Resending this email from a few years ago as a reminder to not be so hurried/busy – mostly to myself…

One of the greatest attacks of the enemy is to make you busy, to make you hurried, to make you noisy, to make you distracted, to fill the people of God and the Church of God with so much noise and activity that there is no room for prayer. There is no room for being alone with God. There is no room for silence. There is no room for meditation. – Paul Washer

Not sure about you, but the last year or so sure has felt “busy”.

I’ve been actively working on being less hurried (still a lot of work to do).

It’s too easy to confuse productive and busy. We are all the same amount of busy – 24 hours goes by at the same rate for all of us.

We run around trying to win the “busy contest” that everyone seems to be competing in. Cramming in less meaningful activities until we aren’t productive at all.

God, our spouses, our children, our co-workers, family members, exercise, study, etc. get crowded out in exchange for social media, TV, gossip, complaining, junk food, etc.

Fill your time up with the good stuff. 24 hours will be gone again before you know it.

Make it a great day.

Jake

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https://youtu.be/dBN86y30Ufc?si=w68muW85keB5ZIfQ

Packing up the family truckster and heading to Florida today.

“On the road again” is one of my (many) dumb sayings on a road trip (when we get back in the car after a stop).

Road trips are a great time to embrace special treats and family traditions (including the “dad makes dumb jokes”).

It’s also a great time to remember some life lessons.

Don’t focus entirely on the destination – enjoy the journey.

Stop and smell the roses.

Make it a great day.

Jake

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The third in the series of Jim Rohn’s principles to live by in order to leave a lasting legacy:

Maintain integrity at all costs.

I think a lot of us merely think about integrity as the honesty part of the definition.

An interesting second way to define integrity is: the state of being whole and undivided.

Part of having integrity is internal. Did we do what we committed to ourselves to do.

When we don’t meet our own standards, goals or ideals we become divided somehow. It creates a source of stress inside of us.

Integrity also comes as part of our dealings with others.

Do we do the right thing?

Jim Rohn summarizes this by saying "Do what is right all of the time, no matter what the costs."

We must develop this kind of "fanatical integrity" in ourselves in order to build the successful life we want to lead.

Make it a great day.

Bonus quote on integrity:

The supreme quality for leadership is unquestionably integrity. Without it, no real success is possible, whether it is on a section gang, a football field, in an army or in an office. – Dwight Eisenhower

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Who has a harder fight than he who is striving to overcome himself. – Thomas a Kempis

Each of us faces the battle within ourselves.

The choice to focus on ourselves and our own desires.

The chance to do something for others.

The choice to focus on the negative and look for the opportunities to complain.

The chance to think positive and be thankful for all the good.

The choice to accept the lies and confusion around us as the way things are.

The chance to stand on the truth.

We all face these choices and every day, with a chance to win in the battle of overcoming ourselves.

It’s worth it. The battle can be won. Over time. With Christ.

Make it a great day.

Jake

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On Sunday, Annie and I got to watch the last few holes of the Player’s Championship on TV.

It was a great finish with several players having putts to tie and make into a playoff.

Each missed their putt and ended up missing their chance.

The most heartbreaking of them all came from Wyndham Clark (great golfer name by the way). His putt literally went halfway down and around the cup only to end up missing.

Golf can be a game of good and bad bounces but to miss that putt on the last hole of an important tournament like this was a real tough one.

I imagine the majority of us would spend the next few hours not in a very good mood. At the very least thinking of all the things we could have done differently, or in my less mature moments maybe blaming it all on everything and everyone else.

Instead, a bunch of social media posts have made the rounds of Wyndham hanging around after the tournament signing autographs.

What a great example for the rest of us.

I imagine that today something will go differently than I wanted it to. I will feel slighted or treated unfairly. Maybe even in a way that is justifiable.

Instead I should do the right thing. Be thankful for those who do love and support me. Be prepared to meet them where they are and show them my appreciation in return. Regardless of what I feel like doing.

Make it a great day.

Jake

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"Boys are beyond the range of anybody’s sure understanding, at least when they are between the ages of 18 months and 90 years." – James Thurber

Oliver turns 11 today.

He’s at such an interesting age. Such an imagination and creative mind. He and his friends seem to be able to turn any situation into some kind of extended story that ends in laughs.

He can turn almost any situation into a reason to tell a story or ask a question about something seemingly unrelated.

The innocence and positivity (generally) of it all is something so wholesome it warms your heart (at least the times when I’m patient enough to listen and participate).

It’s a great example of life’s advice to slow down and pay attention to the important stuff.

Make it a great day.

Jake

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https://youtu.be/8WAy-ewByUM?si=spPQQ0niZu9OJc4F

St. Patrick’s Day this weekend!

Time to get together with all your favorite Irish friends and enjoy wearing green and singing some classic Irish tunes (or whatever you usually do on St. Patrick’s Day).

Make it a great day.

Jake

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Put your heart, mind, and soul into even your smallest acts. This is the secret of success. – Swami Sivananda

The idea of doing your best in everything has always been a little tough for me.

In general, I’ve fallen into the “good enough is good enough” mode more than I should probably admit.

As I’ve gotten older, I’ve tried to get better at this.

Focusing in and getting the details right.

For me, I think it’s led to hopefully a healthy minimalism about some things. If you are going to take the time to do it right, you better have less stuff to do on your list.

But even more than that, I’ve tried to find more joy in the little things. To focus in and enjoy the moment.

I sure do still have a long way to go on this one, but progress is a win.

Make it a great day.

Jake

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You’ve done it before and you can do it now. See the positive possibilities. Redirect the substantial energy of your frustration and turn it into positive, effective, unstoppable determination. – Ralph Marston

Positive thought for the day – redirecting the frustration into positive, effective, unstoppable determination.

Make it a great day.

Jake

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The best place to find God is in a garden. You can dig for him there. – George Bernard Shaw

The Bible tells us that if we knock, we will find.

So many examples like this one about gardening surround us.

We hear about others who find God in their hobby or reading or some other pursuit.

The most important part is the seeking.

God will meet you there.

Make it a great day.

Jake

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