This might be better for a Monday morning toe tapper.
Something happy and light and silly to start the day off.
Find your favorite happy, silly song and crank it up this morning.
Get yourself started off right.
Make it a great day.
Jake
Song selection by Maggie Davis
For the mind disturbed, the still beauty of dawn is nature’s finest balm. – Edwin Way Teale
Over the last few years I’ve come to appreciate time in nature more and more.
For some reason we were made to find some peace in the trees blowing in the wind, a beautiful sunset or a cool crisp morning.
I know it’s still cold out, but time outside is still needed for our comfort and peace.
Find an excuse to spend a few extra minutes outside over the next couple of days.
Go for a walk.
Park a little further away than normal.
Stand on your front porch for a few minutes.
Get up a little early and watch the sunrise.
It’ll be good for your soul.
Make it a great day.
Jake
The only limit to your impact is your imagination and commitment. – Tony Robbins
If you haven’t already, I recommend watching “I’m Not Your Guru” on Netflix.
Once you get past the brazenness and cursing, Tony shows what I believe to be his true intentions.
He wants to make an impact by increasing the impact that others make.
He does everything he can to rattle people’s cages so that they come out highly motivated to make an impact.
It’s all more complicated and interesting than my simple explanation, but I couldn’t help but think of those who receive this email every day.
His quote is true of you as well.
Your limits are self-imposed.
Any lack of commitment or imagination you have is of your own doing.
The flip side is also true – you can change your impact by growing your imagination and your commitment.
Make it a great day.
Jake
Individual commitment to a group effort–that is what makes a team work, a company work, a society work, a civilization work. –Vince Lombardi
Jim Rohn says “it’s hard to find a rich hermit.”
Anything meaningful in life requires a team effort.
A great marriage.
A great friendship.
A great company.
All require team efforts built on trust and relationship.
Each day and each interaction with teammates is an opportunity to build trust and teamwork or pull further into our selfishness.
Each day we get to choose.
Focus on being a good teammate today.
Make it a great day.
Jake
“The real things haven’t changed. It is still best to be honest and truthful; to make the most of what we have; to be happy with simple pleasures; and have courage when things go wrong.” — Little House on the Prairie, Laura Ingalls Wilder
Meaghan and the girls have enjoyed reading all of the Little House on the Prairie books over the years.
While I haven’t read them, I’ve listened in enough to get the lesson above several times over.
Things change.
Technology moves at a rapid pace.
But the “real things” haven’t.
Focus on the real stuff today.
Make it a great day.
Jake
It seems appropriate for everyone to do the Cupid Shuffle today in honor of Valentine’s Day.
This song reminds me of weddings. When a bunch of people are dancing together and having fun.
Have some fun today.
Get a little silly.
Let loose a little.
Make it a great day.
Jake
A baby is born with a need to be loved – and never outgrows it. – Frank A. Clark
With Valentine’s Day this week, there will be lots of talk about love.
This quote is one my favorite reminders that we all need love.
Everyone is looking for love all around them, every day.
This quote reminds me of the tremendous opportunity each day represents.
The opportunity to show love to others.
We all need it. We are all seeking it.
And we have the chance each day to be loving towards others.
In so doing, we are given the chance to be loved.
Make it a great day.
Jake
In honor of Valentine’s Day coming up soon, I thought I would share this old daily attitude email with one of my favorite quotes on love.
“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
I’ve listened to most of Brene Brown’s books over the course of the last year or so. She spends a lot of her effort explaining the truth that CS Lewis talks about in the quote above.
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
Courage, dear heart. – CS Lewis, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
This is one of my favorite lines from the Narnia books.
To set the scene a little, this line comes in when they are on the island of nightmares and everyone is facing their worst fears. One of the main characters hears this as a whisper in her ear.
It made me think just how powerful three words could be.
Imagine this the next time you are troubled, worried or things just aren’t going your way: a whisper in your ear that simply says "courage, dear heart."
Make it a great day.
Jake
“There is nothing like looking, if you want to find something. You certainly usually find something, if you look, but it is not always quite the something you were after.”
― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit
Monday morning reminder.
In order to find, we must look.
We must actively work towards finding what we desire for our lives.
It doesn’t just come to us.
We must find the relevant information.
We must ask others who might know where it is.
What are you looking for?
Make it a great day.
Jake
Practical Steps for Friendship, Unity and Intimacy in Your Marriage
The Daily Attitude Email 