"The Shortcut to Contentment"

Comparison drops you at the dead-end of discontentment every single time. Whether you come out on top and feel guilty, or don’t measure up and feel short-changed, comparison always leaves you dissatisfied.

But there’s a secret to overcoming it: gratitude. The shortcut to contentment is thanking God, and it works no matter which side of comparison you’re on.

How? It’s an instant perspective adjustment. When comparison makes you feel short-changed, gratitude can shift your focus to all the blessings you do have. And when you’ve been blessed with a lot, thanking God puts you in the humble posture needed to use those gifts well.

Comparison is out to steal your contentment. But the habit of expressing gratitude is an easy way out of its trap. – Andy Stanley

Comparison is such a dangerous road to travel. Andy’s suggestion above is that the road is too narrow and isn’t worth the trip.

He suggests we skip it and instead take the road of gratitude.

We all have something to be thankful for.

In our darkest hour, there is a light shining somewhere.

Something to maybe add to Andy’s suggestion about being thankful. Tell someone.

Tell someone today that you are thankful for them, or even just tell them something you are thankful for.

Just tell someone.

Make it a great day.

Jake

There are a lot of people at Barrett Jackson. Lots and lots and lots.

Any time I go to a big event like this it involves a certain amount of people watching.

What strikes me every time is that there are a lot of different ways you can live life.

How you dress, how much money you make, whether you smile a lot, positive attitude or negative attitude, etc. – you get to pick.

Some of us (myself included more than I would probably admit) are maybe (probably) letting how others live their lives influence us a little too much.

We worry about what to wear or what others might think of us. We wonder why others have what we don’t have. We compare and contrast. We allow envy and bitterness to creep in.

In the end, we get to pick. It’s our choice what kind of person we want to be.

And other people are watching.

What they see is up to you.

What if they saw love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control?

Our lives are given purpose and meaning through the relationships we foster. Relationships that blossom in proportion to our ability to live out those things just listed.

Embrace your opportunity to be a person worth watching.

Make it a great day.

Jake

We’ve spent the last two days at Barrett Jackson and every time I go to a big car event I feel good about this community we get to be a part of.

So many people following and pursuing something they are passionate about.

Whether it’s an old Bronco or a brand new Ferrari or a random old Honda Civic – there is somebody at the event amped up about it.

The people appreciate the work we do at Maxlider and the passion we put into our builds.

There is a general mutual admiration and respect even when they aren’t into Broncos or we aren’t that into Honda Civics.

I’m grateful for the little part we get to play in this great community.

In life it is easy to focus on our differences and to pick apart others who don’t see the world the way we do.

But it’s better when we can instead appreciate those differences and encourage others to pursue their own path.

Cars and trucks are an easy way to bridge those gaps and appreciate those differences. We can find ways if we look for them.

Make it a great day.

Jake

PS – In case it isn’t clear there is also some wisdom to be applied here. If someone else’s idea of a good time is stealing, we probably shouldn’t encourage that. We should lock our doors and report them to the police. Our deepest values need to remain steadfast and unwavering.

This toe tapper Meaghan sent out a few years ago is another of my favorite things about Meaghan – she looks for the ordinary miracles.

This Toe Tapper from a few years ago is a great reminder to find joy in the ordinary miracles around us every day.

When Jake asked me for a suggestion to use as this Friday morning’s toe tapper, I jokingly mentioned this song because it has been playing in my head lately. Little did I know I would get roped into sending this out. 😉

I hope some of you will enjoy it, regardless of its lack of toe tapping quality. The video is full of clips from the latest movie version of Charlotte’s Web, which is one of my all time favorite books about friendship and ordinary miracles. The song has been an inspiration to me to look for joy in the every day. When I am feeling down or having a bad day, all I have to do is look at the colors of fall against a bright blue sky, think about the uniqueness of each and every snowflake falling (a little too early last week, in my opinion), watch my little girl form something out of play-doh with her little fingers, or call a friend whom I love with all of my heart. Noticing the little miracles in my daily life keeps my focus on the good in the world, in others, and in myself.

https://youtu.be/rweU-FFE6Ww

If you remember to take a look, you too can find ordinary miracles as you go about your normal day. When you find those little bits of beauty, joy, and love in your life, you may also find a little "tap" in your toes (and your heart, since I am going with the sappy theme here). Then you can "open up and find a way to give some of your own."

Happy Friday, Toe Tappers!

Meaghan Davis

Meaghan’s birthday today!

Not quite sure how she pulls it off, but she sure does get more wonderful each year.

I sure got the better end of the deal when she agreed to marry me over 20 years ago.

One of my favorite words to describe what’s so great about Meaghan is grace.

I once heard someone describe grace as the gift of giving others better than what they deserve.

Meaghan does this everyday with her husband, children and those around her.

She is forgiving, kind and caring even when it isn’t warranted or deserved.

Because she is that kind of person.

I take inspiration from this all the time and hope it can do the same for you.

Make it a great day.

Jake

Resending this previous post in honor of Martin Luther King Day on Monday.

“If a man is called to be a street sweeper, he should sweep streets even as a Michelangelo painted, or Beethoven composed music or Shakespeare wrote poetry. He should sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will pause to say, ‘Here lived a great street sweeper who did his job well’. – Martin Luther King Jr.

This is one of my favorite quotes.

Not only because of the truth and inspiration we can gain from it, but also because of the example set by the person who said it.

Imagine living in that time, amidst all of that tension and strife, and having the strength of character to tell people to sweep streets as if they were sweeping the streets of heaven.

His audience was quite literally living through hell on earth and he inspired them to be and do their best in every scenario.

This message seems particularly appropriate this election and political season.

Take this message to heart today (and every day).

Do your best with what is in front of you.

Love and serve those around you with all you’ve got.

Make it a great day.

Jake

I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear. – Martin Luther King, Jr.

To think of love in a time when so many chose hate is a great example of what made Martin Luther King Jr such a great leader.

At a time when life wasn’t fair and he had every reason to hate his fellow man – he had the wisdom to know it wasn’t worth it – for him.

The cost of storing up hatred in our hearts (even when it is warranted and justified) isn’t worth it.

Whether it’s because someone cut you off in traffic or you are being beaten and mistreated because of the color of your skin – hate isn’t worth it.

We may not (and hopefully never will) face so stark a choice, but hate can creep in if we let it.

It isn’t worth it!

Take it from someone who would know.

Make it a great day.

Jake

Thank you, God, for this good life and forgive us if we do not love it enough. – Garrison Keillor

The Bible talks of rejoicing and being thankful in all circumstances.

It’s easy to forget though.

To get caught up in the day to day happenings and whether they happened the way we wanted them to or not.

It’s not the happenings though.

It’s a choice we make.

To focus on the good.

To find purpose and meaning in the bad.

To choose joy and thankfulness in the face of everything.

Make it a great day.

Jake

http://youtu.be/5xAwwQ_d0Ck

Jesus gave us a commandment: Love your neighbor as yourself.

Love is also a choice.

Everyday we can choose to look at others in our life with love.

Today you can make that choice.

Make it a great day.

Jake

In the Bible it says the meek shall inherit the earth.

It’s hard not to bristle a little when you hear that.

We hear words like meek and humble and think of the perennial doormat that doesn’t think enough of themself to stand up for what they believe in.

I went in search of something around the topic of humility and found this short excerpt:

One of the most powerful prayers in the midst of suffering I have read was uncovered from the horrors of Ravensbruck concentration camp. Ravensbruck was a concentration camp built in 1939 for women. Over 90,000 women and children perished in Ravensbruck, murdered by the Nazis. Corrie Ten Boom, who wrote The Hiding Place, was imprisoned there too. The prayer, found in the clothing of a dead child, says:

O Lord, remember not only the men and woman of good will, but also those of ill will. But do not remember all of the suffering they have inflicted upon us: Instead remember the fruits we have borne because of this suffering, our fellowship, our loyalty to one another, our humility, our courage, our generosity, the greatness of heart that has grown from this trouble. When our persecutors come to be judged by you, let all of these fruits that we have borne be their forgiveness.

I think that is the kind of behavior the Bible is talking about.

The kind of humility and meekness it takes to write something like that is hard to imagine.

It’s easy to read something like this and feel bad. Hard to live up to those kind of standards, so why even try?

Why try? Prayers like this one are proof that better is out there. We are capable of amazing things.

Use this as inspiration to get started on your own amazing thing.

Make it a great day.

Jake