Plenty of people miss their share of happiness, not because they never found it, but because they didn’t stop to enjoy it. – William Feather
Consider this your reminder to stop and enjoy the ride.
It’s easy to let life slide by. To let busyness overtake mindfulness.
Make it a point today to be thankful for the good in your life and stop to enjoy it.
Make it a great day.
Jake
PS – Still looking for volunteers for next week to send out the daily attitude emails.
"When you put yourself on your schedule, you won’t have meetings and appointments that prevent you from taking care of yourself."
Time is our most precious resource.
Often times our schedules run us and not the other way around.
And when others run our days we are sometimes left without the time needed to take care of ourselves.
We are left without time for exercise.
We are left without time for solitude and prayer.
We are left without time for reading.
Look at your schedule for the next week. Make at least one adjustment to put taking care of yourself on there.
Make it a great day.
Jake
"These giants of the forest are something to behold. Some have been growing for a thousand years, and each tree contains its own story of the centuries’ long struggle for survival. Looking at the annular rings of the wood, you can tell what seasons they have been through. In some drought years they almost perished, as growth is barely perceptible. In others, the growth was far greater. —George Yeoman Pocock"
This quote created a great (or weird) mental picture for me.
Imagine if humans had circular rings that showed how much we grew each year.
This quote might explain it very well. But it would be backwards for us.
Some years are rough, with tons of growth happening.
Some years are easy, with little to no growth happening.
We are constantly growing. It’s just a question of “Towards what?”
Are we growing more or less selfish?
More or less loving?
More or less disciplined?
More or less happy?
We choose our direction.
Make it a great day.
Jake
PS – I am going to be gone next week so I am looking for volunteers to send out the daily attitude email all next week. Email me if you are interested in standing in one day.
Music washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life. – Berthold Auerbach
This quote reminded me of how dust seems to pile up on everyday things.
Desks, dressers, counters, etc.
Maybe the same thing happens to our souls.
Maybe music really is the way we wash away the dust from our souls.
I sure do feel better after listening to some good music.
Find something you like to listen to and wipe away some dust.
Make it a great day.
Jake
JW – “It is my ambition to say in ten sentences what others say in a whole book.” – Friedrich Nietzsche
JD – Wisdom is knowing when you can’t be wise. – Paul Engle
EB* – Hope is such a bait, it covers any hook. – Oliver Goldsmith
MS – "You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you." – Isaiah 26:3
Hope is such a powerful force.
It can drive us to greatness or without we can wallow in despair.
When we dream of our future, set goals or picture a better tomorrow we are drawn to it.
Our hope in that better future state literally pulls along towards it, making our dreams come true.
Think about your goals and dreams for a minute.
Is there an area where the flame of hope is a little dimmer?
An area where you have let your hopes dwindle and so your progress has slowed?
Rekindle it.
Stoke the flame.
Make it a great day. One filled with hope.
Jake
"Be careful of your thoughts; they may become words at any moment." – Ira Gassen
Our thoughts have a funny way of becoming our actions and our words.
One great way of becoming a happier and more successful person is to start monitoring and controlling your thought patterns.
We should work to look at our thoughts objectively and get rid of the bad and insert the good.
This requires discipline and effort.
It’s much easier to just let our thoughts run off in their usual directions.
A useful technique that I recently read in a book was to actively stop thinking the negative thought and always insert something positive.
Example (imagine saying each line out loud):
I’m never going to be able to ____________.
STOP! That’s not helpful.
You got this.
Just having the mental awareness to stop for a second and insert a positive thought where a negative one was will make a big difference. Create a habit out of it and it will change your life.
Make it a great day.
Jake
The creation of a thousand forests is in one acorn. – Ralph Waldo Emerson
So much possibility lies inside each of us.
Like the acorn we have the possibility to expand and grow beyond ourselves.
Whether it be through our family, friends and relationships or knowledge and ideas we share, we can leave a legacy that goes beyond our wildest dreams.
As you look at what you are doing and working on, is it building a legacy you want to see?
Are you moving towards making the kind of impact you would like to make?
What might you do differently today if you were thinking of your legacy first?
Make it a great day.
Jake
Spread love everywhere you go. Let no one ever come to you without leaving happier. – Mother Teresa
That’s a pretty good life plan, if you ask me.
What if every person you encountered felt loved?
What if 50% of the people you encountered felt loved?
What if a higher percentage than today felt loved?
What if we all moved toward that goal, just a little.
Today, make an effort to make someone leave happier for having spent time with you.
Make it a great day.
Jake
I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear. – Martin Luther King, Jr.
Sometimes a good way to decide which action to take in a given scenario is to think of the opposite.
It’s usually not as obvious as hate vs love. It’s usually a choice between more and less love. More and less selfishness.
But even when choosing between more and less, choices become more obvious.
The key is to take the step back to evaluate the decision based on your values.
And with Valentine’s Day yesterday, I hope we all remember to put love at the top of our lists.
Make it a great day.
Jake
Practical Steps for Friendship, Unity and Intimacy in Your Marriage
The Daily Attitude Email 