Resending this daily attitude email from election day 2020….

Election day today. I’ve been trying to think about what the proper response from a mature citizen should be regardless of the outcome and the best I can come up with is:

Love thy neighbor.

Jesus states this as the second of two great commandments when asked what is the highest and most important commandment.

Notice he also didn’t mention any exceptions….

Love thy neighbor….unless they are a Democrat.

Love thy neighbor….unless they voted for Trump.

Love thy neighbor….unless they shared a Black Lives Matter post on the FaceBox.

Love thy neighbor…..unless they are wearing a MAGA hat.

What does loving thy neighbor look like in this situation? What would it look like to live out Jesus’ command?

A few ideas to get you started:

Get to know and care about someone with different views than your own.

Bake a casserole and bring it over to that neighbor’s house with the signs in the yard you don’t agree with.

Offer to stay late for that co-worker that was crazy enough to vote for Joe/Trump so they can make it to their kid’s game.

Show some love. Take some kind of action.

The best part?!? You’ll be better off for it. You won’t lose some kind of political rightness or give in to the dark side. You’ll feel better. Your heart will be lighter.

Make it a great day.

Jake

Bonus point – the other commandment is to love the Lord your God with all your heart. Not a lot of room for hate or political anger if your heart is filled with love for God and your neighbor. Might be worth trying.

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A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another. – John 13:34-35

Big day tomorrow. Election day 2024.

My sincere hope is that we can put love first in this election.

Whichever candidate you choose – whichever candidate wins – love of our neighbor comes first.

We’re a lucky group – we get to vote. We get to have our voice heard. It’s not perfect. The system has flaws. But it sure seems better than most of history.

Make it a great day.

Jake

PS – For those of who are Christians I believe this election to be a unique opportunity. To be known as his disciples by the love we show. The love we show when our candidate wins. The love we show when our candidate loses. We can be a light in this troubled world. Our nation is looking for a light.

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https://youtu.be/YBcdt6DsLQA?si=T03ITn2FzJCc0YWE

More of a slow tapper, but the message sounded right to me.

Changing of the season feels official with the cool temps and Halloween behind us.

As each season changes we should be thankful for the season that has just passed.

Thankful for the good and bad experiences.

But also thankful for the opportunity to begin anew. To embrace different, change and the possibility of better.

Make it a great day.

Jake

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Resending this daily attitude email from a few years back…

Confession time….Halloween is not my favorite holiday.

If we didn’t have kids or kids coming around trick or treating, I’m sure Halloween would come and go without me hardly noticing.

But having kids puts you into all kinds of situations that change your mind about things.

While it’s still not my favorite, Halloween sure is a lot more fun with the kiddos around.

Meaghan does an awesome job of getting costumes and jack-o-lanterns together with the kids and a fun time is had by all – even dad.

The point here for all of us is that if we are open to new things and relationships, we will be surprised what you’ll find.

I know this is something for me to work on…..lucky God sent me three little kids and a wonderful wife to help.

Make it a great day.

Jake

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Despite everything, I believe that people are really good at heart. – Anne Frank

Without the “who” of this quote, the sentiment is easily dismissed and discounted.

But because someone who lived through the horrors of Nazi Germany and the Holocaust said it….the words have a different weight. A different perspective.

We all will face difficulties in our lives.

Things won’t go the way we want them to.

Our heart will be broken.

Our dreams will be dashed.

It’s all part of our story though. Part of why it’s meaningful when we can talk to a friend, son, daughter, husband, wife, coworker, etc. and tell them we think it’s all worth it. That good will win out and that doing the hard thing is worth it.

Make it a great day.

Jake

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There’s a difference between a philosophy and a bumper sticker. – Charles M. Schulz

Jim Rohn calls our personal philosophy the set of the sail.

The winds of life blow in different directions but we set the sail that steers the ship.

Choice lies in the setting of the sail, not the way the wind blows.

How do you react to the winds in your life?

How do you set your sail when things go your way?

What adjustments do you make when it doesn’t go as expected?

Make it a great day.

Jake

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https://www.facebook.com/reel/1605002633699881

Tony Robbins does such a great job in this short video of showing the power of what we choose to focus on.

We all believe a story(ies). About ourselves, about how things work, about how people are.

And then we look for ways to confirm what we already believe.

And we go about our lives as if it were true.

A lot of it is baloney though.

Start this week by thinking of a different story.

God is for you.

You’re loved ones care for and want the best for you.

It is all going to work out in the end.

It’s worth trying hard and doing your best.

Make it a great day.

Jake

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https://youtu.be/oZ9WKQmcX2k?si=Boa_b8xLgD75Q06n

As the election gets closer, it’s easy to get caught up and focus on the dark.

All that might go wrong if this happens or if that doesn’t happen.

I’m trying to focus on the light. On what might go right and what I might do to show love to those around me.

I’m not quite naïve enough to think that there isn’t real danger or to ignore that evil exists and that those evil forces are actively working against us.

I just think it’ll all go better if we try to be the light.

Make it a great day.

Jake

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Quality is everyone’s responsibility. – W. Edwards Deming

Good thought here. As a business, the idea is easy but the application is a little more complicated.

It’s easy to go about our day focused on “my stuff”. Letting your own goals and work become your only focus.

Instead – the ultimate quality of what is delivered is everyone’s job – together.

As a team better results become possible.

As long as everyone takes responsibility.

I believe this also works at home and in our relationships. Quality is everyone’s responsibility.

Make it a great day.

Jake

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Resending this daily attitude from a few years ago. This prayer seems particularly relevant given the tenor of the current election cycle.

Lord, make me an instrument of Your peace. Where there is hatred, let me sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; where there is sadness, joy.

O, Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console; to be understood as to understand; to be loved as to love; For it is in giving that we receive; it is in pardoning that we are pardoned; it is in dying that we are born again to eternal life.

St. Francis of Assisi

Meaghan has this hanging in the office at home where I was working yesterday.

I had the thought, “What if I could really keep this thought in my heart? What if I could actually make this my priority each day?”

It’s easier to spend the day thinking about yourself.

Our own needs and desires are so close and powerful, they are hard to ignore.

This prayer reminds me that true peace, joy, love and happiness happens when I can retrain myself to focus instead on others.

Our opportunities for greatness lie in our ability to serve and love others.

I believe this more and more every day.

I fail at this every day as well, but I’m getting better.

My challenge for you today is to read this prayer out loud to yourself. Then to move on to your day with as much of a focus on others as you can muster. Then try to do better tomorrow.

Make it a great day.

Jake

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