Excuses are the nails used to build a house of failure. – Jim Rohn

I read this one this morning and my first reaction was that it sounded a little harsh.

After thinking about it for a minute I realized that maybe we need a little bit of harshness every once in a while.

Like the sandpaper that uses it roughness to produce a finer edge on a piece of wood, maybe we need something a little rough to knock down our pride a little.

Next time we make an excuse, let’s picture ourselves nailing a nail into a house of failure.

Imagine it as a really poorly constructed shack. A bunch of mismatched lumber with a garbage bag for a roof (or something like that). And there we are, hammering in another nail.

Got it pictured in your head?

Seem a little foolish?

Let’s stop it. End construction permanently.

No more excuses.

Make it a great day.

Jake

“If a man is called to be a street sweeper, he should sweep streets even as a Michaelangelo painted, or Beethoven composed music or Shakespeare wrote poetry. He should sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will pause to say, ‘Here lived a great street sweeper who did his job well.” – Martin Luther King Jr.

I couldn’t resist sending another of my favorite quotes on "labor".

Imagine the time and place he said this. His audience likely were people who had a legitimate frustration with their jobs and careers that were very limited because of racism.

And yet he recommends to put their all into the jobs they had. To do them so well that the hosts of heaven would notice.

There is something powerful about a job well done.

It creates self esteem for the one who does it.

It creates a better community for those around it.

It’s contagious to those close to it.

Tackle your tasks today in this manner.

Make it a great day.

Jake

http://youtu.be/20mMbEB0OhA

Oh The Places You’ll Go by Dr Seuss – YouTube John Lithgow reads the story. Graphics courtesy of the original book. Read more…

No Jake thoughts, just some encouragement to listen to this great short book from Dr. Seuss. Think about what part applies to you.

Make it a great day.

Jake

http://youtu.be/eXiwYUCe_bY

Maybe this one falls in more of the Friday morning funny category, but I couldn’t resist sending it out.

Weird Al is a great example of what is possible for a person who is creative and applies some ingenuity.

He has made a career out of spoofs and funny songs he has created.

Imagine that first day all those years ago. He walks into a music exec and says "I am going to make up goofy lyrics to go along with popular songs. It’s going to be hilarious." The guy probably kicked him out of the office.

I am sure more than a few people told him he was crazy, but look what came of it. Think of all the laughs over the years. Think of all the smiles.

If you haven’t already, think about the place where you can apply your creativity and ingenuity to serve as many people as possible….and then start heading in that direction.

Make it a great day.

Jake

http://youtu.be/o9rvhmUhPnA​

This is the last scene of a movie called "About Time". In the movie the main character can travel through time.

He starts off by explaining the secret that he had discovered through his special gift.

And that secret? Don’t travel through time at all. Live each day as if it were the one special day that he would have traveled through time to live over again.

As we start another week, let’s remember to enjoy each day. To not just rush through them. To pause for those we care about. To laugh.

Make it a great day.

Jake

No one is useless in this world who lightens the burden of it to anyone else. – Charles Dickens

In honor of Labor Day yesterday I thought I would send out one of my favorite quotes on “labor”.

Or maybe we could adjust it for Labor Day:

No labor is useless in this world that lightens the burden of it to anyone else.

As we go about our days it is easy to forget or pass up on all the little opportunities to be of service to others. To make their day a little brighter and lighter.

Don’t miss those opportunities this week.

Lighten the burden for those around you.

Make it a great day.

Jake

http://youtu.be/tsQbsWA_qWI

My favorite line is the first one “the rainy day is temporary”.

No matter how dark it gets, night will turn to day.

No matter how cold it gets, winter will turn to spring.

No matter how bad it seems, it will get better.

If it’s raining right now in your life, never lose hope that things will turn around.

Make it a great day.

Jake

Winning is more fun than losing.

I know this falls in the category of obvious, but I thought it would be a good reminder.

At the Global Leadership Summit there was an interview with the CEO of GE, Jeffrey Immelt.

He said that GE they “play to win” and it reminded me that winning is more fun than losing.

And he reminded me of another important point on this subject. Winning only counts when there is a chance of losing.

We must take some risks in order to really win.

Is there an area of your life where you need to take a chance on winning?

Are you playing it too safe so you don’t risk losing?

We can only really win if we take the chance of losing.

And we won’t always win, but that is what makes the victories we do achieve even sweeter.

Challenge yourself to step outside your comfort zone in order to win at something you are currently struggling with.

Make it a great day.

Jake

The me I see is the me I will be.

I have heard this thought in a few different forms lately.

Tony Robbins says it as “the standards you set for yourself are the standards you will meet.”

Look around at the standards you have set for yourself.

What standard do you have for your finances? Just get by and pay the bills or building a financial future for you and your family.

What standard do you have for your time? Just getting through the day or making the most of each day.

What standard do you have for your health? Just getting by or one of continual discipline around diet and exercise.

What standard do you have for your relationships? Just scratching the surface with your loved ones or deep and meaningful relationships.

Think about a challenging area of your life. Is it a problem of standards that are too low? Do you need to raise the bar for yourself?

Challenge yourself to raise your standards.

Make it a great day.

Jake

Walking ten blocks with a nagging wife or husband can be more fatiguing than walking ten miles with an adoring sweetheart.

This was a quote from "How to Stop Worrying" that I wrote down as I have worked my way through that book again. And I thought it went well to add on to yesterday’s email.

Think today about those important relationships in your life.

Are you a ten blocker or a ten miler?

We all have a chance to uplift or bring down those around us.

A few quick ideas to uplift those around you today.

Smile. A lot. Don’t stop. Seriously, smile. Like all the time.

Say "I am proud of you" out loud while looking the person you are proud of in the eye.

Say "I love you" out loud while looking someone you love in the eye.

Say "great job" to a coworker who did a great job on that call/project/meeting.

Hugs. Lots and lots of hugs.

Hope those get you started.

Make it a great day.

Jake