The 20th anniversary of 9/11 came and went on Saturday. Here’s a daily attitude email from 9/11 a few years back.

Not all time in life is equal. – Jim Collins

Not all time in life is equal. Some moments hold greater significance than others. Some moments require greater attention than others.

Today we are all reminded of one of those moments. September 11th was a moment when the course of history changed.

For those that died, those last moments were unequal.

For those that risked their lives to save others, those moments were unequal.

For those that fought battles on foreign soil in order to make sure it doesn’t happen again, those moments were unequal.

For those that hugged their loved ones a little tighter that night, those moments were unequal.

Not all time in life is equal. Some moments require more of us. They require us to dig deep and perform, love, hope, and have more faith than we have ever had before.

In this time we can create something wonderful.

We can create a nation united.

We can create a family filled with love.

We can create a force for good in this world.

We must take advantage of the unequal times in our lives.

Let’s get started today.

Make it a great day.

Jake

https://youtu.be/kyI1OImD7ow

Joy to the world.

What can you do today to add to the joy in the world?

Make it a great day.

Jake

I started reading “Ego is the Enemy” a few days ago and then came across this old daily attitude email.

“This is the true joy in life: Being used for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one, being a force of nature instead of a feverish, selfish little clod of ailments and grievances, complaining that the world will not devote itself to making you happy. I am of the opinion that my life belongs to the whole community and, as long as I live, it is my privilege to do for it what I can. It is a sort of splendid torch which I have got hold of for the moment, and I want to make it burn as brightly as possible before handing it on to future generations.” – George Bernard Shaw

Does this describe you:

A mighty purpose….

A force of nature….

Or does this describe you:

A feverish, selfish little clod of ailments and grievances…

Complaining that the whole world will not devote itself to making you happy…

We all have the same opportunity to find our purpose. To clarify as best we can. To live it every day.

And when we do….

Our splendid torch, which we have a hold for the moment, will burn brightly before we pass it on to the next generations.

The beginning of the year is a great time to contemplate our purpose again and to pursue it with everything we’ve got.

Make it a great day.

Jake

A person who won’t read has no advantage over one who can’t read. – Mark Twain

We have so many advantages in this day and time in which we live.

So much information is available to us.

Want to lose weight – the book, blog post, website, YouTuber, etc. is out there.

Want to get rich – the book, blog post, website, YouTuber, etc. is out there.

Want to learn a language – the book, blog post, website, YouTuber, etc. is out there.

Want to be a better person – the book, blog post, website, YouTuber, etc. is out there.

It’s all available 24/7 and at the touch of a button. But it’s no advantage to those of us who won’t read it (or watch it).

Go in search of some good information today.

Make it a great day.

Jake

"Nothing will work unless you do."— Maya Angelou

Labor Day is a great reminder of the power and inherent value of hard work.

Hard work is a central ingredient in making progress. Forward movement requires effort.

Whatever you are trying to do will require hard work.

It will require you to do more than you are doing today.

I find this uplifting. Hard work is worth it. Disciplined effort pays off in the end.

Let’s get to work.

Make it a great day.

Jake

https://youtu.be/oODllqrxrLQ

“The house don’t fall when the bones are good.”

This song is a good reminder to get the important stuff in life right.

Take the time to build a good foundation, to do things right and to make it a priority when it comes to the “bones” of your life.

And be thankful for all the great relationships in your life that are built well.

Make it a great day.

Jake

The best portion of a good man’s life is his little, nameless, unremembered acts of kindness and of love. – William Wordsworth

So much of life are the seemingly trivial choices.

Be kind or be brusque?

Be positive or join in the grumbling?

Be loving or be selfish?

Be patient or push to get your way?

Be empathetic or think only of yourself?

I sure hope the goal is not to be perfect, but to do a little better today than I did yesterday.

Make it a great day.

Jake

Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic. – Arthur C. Clarke

We have so much to be thankful for.

We truly live in an amazing time of technological advancement.

It’s up to us to make the most of it.

Make it a great day.

Jake

“It is no use saying to the tired ‘mental muscles’… ‘I will give you a good rest,’ ‘I will go for a long walk,’ or ‘I will lie down and think of nothing.’ The mind keeps busy just the same. If it has been weighing and measuring, it goes on weighing and measuring. If it has been worrying, it goes on worrying…It is useless to argue with the mind in this condition…A gifted American psychologist has said, ‘worry is a spasm of the emotion; the mind catches hold to something and will not let it go.’ One can only gently insinuate something else into its convulsive grasp. And if this something else is rightly chosen, if it is really attended by the illumination of another field of interest, gradually, and often quite swiftly, the old undue grip relaxes and the process of recuperation and repair begins.” – Winston Churchill

The Art of Manliness blog has been doing a series of posts on Winston Churchill. This post was discussing the benefits of having a hobby.

Our mind works best when it is given periods of rest and distraction.

Worry and anxiety arise when we can’t stop thinking about something and don’t get any rest or distraction from those thoughts.

Find an engaging hobby. Engage your mental capacities in something besides worry and anxiousness.

Make it a great day.

Jake

The best way out is always through. – Robert Frost

Whatever you are struggling with, going through to the other side will be worth it.

Whatever is happening that you didn’t plan, going through to the other side will be worth it.

You are worth it.

Worth the struggle.

Worth the difficulty.

Why are you worth it? Because you can be of great service and love.

Make it a great day.

Jake