JM – I especially like how you turn into a giant rage monster. T. Stark

KJ – Happiness is not something you postpone for the future, it is something you design for the present. Jim Rohn

Eb- It was your cousin’s idea.

JS – Whaaah?

JW – Life is like a 10 speed bicycle – most of us have gears we never use. Charles Schultz (creator of the Peanuts)

JD – Many hands make light work. anonymous

I have been thinking of the “many hands make light work” quote a lot lately as we look at moving our office furniture around here at Mavidea.

Without the help of everyone the list of tasks almost seems insurmountable.

With the help of everyone it will be a week with some inconveniences.

The great thing about being involved with such a great group of people is that I get to see the truth to this quote every day. We accomplish mountains of work every day. Because we are working together.

Make it a great weekend.

Jake

http://youtu.be/4LF2HaXf58g

Heard this one in a movie the other day and for some reason I immediately pictured a couple of you tapping your toes to this on a Friday morning.

Make it a great Friday.

Jake

Are there McNuggets in heaven?

I thought about this the other night when Maggie was talking about eating her favorite foods in heaven.

I wondered to myself if there are or aren’t unhealthy foods, etc. in heaven.

Then I wondered if maybe heaven is no longer desiring McNuggets (or those other foods that might be bad for us).

We could speculate all day long about what is or isn’t in heaven or whether or not heaven even exists, but for today’s email I wanted to focus on the second half of my thought.

What if we could remove the desire for those bad habits in our lives?

What if we could remove the desire for those bad food choices?

What if we could remove the desire to feel more important than others?

What if we could remove the desire to always win an argument?

What if we could remove the desire to watch TV instead of exercise?

If we remove the motivation to make a choice that isn’t in our best interest this makes making the right choice so much easier.

Today, let’s take a new look at some of the choices we make and see if there isn’t a better way to look at them.

Make it a great day.

Jake

A friend of mine posted the following on FaceBox this morning and since I didn’t watch the debates I asked if I could share it as the daily attitude email today.

“After watching the debate last night, it confirmed to me that regardless of who we elect to the White House it will not change who we are and what we become.

I find politics fascinating, but we are in charge of how we treat people, how we handle our finances, how we teach our children, how we help others, how we take the steps to grow and improve our lives, and what ultimately what legacy we will leave when we are gone.

No president has that control or ever will. I respect the office and its importance, but always remember that our personal actions will have much more significance than what any politician ever promises us.”

Brent Kelly

Thanks Brent for the wonderful thoughts and for allowing me to share with everyone.

Make it a great day.

Jake

He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. – Matthew 5:45

I heard this verse yesterday and for some reason I saw it in a different light.

I used to always think this was a verse that explained “why do good things happen to bad people?” With “bad people” being people other than me, of course.

I realized yesterday that maybe I should look at it more as a reminder to count my blessings.

Despite myself and all the poor choices I have made, a lot of good things have happened to me in my life.

And I suspect you are in much the same situation. The sun and the rain (and rain in a positive in this context) come down for all of us, whether we deserve it or not.

Let’s take the time to be thankful for those good things that have happened in our lives.

Make it a great day.

Jake

First, thanks to all the guest daily attitude emailers. I always look forward to the emails that get sent out while I am away. I am very blessed to be around such a talented and creative group of people.

“I am still determined to be cheerful and happy, in whatever situation I may be; I have also learned from experience that the greater the part of our happiness or misery depends upon our dispositions, and not upon our circumstances” – Martha Washington

Dispositions and circumstances. This seems to be a recurring theme throughout all of the “positive propaganda” I have read.

Our disposition and attitude determine our happiness, not our circumstances.

I think it is a recurring theme because it is something most of us struggle with. We struggle with the balance between facing the reality of our situation and whining and complaining about it.

And that is why I think we all need reminders. We have the opportunity every day to put on a positive disposition no matter the circumstances.

Let’s take advantage of that opportunity today.

Make it a great day.

Jake

JS – Start where you stand and work with whatever tools you may have at your command and better tools will be found as you go along. Napoleon Hill

JW – The burden which is well born becomes light. Ovid

EB – You can observe a lot by watching. Yogi Berra

KJ – It’s ok to eat rice krispie treats for breakfast.

JD – It’s the little details that are vital. Little things make big things happen. – John Wooden

JM* – When you come to a fork in the road, take it. – Erik Barnlund

I didn’t pick a quote during our manager’s meeting and ran into Jason Lerblance in back before sending this out.

He was taking the recycling out. He reminded me of how lucky we are for all those little things that Jason (and the rest of you) do around here.

It isn’t in his job description. In fact, it is something he could just walk on by (I don’t even notice the recycling bins and whether they are full or not). But he doesn’t. He spends the couple of minutes to put it all together and take it out.

And while I certainly want to recognize Jason for his efforts, he isn’t the only one. I am sure everyone has their own “little thing” they do around the office (if you don’t have one, just pick something and get started) to help out and pitch in.

All these little things are part of how we build a culture and attitude of service to one another and to our clients.

John Wooden has it right. All those little things make big things happen.

Make it a great day.

Jake

http://youtu.be/-cHB3Rbz1OI

Since I am off all next week I thought I would send out a song that reminds me of vacation. This one reminds me of the beginning of “The Great Outdoors” one of my favorite vacation themed movies.

Here is the original preview, couldn’t resist sending this out:

http://youtu.be/jfFZYwNRKpc

While I am quite sure there will be a fair amount of sobbing since I am not going to be around next week, keep your heads up….it will only be a week.

On a serious note. Part of working with a great group of people is being able to go on vacation and know that everyone will continue to do the great job they always do when you are gone. What a positive note.

Have a great week next week.

Jake

PS Still looking for 2 more daily attitude email volunteers and someone to send out the Friday Morning Toe Tapper next week.

Democracy cannot succeed unless those who express their choice are prepared to choose wisely. The real safeguard of democracy, therefore, is education. Franklin D. Roosevelt

During the debate last night I think the most important thing I heard was “5 weeks until the election”.

As FDR says in the quote above, the best way to get better results through the election process is to educate ourselves the best we can on the issues and the candidates. And then to choose wisely.

We have a responsibility to each other to vote and to do so purposefully and with a smile on our face.

Let’s all make an effort to spend a little time getting ready to vote this year.

Make it a great day.

Jake

PS I am off all next week and am looking for volunteers to write the daily attitude emails and the Friday morning toe tapper next week. Just send me an email if you are interested in sending one out.

One thing that has always fascinated me is the potential that we all possess as human beings.

In Norman Vincent Peale’s book he goes through some stories of people doing extraordinary things. People ripping off car doors, picking up cars, and other extreme physical feats in the face of dire circumstances.

In the book, he wonders what we might be capable of if we could harness this power and use it consistently.

What a great concept.

How can you take your very best and consistently reproduce it?

Think about a time when you aced that test, ran faster than you ever had before, communicated clearly with your spouse about something important or any of the other great moments you have had in your life.

And then begin trying to replicate it. Not the circumstances, but the skill and talent latent within yourself.

We all have some awesome inside us, the trick is to consistently get it to come out.

Make it a great day.

Jake