It takes as much effort to move in a circle as it does to move forward.

Sometimes we mistake activity and busyness for progress when really we aren’t getting anywhere.

This is why goals are so important. We need check points along the way to make sure we are heading towards something and not just in a circle.

Next time you get a chance, take a step back and see if you are really moving forward or not.

Objectively look at the numbers and don’t let yourself off the hook.

And then make an adjustment if you need to.

Don’t keep doing the same things.

Make it a great day.

Jake

EB – "Mine’s the best ever" – JW

JW – “Your momma is so hairy, she only speaks Wookie!” – Ethan Warmbir

MS – Friendship is unnecessary, like philosophy, like art… It has no survival value; rather it is one of those things that give value to survival. – C. S. Lewis

JD – "A million dollars sounds like a lot, I know. Especially when you’re young. But you can’t let money erode your principles or you’ll wind up with nothing."

Sammy Keyes And The Dead Giveaway by Wendelin Van Draanen

BAD – It isn’t what happens to us that causes us to suffer; it’s what we say to ourselves about what happens. – Pema Chodron

A million dollars sure does seem like a lot, but something I have been thinking about lately is how much money we are likely to be responsible for over our lifetime.

If you work from when you are 18 until you are 68 (50 years) and if you average $20,000 per year you will have made $1,000,000 over your life time.

This shows the power of our everyday decisions.

It shows the power of having a monthly budget.

You are likely to responsible for $1,000,000 or more in your life. The question is, what are you going to do with it?

And the same thing goes for your time and other resources in your life.

We don’t seem to have much time, money or resources, but if you add it up, it will be more than it seems.

We are all stewards of abundant resources. Let’s manage them well.

Make it a great day.

Jake

I was listening to an audio book yesterday and the author was talking about time management.

Towards the end, he mentioned that the ultimate in time management was to become more skilled.

Being skilled helps us get the most out of our time.

As we look at our lives, what areas can we focus on getting better at so we can get the most out of life.

Could you go further, faster if you could communicate better?

Could you go further, faster if you understood leadership better?

Could you go further, faster if you had better time management skills?

Could you go further, faster if you were in better physical shape?

Got something in mind? Get started studying. Find a book or a class or a mentor. Go get the information and practice you need to get better.

Make it a great day.

Jake

We are living in a period which all too readily scraps the old for the new…As a nation, we are in danger of forgetting that the new is not true because it is novel, and that the old is not false because it is ancient. – Joseph Kennedy

I liked this quote this morning partly because it came from Joseph Kennedy. This means that when he was talking about “new” he wasn’t talking about the newest iPhone or technogagdget.

The temptation to forget our previous lessons and act as if everything has changed is an ancient one itself.

We are bombarded each day with the newest of everything. And there is a lot of positive that can come with the newer version of something and embracing the change that is inherent in all our lives.

But there is also value in that which has stood the test of time.

Truth will hold up forever.

Love will always be.

Faith will lead us forward always.

As you go about your modern life, make sure to mix in some of the old.

Read a book published before 1900.

Wear your grandparents old jewelry.

Make it a great day.

Jake

http://youtu.be/SwYN7mTi6HM

Sometimes in life you have to take a leap.

You have to jump in with both feet.

What’s something you have been holding back that you just need to jump into?

What’s something you have been meaning to say that you need to just say?

What is something you have been meaning to try that you need to give it a shot?

Jump in. Mix it up. It might be a little messy along the way, but it will be worth it.

Make it a great day.

Jake

The sky has never been the limit. We are our own limits. It’s then about breaking our personal limits and outgrowing ourselves to live our best lives.

I read this quote recently and thought of the process a caterpillar goes through to become a butterfly.

We are all going through a similar process all the time. Changing and growing into something new and different every day.

That’s why goal setting and planning your future is so important.

If you don’t take the time to sit down and write it out, who knows what you will be growing and changing into?

That’s the difference between a caterpillar and a person.

The caterpillar doesn’t get to pick what it changes into, a person does.

What are you changing into?

Make it a great day.

Jake

BAD – No matter what it is, no matter what your job is, the more relaxed you are, the better you are. Bill Murray

JD – I always wanted to be somebody, but now I realize I should have been more specific. -Lily Tomlin

JW – Forgive and you forget. Forget what you forgave. – Edwin Spinks

EB – There are no traffic jams on the extra mile. – Zig Ziglar

MS – Pleasant words are as a honeycomb. Sweet to the soul and health to the bones. – King Solomon

The Bill Murray quote reminded me of one of life’s greatest challenges.

We have to care so much that we are driven to results without allowing that care to swamp us with worry.

We must desire a better future enough to drive action without letting ourselves get caught up in only focusing on the future.

We must have an internal fire so bright nothing can stop us without letting that fire overheat us.

Is there an area of your life where you are overthinking it and not making progress?

Is there an area of your life where you spend more time worrying and thinking about than you do making progress towards it?

Relax. Let go of your worries and concerns. Let yourself make progress.

Make it a great day.

Jake

It was only a sunny smile,

And little it cost in the giving,

But like morning light it scattered

The night and made the day worth living

F Scott Fitzgerald

What a great little poem about smiling.

Make it a point to smile more today.

Make it a great day.

Jake

It is not because things are difficult that we do not dare; it is because we do not dare that things are difficult. – Seneca

Sometimes we make things much harder on ourselves than we need to.

We play it safe.

We say yes to too many requests.

We say yes to too much stuff.

We hold back when we should push forward.

I think that is what this quote is getting at.

If we dare and embrace the unknown and the challenging, we open ourselves up to a greater and more fulfilling life.

Is there a chance in your life that needs taking?

Do you need to set your sights a little higher?

Go for it.

Make it a great day.

Jake

One of the good things about having kids is all the waiting. It’s a great lesson in patience.

You are always waiting on them to do something, but it gives you a chance to pause and look around a little.

When I was waiting on Annie in the shower I had the chance to look around at our old house and started thinking of all the memories it must hold.

Children’s first teeth (and their first lost teeth).

New babies and new parents.

Little kids and big kids.

Good times and bad times.

I was reminded that we are adding to those memories right now.

A simple idea came to mind. If we are always adding to the memories somewhere we might as well make it a good one.

We can leave each place we visit better than we found it by leaving a great memory.

We can leave each person we interact with better than we found them by leaving them with a great memory.

Make it a great day.

Jake