your inner child.

Have fun.

Be goofy.

Be selfless in the same way that only an innocent child can be.

Have a simple faith that it will all be great.

Make it a great day.

Jake

“The opposite of love is not hate, it’s indifference. The opposite of art is not ugliness, it’s indifference. The opposite of faith is not heresy, it’s indifference. And the opposite of life is not death, it’s indifference.”

― Elie Wiesel

One of the many things that our kids will be tired of me saying over the years is “Don’t say you don’t care.”

Indifference is an attitude to work hard to eliminate completely if you can.

Reading the quote above, think about it the other way. What is the opposite of indifference?

Love. Art. Faith. Life.

We all have lots to care about, so think twice before you say “I don’t care”.

Make it a great day.

Jake

https://youtu.be/wTSLRbm8L9E

The 4th of July is a great reminder of all the great things about this great country we live in.

We have been given much and in exchange much is expected of us.

Embrace these expectations.

Embrace all of the possibilities that come with your freedom.

Embrace the opportunity to do and be your best.

Make it a great day.

Jake

Today is the end of the first half of the year.

Time for a quick check in with yourself.

How are things going?

Are you on pace or behind the pace?

Anything need an adjustment?

Do you need to change course?

Treat it like a “half New Years”. Set some goals. Make a resolution. Make the changes you want to see in your life.

Make it a great day.

Jake

JD – Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom, must, like men, undergo the fatigue of supporting it. ~Thomas Paine

JW* – Freedom has its life in the hearts, the actions, the spirit of men and so it must be daily earned and refreshed – else like a flower cut from its life-giving roots, it will wither and die. ~Dwight D. Eisenhower

MS* – This, then, is the state of the union: free and restless, growing and full of hope. So it was in the beginning. So it shall always be, while God is willing, and we are strong enough to keep the faith. ~Lyndon B. Johnson

EB* – Freedom is nothing but a chance to be better. ~Albert Camus

In honor of the 4th coming up this weekend, all the quotes are independence themed.

My favorite though was the last one.

Being part of this great nation doesn’t guarantee us anything but a chance.

A chance to be better.

Everything else is on us.

Make the most of your chance to be better.

Make it a great day.

Jake

Keep your face to the sunshine and you cannot see a shadow. – Helen Keller

We have a choice. We can choose to spend most of our time facing the sunshine.

One of my favorite ideas from Jim Rohn is that we “go the direction we are faced”.

We move towards what we are looking at and for.

So, if we choose to face the sunshine, we will head towards it.

As long as you don’t take this all the way and try to fly into the sun (that will end badly), we will end up better off.

As you begin your day today, which way are you facing?

Make it a great day.

Jake

Positive anything is better than negative nothing. – Elbert Hubbard

Simple reminder for today.

Be positive.

Find at least one thing to be positive about today.

And tell somebody.

Make it a great day.

Jake

Coming together is a beginning; keeping together is progress; working together is success. – Henry Ford

We had our 9 year anniversary party on Saturday.

It was a great reminder that we have something special going on.

Each person involved is special in their own right and capable of great things.

But when we work together and put service to others above our own desires, something better is created. Something we couldn’t or wouldn’t have been able to experience without the collective group working together.

Thank you to all of you for the part you have played in our success story. We’re still writing it and the beginning sure was interesting, who knows what will happen next.

Make it a great day.

Jake

https://youtu.be/wvUQcnfwUUM

The official first day of summer was this week.

It also means that we are having the longest day of the year.

Summer time is a great time to make the most of the longer days.

Make it a point to enjoy the longer days over the next few weeks.

Make it a great day.

Jake

Nothing is work unless you’d rather be doing something else. – George Halas

This is a great example of how attitude can make the difference.

There have been times in my life where I actually had fun doing jobs that most wouldn’t consider fun.

The difference was that I was doing the work for a good reason and with good people.

Because of those two things I had a good attitude about it.

Find a way to change your attitude towards work if it needs it.

Find a way to have fun while you’re working.

Make it a great day.

Jake