It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat. – Theodore Roosevelt

Yesterday’s quote prompted Mr. O’Shaughnessy to send me a note saying that it reminded him of the excerpt above.

So, today is another reminder.

Get going. Get in the arena.

Get some blood, sweat and dust on your face.

Strive valiantly.

Show great enthusiasm.

Spend yourself in pursuit of a worthy cause.

Make it a great day.

Jake

It seems to be a law of nature, inflexible and inexorable, that those who will not risk cannot win. – John Paul Jones

A simple reminder this morning. You can’t win without taking a chance.

Is there something you need to take a chance on?

Make it a great day.

Jake

EB – Awww…..I just ate paper. – Mike Somers

JD – The wisdom of the wise, and the experience of ages, may be preserved by quotation. – Isaac D’Israeli

JW – When a strong man, fully armed, guards his house, his possessions are safe. – Luke 11:21

MS – And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. – Psalms 1:3

EB Bonus Quote – It’s tricky to rock a rhyme, to rock a rhyme that’s right on time, it’s tricky. – Run DMC

That song always reminds me of this movie scene: https://youtu.be/Oxk4g2y28Os. Warning – mild inappropriateness in there somewhere, I am sure.

Today, I specifically chose a quote about quotes (mind blown).

We have added and changed the list of people that get this email over the years and I realized that many of you don’t know where “The Phrase That Pays” came from.

As a leadership team we long ago adopted the habit of sharing an inspirational quote with the rest of the team. I started typing them up and writing a little something and sending it out after the meeting.

In typical Mavidea fashion, some are goofy, some are serious and some are incoherent.

But almost every week at least one of them brings some new perspective for me.

This is why reading and studying the thoughts of others can be so helpful. It opens up and changes our perspective.

I encourage you to read and search out quotes that are meaningful for you.

Make it a great day.

Jake

Me: “Annie, your sister is turning 9 soon, what are we going to do with her?”

Annie: “Teach her how to be a 10 year old.”

Sometimes, the next thing is the next thing. We don’t always need to be thinking ten years ahead or of the next 10 steps.

We tend to overcomplicate things, trying to think too far into the future.

Most of the time, focusing on just taking the next step is all we need to be thinking about.

Is there something in your life that has been sitting there too long because you haven’t taken the first step?

Instead of trying to figure out how to get 1 hour every day for exercising, just find 1 hour tomorrow.

Instead of trying to figure out how to stick with your diet for the rest of your life, just figure out how to make it through tomorrow.

Instead of trying to figure out how to get a million dollars, invest the first dollar.

Whatever your goal or your habit that needs changed, just take the next step.

And when it works, take the next one.

And when it fails, take the next one.

Make it a great day.

Jake

Promise me you’ll always remember: You’re braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think. – A. A. Milne

Winnie the Pooh and the other characters of A. A. Milne always make me smile.

Quotes like this one show that even the simple minds from the stories can understand something that we all struggle with.

We all struggle to remember that we are braver than we believe, that we are stronger than we seem and smarter than we think.

We need to be reminded of these things, even if that reminder comes through a children’s story.

Make it a great day.

Jake

“You have to love a nation that celebrates its independence every July 4th, not with a parade of guns, tanks, and soldiers who file by the White House in a show of strength and muscle, but with family picnics where kids throw Frisbees, the potato salad gets iffy, and the flies die from happiness. You may think you have overeaten, but it is patriotism.” — Erma Bombeck

Last day in the office before the 4th of July holiday and so I went in search of quotes about the 4th.

This one stuck out to me because it was a great reminder of just how lucky we are.

Most of us get to celebrate this holiday in peace.

At home with family and friends.

Living under the protective blanket of freedom.

So, for this 4th of July I suggest we all do our best to write the word “thankful” on our hearts. To let it infuse all that we do.

Make it a great day.

Jake

Nobody made a greater mistake than he who did nothing because he thought he could only do a little. – Edmund Burke

Take action.

Get started.

Even if you can only do a little today.

Today marks the beginning of the second half of the year.

Don’t let it slip by. Do the little bit that you can right now.

One foot in front of the other, day after day.

You can do it.

Make it a great day.

Jake

JD – The extra mile is a vast, unpopulated wasteland.

MS – We should guard sacredly [our children’s] privilege of personal choice; … The final responsibility of a choice and of its consequences rests with the child, and not with the parent. – H Clay Trumbull

JW – War is hell. Hollywood fantasizes about it and makes it look good….war sucks. – Chris Kyle

EB – I’m rough like a freight train, smooth like ice and yo, Jeff, I really think I can beat Mike Tyson. – Fresh Prince

The quote from me above came from a list I saw posted on FaceBox the other day.

http://www.inc.com/jeff-haden/14-powerful-motivational-quotes-you-have-never-heard-but-should.html?cid=sf01002

The author shares quotes that others have said to him over his life that have really stuck with him.

I’m sure we all have some of these rattling around in our brains.

Words make an impact. They shape our view of the world and our role in it.

Think about the quotes that have stuck with you.

Which ones have had a positive impact?

Which ones have had a negative impact?

Drop the negative and embrace the positive.

Make it a great day.

Jake

https://youtu.be/XpaOjMXyJGk

Take the time to watch this video.

It does a great job of showing how often we have a flawed view of ourselves.

In my experience, most of us struggle with some version of this.

We think and act as if we aren’t funny, smart, or beautiful enough to try that new thing or take that chance.

We choose activities, friends, and relationships that we think fit our view of how things should be for us.

If we only knew….

What we are capable of.

What our creator thinks of us.

What our friends think of us.

What our loved ones think of us.

Today’s challenge for you: be that positive mirror for someone else. Give them a compliment. Tell them that great thing about them that they might not even know. Show them the second picture.

Make it a great day.

Jake

There are no passengers on spaceship earth. We are all crew. – Marshall McLuhan

We all have our part to play.

Whether it is a small part or a big part.

There are no passengers. No free loaders. No one gets to do nothing.

Embrace your crew membership. Take pride in the roles you play, however small.

Do your best with whatever role you are playing today.

Make it a great day.

Jake