http://youtu.be/uq-gYOrU8bA

This video made me smile, laugh and tap my toes, all at the same time.

Hope it gets all of you off to a great start today.

Make it a great day.

Jake

“It is not a math problem, it is a you problem.” – Dave Ramsey

Dave said this last week in Financial Peace University.

He was talking about paying down debt and how it was a behavioral change and not a math problem.

This applies in so many other areas of our lives as well. Even when the goal or problem doesn’t involve numbers.

We tend to overcomplicate things. We set a big goal and then begin over-analyzing things and never quite get started on making progress.

Instead, we could focus on making small changes in behavior that lead us down the path. Then build these small victories into bigger changes and meeting our goals.

Want to become financially wealthy? Start by building a budget every month.

Want to lose weight? Start by walking around the block every day for a week.

Want to quit smoking? Start by quitting for an hour.

Whatever your goals are, they aren’t a math problem. They are a behaviors problem. Find a small behavior change you can make and get started.

Make it a great day.

Jake

PS – Still need another 7-8 volunteers to write emails while I am out. Just send me a note if you are interested.

Neil Armstrong once said, ‘You only have to solve two problems when going to the moon: first, how to get there; and second, how to get back. The key is don’t leave until you have solved both problems.’" — Jim Rohn

Saw this quote on FaceBox and thought it was good enough to share.

Jim Rohn also talks about the concept of not starting the day until it is finished.

This is definitely an area of struggle for me.

The day seems to get away from me sometimes.

But I have planned at least one day well, one time. And it works.

Want to have a great day? Plan it.

Want to have a great week? Plan it.

Want to have a great year? Plan it.

Want to have a great life? Plan it.

And whether we accept it or not, how our day goes is our choice. How well we plan is our choice.

What do you have planned for today?

Make it a great day.

Jake

PS – For those that don’t know yet, we are scheduled to have the baby on Monday.

I am looking for volunteers to send the daily attitude email next week while I am out. Just email me and let me know if you are interested.

Sometimes you have to slow down to go fast.

Not sure if this is true or not, but I have always thought of this as one of those sayings they use in racing.

Life is moving, all day, every day. If we’re not careful, we are caught up the rush and speed of everything and are running from here to there. Our days, weeks, months and even years seem a blur.

We feel a need to keep up and speed up.

When it comes to our goals and the value we want to achieve in life, a little more speed could go a long way to meeting our goals.

When we slow down, we can focus on what is important. We can slow down and speed up our progress on those goals in our lives that are most important.

Ever hear a professional athlete talk about "being in the zone"? How things "slowed down" while they were going full speed?

I think this is kind of the same thing.

The professional athlete finds clarity about what to do next and is able to move faster than their competitors.

In much the same way, we can create clarity in our lives and speed up the process of gettting what is most important in our lives.

Make it a great day.

Jake

http://youtu.be/03CTpRexb2o

This weekend we watched Love Actually. This video is the first minute or so of the movie.

What a great perspective.

Some would have us believe that we are all going to hell in a hand basket. That humans are just one evolutionary notch above poo-slinging monkeys, ready to take advantage of our fellow humans at every opportunity.

But if you look a little closer, you find something different.

Love actually is all around us.

I believe this to be another example of finding what you are looking for.

If you look for hatred, selfishness and sadness, you will find them.

If you look for love, service, and selflessness, you will find them.

What are you looking for?

Make it a great day.

Jake

JW – You can only hold your stomach in for so many years.– Burt Reynolds

JM* – Must be Burt Reynolds or something.

EB – Figure it out. Work smarter, not harder. Make a plan. Move some things around. Adjust priorities. Just get it done and give me a status report. – Dogbert (thanks, Chris Nichols)

JD – Learn how to be happy with what you have while you pursue all that you want. – Jim Rohn

Found this Jim Rohn quote and it reminded me of the Jim Collins “genius of the and” idea.

It may seem counterintuitive, but we must be happy with what have AND driven for better and bigger results.

This goes for all areas of our lives from our health to our wealth.

Think about how this applies to you.

Is there something in your life that you should be happy with but aren’t today?

Is there an area of your life you should be striving for more but aren’t?

Make it a great day and weekend.

Jake

http://youtu.be/GuKuw71YBbI

All the running in this song reminded me of the Roger Bannister 4 minute mile story.

Before Roger Bannister ran a sub 4 minute mile there were those that said it was impossible. That the human body wasn’t capable of running that fast for that long. That trying to do so might actually cause his death.

After he set that new record we realized a few things.

Maybe we should be careful when using the word impossible.

Maybe human beings were capable of more than we give ourselves credit for.

Most of the barriers and limitations in our lives are self-imposed.

What is your 4 minute mile? Where are you limiting yourself?

Make it a great day.

Jake

Money flows from those who make poor choices to those who make wise choices. – Dave Ramsey

The above is me paraphrasing some of last week’s class in Financial Peace University.

Money goes where it is treated best and appreciated most.

One of the most interesting things about money is that is a great metaphor for a lot of the important things in life. We just talk about money more because it is easier to count. At the end of the day when it comes to money you can answer the “how did I do?” question with “let’s count it up and find out.”

I think the same concepts apply to the other values we hold dear in our lives, they just aren’t as easy to count.

In the case of the quote above, we must take care of those things we value if we wish for them to stay around.

If we value our relationships, we must invest in them.

If we value our health, we must invest in our health.

If we value wisdom, we must invest in growth and learning.

In order to end up with those things we value, we must become the kind of person that attracts and takes care of those valuables.

If we value trust, we must be trustworthy.

If we value truth, we must be honest.

If we value responsibility, we must be responsible.

If we value love, we must be lovable.

Imagine something you desire. It could be anything from a new car, to the love of your life. Now imagine the kind of person that deserves that new car or the love of that awesome man/woman. Now get to work shaping yourself into that new form.

Make it a great day.

Jake

How we start the day often sets the tone for the rest of the day.

I heard someone describe it like this.

Our hearts are like a sponge. Overnight they dry out and in the morning they soak up the most of whatever our heart first comes in contact with.

We have the option to soak up positivity and thankfulness or we can fill ourselves with pessimism and thoughts of lack.

I know that my days start off better when I fill the beginning of the day with exercise, writing and reading something positive.

Think about your average morning. What could you add that might get things off to a better start.

Could you say little prayer of gratitude?

Could you squeeze in 5 minutes of meditation?

Could you read a couple of minutes of a positive book?

Could you….fill in the blank with something meaningful for you.

How we start our day matters, hope yours is off to a great start today.

Make it a great day.

Jake

Let others lead small lives, but not you. Let others argue over small things, but not you. Let others cry over small hurts, but not you. Let others leave their future in someone else’s hands, but not you. – Jim Rohn

I liked this quote because it had a little bit of defiance in it.

If we wish for the better life, at some point we have to say to ourselves, “not me, not anymore.”

We have to make the conscious decision that the life led by most others is not what we want for ourselves. We want something better.

And if we get fired up enough about it to see it through with discipline and consistency, the better life is out there for us.

Make it a great day.

Jake