https://youtu.be/lA7n7TwPDmw

I choose joy.

What a simple and powerful idea – choosing joy.

Life sure is full of reasons not to choose joy. Each day has plenty of opportunities to go a different path.

I feel like God put this word on my heart this year as this was something I needed to work on.

So much of the day to day can feel like a blur – busy from the morning until bed time every day. I felt like I needed to work on choosing joy in all circumstances – whether the happenings of life were going my way or not.

I’m not sure that I’m doing that well so far, but I’m working on it.

If you see me without obvious joy on my face and in my heart – say something. Challenge me.

Make it a great day.

Jake

“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

Last I drove Maggie to cross country at Dawn Lake. I decided to stay and wait for her so I had some time to kill so I decided to just sit by the side of lake and think and pray.

I tried to think of one thing to pray for each and every Mavidean and Maxlider.

It really wasn’t that hard – there’s a lot of life happening for all of us.

It was a great reminder to be more kind, gentle, patient and loving with teammates, family, friends, strangers, etc.

Everyone’s got something going on.

Over the years I’ve tried to train myself to think “How can I help?”. I find the more I can take this attitude the better my attitude.

Maybe see what you can do to help somebody with what they have going on today.

Make it a great day.

Jake

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him. – Romans 15:13

Meaghan got this (cute) set of scripture cards that she has out in the living room. I sat down and saw the scripture above and immediately wished that everyone I knew could have that feeling described int his verse.

All joy.

All peace.

Trust.

Hope.

Sounds good to me.

Make it a great day.

Jake

Success is getting what you want. Happiness is wanting what you get. – Dale Carnegie

Contentment is elusive most days.

The balance between ambition for more and doing our best vs being happy with what we have is difficult.

In the Bible Paul talks about being joyful in all circumstances.

How could you be more content in your circumstances this week?

How could you be more grateful for whatever life brings this week?

Make it a great day.

Jake

https://youtu.be/1k8craCGpgs

This song seemed appropriate in honor of Mavidea’s anniversary this week.

Don’t stop believing – that it can and will get better.

That our team, processes, clients and relationships will get better.

Don’t stop believing that a team of people doing business for the right reasons can and will succeed. That our future is bright and worth working for.

Make it a great day.

Jake

Today is my brother Bill’s birthday.

He may not know it but he had a part to play in Mavidea getting to 15 years old too.

Part of my plan if things had gone sour was to move in to my brother’s basement (he owed us from when we let him live in our basement for a while after college). Maybe not the most well thought out plan (I had many like this), but it let me be a little more free with the idea of taking on some risk and making some of the hard choices early on.

Many of you on the DAE list were part of those back up plans and hair brained ideas about how to make this thing work whether you knew it or not. Having loved ones, friends, family, etc. around in case things went sideways made things easier and less stressful (and still do). The list of who deserves a thank you here is too long to type up, but if you’re getting this email – you’re on it.

The point here is that we can risk the small stuff (businesses failing, money, jobs, etc.) if we have the big stuff (relationships, love, family, friendships) in place.

The love and support of family and friends helped Mavidea become something it wouldn’t have been otherwise.

Who needs your love and support?

How many lives might be enriched through this support?

Happy Birthday Uncle Bill and thanks for the support!

Make it a great day.

Jake

Today is the day we recognize Mavidea’s 15th anniversary (I think we figured out one time it was technically the 4th or something).

Maybe I’m just getting old and nostalgic but I’ve had the opportunity to share a few of the Mavidea stories from over the years in the last few months.

All the stories have something in common – they were moments when we decided the kind of company we were going to be.

We were going to make sure the employees got paid even if the owners didn’t.

We were going to drop everything and drive a hurting employee to the emergency room.

We were going to keep pushing even though it all seems dark, we were out of money and it sure didn’t feel like things were going to change.

We were going to be transparent with staff and share our plans, financials and other business details so that we could all be in it together.

We were going to put people first.

Over time we became Mavidea (and now Maxlider, Technocentra, etc.). We turned into a company that made it to 15 years. We survived the Great Recession, COVID and Erik in a too tight bunny suit. We survived losing our biggest client, losing staff and partners that left.

All through God’s grace and mercy. As the years rack up, I’m more and more thankful for God’s blessings. I feel lucky to be a part of the story that He is telling through our business. ALL of the stories point to Him. Not to the owners, the staff, our brilliant decisions, the technology, the strategy, or any of the other important pieces to the puzzle.

Thanks to all of you who receive this email – even if you don’t work at Mavidea – you’ve been a part of the story. You’ll be part of the future story. The part where it gets really good. The part where we change and grow into something even more amazing.

Make it a great day.

Jake

"As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words but to live by them." – John F Kennedy

This is a great reminder for the day after Memorial Day.

We are grateful.

Each day is an opportunity to live with a heart full of thankfulness.

To be thankful along the way to all those we interact with.

To make sure that thankfulness is what we are known for.

What might be different today if you chose a little more gratitude?

Make it a great day.

Jake

https://youtu.be/KUOXfzV_VHs

Another school shooting this week has us all questioning the world, our place in it and what to do next.

We wonder if it’s the guns, the violent video games, social media, the schools, the government, the system, etc.

We wonder what would drive another human being to such a desperate and dark place.

Our hearts break as we hear the counts, the stories and see the pictures of lives cut too short.

Solutions seem illusive and out of reach.

I’m not going to pretend to have it figured out, but I do have a suggestion – we start with love.

We work each day to love those around us a little better. We make love a verb in all aspects of our lives.

We make sure that every person that crosses our path feels loved.

This is an us problem – not a them problem.

Make it a great day.

Jake

PS – This message resonated with the song above because the surest way to fill our lives with love is to fill our hearts with the source of love. God Himself. Without it, I don’t have a chance at showing the kind of love I need to show in order to turn the tide of the darkness of this world. Through God all things are possible.