For today I wanted to share the newsletter below from Harvey Mackay.

Some really great thoughts on commitment.

I heard Tony Robbins once say “The path to success is well documented and easily repeatable, what I work on with people is finding the motivation and commitment to follow that path.”

What is keeping you from committing to your goals?

Make it a great day.

Jake

Harvey Mackay’s Newsletter This Week

Commit yourself to success By Harvey Mackay

Eugene Orowitz was a skinny, awkward kid from New Jersey. Painfully shy, very self-conscious, and lacking self-confidence, when a high school coach half-jokingly asked him to try out for the track team, Eugene took him up on it, according to author Glenn Van Ekeren.

"Ugy," as his friends affectionately called him, discovered a talent for javelin throwing and committed himself to being the best that he could possibly be. What Ugy lacked in self-confidence, he made up for in commitment.

By graduation, Eugene had achieved a national high school record for throwing the javelin over 193 feet. His commitment also resulted in a college track scholarship at the University of Southern California.

A torn shoulder muscle ended his javelin-throwing career and any hope of making the Olympic team. However, while watching a play, Eugene became intrigued with acting. Again, he committed himself to being the best. He was determined to make it as an actor, so he enrolled in acting class. And he changed his name.

You know Eugene Orowitz as Michael Landon, who went on to star in three of the most popular shows in television history: "Bonanza," "Little House on the Prairie" and "Highway to Heaven."

Eugene/Michael demonstrated the difference between interest and commitment. When you’re interested in doing something, you do it when circumstances permit. When you’re committed to something, you accept no excuses, only results.

Comedian Bill Cosby dropped out of Temple University as a junior and became a starving comedian. But he was committed to becoming successful, staying up all hours of the night to talk to seasoned comics, research material and work on new routines. I had a chance to play tennis with Bill many years ago and he told me: "Anyone can dabble, but once you’ve made the commitment, then your blood has that particular thing in it and it’s very hard for people to stop you."

Commitment is a prerequisite to success. Commitment is the state of being bound – emotionally, intellectually, or both – to a course of action. Commitment starts with a choice and is sustained by dedication and perseverance. Actions speak louder than words.

If you want something, but you’re not motivated to do the work required, you will be frustrated and unsuccessful. So take action!

• Make a list of everything you want. Write it all down. Don’t leave out anything that you want, from becoming a CEO to getting a date. Then rate each item according to its importance.

• Consider your investment. Examine each of the items on your list and ask yourself: "Am I willing to invest the time, energy and resources necessary to achieve this?"

• Make a decision. Look at your list and identify the items that you want the most with the highest score for "willingness." Then start working on a plan for success over the next weeks or months – and be sure to set a deadline.

Rev. Robert Schuller says there are four kinds of people: "First, there are the cop-outs. These people set no goals and make no decisions.

"Second, there are the hold-outs. They have a beautiful dream, but they’re afraid to respond to its challenge because they aren’t sure they can make it. These people have lost all childlike faith.

"Third, there are the drop-outs. They start to make their dream come true. They know their role. They set their goals, but when the going gets tough, they quit. They don’t pay the toll.

"Finally, there are the all-outs. They are the people who know their role. They want and need and are going to be stars: star students, star parents, star waitresses. They want to shine out as an inspiration to others. They set their goals. . . . The all-outs never quit. Even when the toll gets heavy, they’re dedicated. They’re committed."

To be committed, you must be "all in." You can’t just do the best you can. You have to do everything you can. Remember, the difference between 100 percent all in and 99 percent all in is 100 percent.

When I think of commitment, I think of the story of the Pig and the Chicken who are walking down the road. The Chicken says: "Hey Pig, I was thinking we should open a restaurant!"

The Pig replies: "Hmmm, what would we call it?"

The Chicken responds: "How about ‘Ham-n-Eggs?’"

The Pig thinks for a moment and says: "No thanks. I’d be committed, but you’d only be involved!"

Mackay’s Moral: An ounce of commitment is worth pounds of promises.

"I find it fascinating that most people plan their vacations with better care than they plan their lives. Perhaps that is because escape is easier than change." — Jim Rohn

As vacation season is full upon us, I found this quote interesting.

We all need vacations. Time off to regroup and gather ourselves.

But it is the relative importance we place on them that can be called into question.

It seems like a lot of people are living for the next weekend, the next vacation, the next…..

As we look at how we spend our days, it might be wise to put more planning and happiness into those non-weekend and vacation times. There seem to be a lot more of them.

Do you spend more time planning your weekend than your diet for the week?

Do you plan time each week to get in some exercise?

Do you plan your finances out for the month every month?

Vacations and weekends are even better if they allow us to recharge to tackle the difficult goals in our lives, not to just make it through another week.

Make it a great day.

Jake

I have no idea when or what caused me to jot this down, but one day I wrote down the words “it ain’t over yet.”

As we passed over the half way point of 2013, I was reminded of this note.

No matter where you are in relation to your goals for the year, it ain’t over yet.

The half way point is a good time to step back for a minute and think about where you are and catch your breath before making the push to finish up strong.

And what if you just can’t meet your goal. Too much time has passed already and you can’t make up the lost ground.

Forget about it. Step back and begin anew. Focus on the progress you can make. It ain’t over yet.

Moving forward is the key.

Make it a great day.

Jake

http://youtu.be/_UKh9zszngc

Next up on the list of great things about America: freedom.

We are all free to do what we want, any old time.

We have the freedom to organize and shape our lives in the way we see fit to get the results we want.

But there is a second part to this equation: responsibility. Norman Vincent Peale said that since we have the Statue of Liberty on the East Coast we should have the Statue of Responsibility on the West Coast.

Freedom is great.

Freedom with responsibility takes things to a whole different level.

As you think about the 4th of July and all of the great things about America and all of those troops who have and continue to fight for your freedom, ask yourself a couple of questions.

Am I making the most of the freedom being given to me?

Am I taking responsibility for my life?

Make it a great day.

Jake

Next up on the list of things to love about America: our Armed Forces.

We have a volunteer system in our Armed Forces.

Think about that for a minute, people voluntarily put themselves in harms way in order to protect the rest of us.

As the years go by and I slowly but surely get a little bit wiser (emphasis on the slowly), I become more and more appreciative of our Armed Forces.

The bravery and selflessness exhibited are to be admired.

As the 4th comes and goes tomorrow, find someone who has served and shake their hand and say “Thanks”.

Make it a great day.

Jake

Continuing the theme of why I love America today. Next up on the list is the generosity of the American people.

I recently heard an interview with Bono where he was thanking the American people who through donations and governmental support had saved 900,000 lives in Africa.

That’s a big number.

Generosity is also in all of the little things that I see over and over again.

I see our staff come together and put on a whiffle ball tournament for the daughter of a deceased coworker.

I see our small church give back to our little community.

I see soup kitchens and food pantries serving the hungry.

And they all begin with generosity. I know this trait isn’t unique to Americans, but it is something we do exceedingly well.

I am very thankful to live in a country where so many of my fellow citizens give of themselves to help others.

Make it a great day.

Jake

4th of July week this week so I thought a good theme for the week would be things that are great about America.

First up is the diversity of cultures in America and their mixture.

I heard an Asian comedian once who said his dad was complaining about there being no culture in America and everyone had their own culture. The comedian responded that that is the culture.

In America, we can eat at an authentic Thai restaurant in Bloomington, IL. We can eat all kinds of different foods from a long list of different cultures.

Think about that. Half a world away from her homeland, an enterprising woman can open and run a successful restaurant in part because we are accepting and curious about her and her culture.

We also have the unique benefit of being a mix of cultures.

In our little family we have a mix of German, Irish and English culture and heritage.

Very different and unique cultures by themselves, but likely a very common mix here in the US.

Let’s all take a minute to be thankful for the unique and different people and cultures we get to experience here in America.

Make it a great day.

Jake

JW – The truth of the matter is that you always know the right thing to do, the hard part is doing it. – Norman Schwarzkopf

JD – Thought is the sculptor, who can create the person you want to be. – Henry David Thoreau

JM* – I sure am going to miss Sheryl.

EB* – I am going to miss Sheryl the most.

Sheryl’s last day has reminded me of one of unique and key elements of what we are doing here at Mavidea: relationships.

Mavidea has allowed all of us to create great relationships that probably wouldn’t have happened otherwise.

The other day I saw Sheryl and Jason Lerblance walking together somewhere downtown here and thought to myself “what an interesting side effect, two would be strangers enjoying time together”.

And I am sure this is just one small example.

Where else would Sheryl have met and become friends with a rag-tag groups of geeks providing IT and web services to our clients?

Your hard work and efforts at Mavidea have created the opportunity for so many new and wonderful relationships.

I know my life has been enriched by the relationships formed here.

Take a minute today to be thankful for the good relationships in your life.

Make it a great day.

Jake

http://youtu.be/xnzDIKmEPxo

In honor of Sheryl’s last day, I thought I would send this out in her honor.

When I have asked her about Mavidea in the past, she consistently mentions enjoying working with us young people (probably because she is so young).

As Sheryl looks into retirement and maybe begins defining young a little differently I thought I would share some of my favorite youthful traits that Mavideans exhibit.

Enthusiasm! Sorry, couldn’t resist the exclamation mark.

Passion

Drive

Ambition

Growth

Fun

And those are just a few to start. The list illustrates a point about youth. None of those had to do with actual age, they were all a state of mind.

For Sheryl specifically, I sincerely hope that you can continue to be young of heart and mind.

For those of not retiring today, keep the youthfulness going in your heart and mind.

Make it a great day.

Jake

"Character isn’t inherited. One builds it daily by the way one thinks and acts, thought by thought, action by action."

– Helen Gahagan Douglas

One of the most encouraging themes I keeping coming across is that of building character and discipline.

Good habits build the enthusiasm and momentum to build more good habits.

Good choices build the character and backbone to make more good decisions.

Good thoughts build more and more good thoughts.

This is especially encouraging to me when I think of just how far I have to go. I often get impatient and would like to be awesome right now, today.

But if I can just focus on building that next discipline then I can begin that process of growth and achievement today.

I can’t do tomorrow’s work today. I can’t make tomorrow’s improvements today.

I can begin to build character today.

I can begin to build discipline today.

For those of you on the list who are a finished product, you can just move on to your next activity for the day.

For those of you with a little bit of room left for improvement, think about what decisions and actions you can take today to build that character or discipline you desire.

Make it a great day.

Jake