JD – You will never win if you never begin. Helen Rowland

JW – Love your wife as Christ loved the Church and gave himself up for her. Ephesians 5:25

• http://tinyurl.com/jamies-ball-speech

MS -The foolishness of man perverteth his way: And his heart fretteth against the Lord. – Proverbs 19:3

EB – Worry is the interest paid by those who borrow trouble. – George Washington

I have listened to it yet, but Jamie did us the honor of including a link to a speech he recently gave at a Mary Kay event.

Afterward, a veteran came up to him and share a heartwarming story about how Jamie’s speech had inspired him to get back to church.

Listen to it.

Make it a great day.

Jake

Yesterday was RB’s 9th anniversary at Mavidea.

This might sound weird, but I think I might be more excited about that than the company’s anniversary last month.

We came together and created this business. That was super cool. Then we got a complete stranger to believe in it and come work for us.

And she is still here 9 years later!

Things haven’t been perfect and I’m sure there are times when she thought we were crazy (she was right), but somehow we grew together.

Became this whole other thing together.

Something better. Something more impactful.

I know I am better for having had RB around for the last 9 years.

But you want to know the best part?

RB was just the beginning….we’ve hired a few more people over the years.

Not all good hires, but we have ended up with an unbelievable group of people making a difference in the world.

Can’t do much better than that.

Thanks, RB!

Make it a great day.

Jake

PS – I am out on vacation from tomorrow through next Tuesday. If you would like to send out a daily attitude email or the toe tapper on Friday, let me know.

https://youtu.be/UOHI8qdZkH8

Sometimes we need an inspirational speech to get the week started right.

A few inspiring words can make a difference in how we look at the week ahead.

I encourage you to seek out those words and that inspiration.

Whether it is your favorite movie clip or your favorite book or just poking around on the intertubes to find something inspirational, go out and look.

Make it a great day.

Jake

https://youtu.be/U5bUmx-hk-c

I suggested this song to Jake, and then he suggested I write about it. J

This is on my happy songs playlist because it reminds me of being a kid in the summer (even though that’s not really what the song is about). It brings back a certain summer feeling…riding in my dad’s pickup truck with the windows down on a hot Saturday morning running errands, or riding the train with friends to the city in the evening and walking down to the lake where it’s always cooler. Sitting on a hot bleacher bench enjoying the nervous wait to be on deck by being silly with team mates, or watching my favorite brother play baseball, or sitting under the lights among a huge crowd at Comiskey hoping Big Frank hits a homer so the scoreboard will go off. Walking to tennis lessons in the morning coolness, and then walking home as it’s starting to heat up, and stopping at White Hen for a slushie. Later in life, a couple of cold beers in the evening at an outdoor party; watching the kids at the 4th of July parade with its loud sirens bouncing off the hot pavement, then the excitement of lightening bugs and fireworks in the dark; taking the kids to the pool when the sun is not quite so blazing overhead and it’s a little less crowded and a lot more relaxed.

In the summer we get to enjoy the heat of the day, and the different world of the summer nights, too.

Meaghan

Yesterday, one of you decided to make my day.

It seems that Mikie was thoughtful and caring enough to send out an email asking you to send a thank you my way for sending these emails every day.

It was (and continues to be) a humbling experience.

I received messages full of sincere appreciation from people I have never even met.

I received messages speaking of the difference the emails have made in the lives of others.

I was reminded that we each have the ability to make someone’s day.

Mikie did it for me by sending out that email.

You can do the same for someone else in your own way.

Do something today to make someone’s day today. Just like you did for me yesterday.

Make it a great day.

Jake

PS – In case it isn’t clear – THANK YOU to all of you who sent me messages yesterday. Thank you to all of you for reading and letting me in to your life each day.

JD – Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we

grow up. Pablo Picasso

JW* – “They always say time changes things, but you actually have to change them yourself.” Andy Warhol

JR* – “ In art, the hand can never execute anything higher than the heart can imagine.” Ralph Waldo Emerson

MS* – “A Good artist has less time than ideas.” Martin Kippenberge

EB* – “Creativity takes courage.” Henri Matisse

I’m not particularly gifted when it comes to “art”, but I am amazed by those that are.

I grabbed a few of these quotes and shared them to remind us all of the creative part of us.

Whether we express it through painting or business, writing or parenting, sculpture or friendships is not the important part.

The important part is to think beyond what is there today to create something better for tomorrow.

Make it a great day.

Jake

We all need people who will give us feedback. That’s how we improve. – Bill Gates

Confession time. I’m not all that great at receiving constructive criticism.

I haven’t punched anyone in the face (yet), but inwardly it always takes a little longer than I care to admit to realize that there is something to be learned.

At some point though, we all need to realize that growth requires feedback and change.

We need to seek out others who will provide honest and helpful feedback.

We need to work hard to offer feedback to others in a way that helps them on their journey.

Seek out some advice today.

Start simple by asking something like “If there was one thing I could do differently….”

Make it easier on yourself to positively receive the feedback.

Make it a great day.

Jake

Every day some new fact comes to light – some new obstacle which threatens the gravest obstruction. I suppose this is the reason which makes the game so well worth playing. – Robert Falcon Scott

One of the reasons our attitude is so important is that it determines how we view the obstacles and difficulties of life.

Great people often have an attitude that allows them to see obstacles and difficult circumstances as stepping stones and not road blocks.

They look at life through a different lens.

Is there something in your way that needs a new perspective?

Would a new way of looking at your obstacles help remove some of the excuses?

What might you do differently if you had this change in perspective?

One of the reasons I like to read some of the stories of past generations is to see all of the circumstances they didn’t let get in their way.

They did business through letters and telegraphs.

They lived without their families for long periods of time.

They didn’t even have Google.

I’m not suggesting that we go back to those times, merely that we make the most of our current advantages.

Make it a great day.

Jake

“Action is the foundational key to all success.” —Pablo Picasso

Monday is a great day for a reminder to take action.

Make a top 5 list for this week and get to work knocking them out.

We all have the same amount of time this week, can you focus and take action on what’s most important in your life?

Make it a great day.

Jake

JD – Laughter is an instant vacation – Milton Berle

EB* – “Every person needs to take one day away. A day in which one consciously separates the past from the future. Jobs, family, employers, and friends can exist one day without any one of us, and if our egos permit us to confess, they could exist eternally in our absence. Each person deserves a day away in which no problems are confronted, no solutions searched for. Each of us needs to withdraw from the cares which will not withdraw from us.” – Maya Angelou

MS* – “When all else fails, take a vacation.” – Betty Williams

JW* – A wise man travels to discover himself. -James Russell Lowell

Summer time is known as being vacation time.

Remember to create some space to rejuvenate this summer.

Make it a great day.

Jake