"Don’t find fault. Find a remedy." – Henry Ford

Finding faults in ourselves and others is the easy way out.

If you look for them, there will be plenty.

All of us are imperfect in our own ways. All of us fall short at one point or another.

What if we looked for the good in ourselves and others?

What if we looked for solutions instead of making excuses?

Focusing our efforts on improvement and progress instead of excuses and complaints will make us happier, healthier and more successful.

Take care today to focus on the positive.

Make it a great day.

Jake

Each season that comes and goes reminds me of Jim Rohn’s analogy of the seasons of life.

As he talks about summer, he discusses how summertime in life is a unique period of nourishing and defending our gardens.

He talks about not allowing the weeds of life to invade our gardens.

Some things in life can’t be tolerated, they must be decimated.

Some things we need to have a zero tolerance policy towards.

As you think about your life and any weeds that might creep in, what zero tolerance policy should you develop?

Do you need to give up sweets?

Do you need to end a relationship that isn’t good for you?

Do you need to put an end to an addiction that’s holding you back?

Make it a great day.

Jake

https://youtu.be/2MZxf-lQD-o

This song is a great reminder for me today.

God is in control.

He has a plan.

There’s no reason to worry.

The news is full of scary stories that leave me feeling out of control.

Technology doesn’t work as planned and leaves me feeling out of control.

Broncos break down and take too long to fix.

Still, there’s no reason to worry. God is bigger than any of this. And He loves us as if we were His own children.

Make it a great day.

Jake

This week Mavidea celebrated it’s 13th birthday.

On each anniversary, I’m reminded of a couple of central themes that stand out over the years.

Thankfulness – man, do we have a lot to be thankful for. To be able to work with each other and do meaningful work in service to customers is more rare than common, and we get to do that every day. I’m so very thankful for all the people that have made this whole journey possible and worthwhile at the same time.

Relationships – we are built for relationships. Business is a conduit to deliver value to others through meaningful relationships. Over the years we’ve seen new children, friendships, and even a marriage. Life has happened in and around Mavidea (both good and bad), but through it all we’ve been able to lean on and into each other.

Mortgage/rent payments – every year on our anniversary I spend a few minutes thinking about how our team has helped each other make all those rent payments, mortgage payments, El Porton dinners, birthday presents, COVID19 toilet paper purchases, and all the other incidentals of life. The money that has come through our business has been spent on making the lives of our employees better. Sure, we could have done better, but we’ve made a lot of life possible for those that matter most to us – our team.

Thank you all for being a part of that journey. Even if it’s been from afar, you have made a difference and will continue to do so.

I’m proud of all the Mavideans and their families who have made it all possible.

The best is yet to come.

Happy Anniversary, Mavidea.

Make it a great day.

Jake

This email from last year seemed appropriate to send again this year. Either proving that I’m not good at coming up with new ideas or I need a lot of reminders….

“To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything and your heart will be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact you must give it to no one, not even an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements. Lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket, safe, dark, motionless, airless, it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable. To love is to be vulnerable.”

― C.S. Lewis, The Four Loves

In particular lately, I’ve been thinking about how this quote applies to our work.

At Mavidea and Maxlider, we are in the service business. We work for our customers.

And they break our hearts all the time.

By not taking the good advice.

By cancelling and switching to another provider.

The same with our coworkers and teammates.

But these relationships are what make our work so worthwhile.

Only when we make ourselves vulnerable and open to the relationships around us do we get to experience the joy of our work.

At the risk of being a little sappy and corny, I’m going to ask you all to do something.

Open your hearts. Step into the scary situations and be yourself.

Lean in to the special place reserved for you in this world.

With our customers, with your teammates, with your loved ones.

Make it a great day.

Jake

Today is my brother’s 40th birthday.

Many of you have heard a few stories over the year and already know that Bill is a special person.

I consider myself lucky to have a brother that I know I can depend on.

Despite his keen awareness of my many shortcomings, he loves me and supports me.

For this, I am extremely grateful.

We all have innate desire to be known and loved.

If you are lucky enough to have someone like this in your life, call or text them today and tell them how thankful you are.

If you don’t, I’d encourage to pray and work towards it.

Relationships are hard and being vulnerable is even harder still, but it’s worth it.

As the world seems to spin out of control with conflict and turmoil, now is a great time to lean into the important relationships of our lives.

To come closer to the ones that matter most.

Happy birthday, Uncle Bill!

Make it a great day.

Jake

“Kindness is giving hope to those who think they are all alone in this world.” – RAKtivist

This year has been an interesting one so far. Lots of turmoil and anxiety.

Life is happening to all of us in a way that feels unfair and leave us all wondering what is going to happen next.

It’s easy to feel alone and worried in the face of all the uncertainty we are facing.

It’s also a great time to insert some kindness and grace.

To be kind to all we encounter in a way that shows love and builds hope for all.

Lean into kindness today. Give a little extra to those you encounter.

Change and growth happen one person at a time. Might as well start with us.

Make it a great day.

Jake

https://youtu.be/S3J_3mcOwdQ

As a follow up to yesterday’s email – let’s all put a little love in our hearts today.

Make it a great day.

Jake

One does not fall in love; one grows into love, and love grows in him. – Karl A. Menninger

Love is a choice.

It’s a conscious decision to put someone else’s wants and desires in front of yours. Consistently. Over time.

That’s what I thought of when I read this quote.

How can I better grow the love in me for others?

What choices can I make today to foster love?

If you get to the end and haven’t consistently grown the love for others in your life, you will be disappointed.

Love is hard.

Love hurts.

But the alternative is worse.

Choose love today. Choose growth.

Make it a great day.

Jake

Get excited that you can make yourself do the little things that will change your life. – Jim Rohn

I once heard a talk from a former Navy SEAL talking about how motivation comes and goes. Feelings come and go. But discipline can be built and can always be there.

Jim Rohn shares the same message.

Discipline can be built.

One small step at a time.

Get excited about the opportunity to do the little things that will change your life.

Start little.

Build confidence.

Get a streak going.

Make it a great day.

Jake