Daily Attitude Email 04 02 25

Everybody talks about the weather, but nobody does anything about it. – Charles Dudley Warner

I thought this one was pretty funny….

We do tend to spend a lot of our time in life talking and worrying about things over which we have no control.

Next time you are tempted to complain or become anxious over the uncontrollables in life, think twice.

Think of this funny quote.

If you are not (or can’t) do anything about it, stop worrying and complaining. Start planning and doing the hard work to turn it into a positive.

Make it a great day.

Jake

Daily Attitude Email 03 31 25

Don’t sell out your virtue and your value for something you think you want. Judas got the money, but he threw it all away and hung himself because he was so unhappy with himself. – Jim Rohn

At some point we will all be presented the opportunity to sell out our virtues and values in exchange for something else tempting.

Jim’s reminder is that Judas did get the money. He got what he wanted in the short run. The exchange occurred.

But it wasn’t worth it. He got a bad deal. He exchanged his virtues and values for forty pieces of silver. Those same forty pieces of silver would never buy those virtues and values.

Is there something in your life where you are making a bad exchange?

Something where you are exchanging your values and virtues in exchange for something that seems tempting, but isn’t worth the price you are paying?

If you aren’t already, you will likely be tempted at some point in the future. Now is the time to put your true values and virtues into perspective so those temptations can be properly weighed against their cost.

Write down your personal why or mission statement

Write out your family’s values.

Make it clear what your values are worth. That way forty pieces of silver will seem like what they really are…meaningless compared to your values.

Make it a great day.

Jake

Daily Attitude Email 03 27 25

Silence is the sleep that nourishes wisdom. – Francis Bacon

Our mind needs rest in the same way our bodies do.

Find some silent time this week.

Even if it is just 60 seconds in the car before heading in to the office or 5 minutes before bed.

Let all the noise and distractions fall away.

Just enjoy the quiet.

Make it a great day.

Jake

Daily Attitude Email 03 25 25

"Do the hard jobs first. The easy jobs will take care of themselves." – Dale Carnegie

Short and sweet.

Find something on your list that you have been putting off because it is hard or seems impossible.

Work on that first today.

Even if all you do is commit 10 minutes to it.

Don’t let the sun set again before you work on it.

And then spend 15 minutes on the hardest thing tomorrow morning.

And on and on.

Make it a great day.

Jake

Daily Attitude Email 03 24 25

A lot of people quit looking for work as soon as they find a job. – Zig Ziglar

Hard work spotlights the character of people: some turn up their sleeves, some turn up their noses, and some don’t turn up at all.- Sam Ewing

One of my favorite scenes from Bruce Almighty is when God and Bruce mop the floor together.

Bruce has finally gotten to the end of his rope and goes seeking help, and God gives him a mop and then they mop the floor together. The sheer simplicity of doing some hard, good work together produces clarity of thought and purpose for Bruce.

There is something almost cathartic about doing some plain old fashioned hard work.

Hard work is also one of the keys to creating and transferring value to others (which in turn determines our rewards). Applying hard work to solving the problems of others can be our unique way of delivering value.

Is there something in your life that just needs some good old fashioned hard work?

When can you start?

Make it a great day.

Jake

Daily Attitude Email 03 20 25

One of the many blessings in my life is getting to work with a great group of people. A group I call my friends.

CS Lewis writes a lot about friendship in “The Four Loves”. Below is one of my favorite quotes:

A secret master of ceremonies has been at work. Christ, who said to the disciples, "Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you," can truly say to every group of Christian friends, "Ye have not chosen one another but I have chosen you for one another." The friendship is not a reward for our discriminating and good taste in finding one another out. It is the instrument by which God reveals to each of us the beauties of others.”

― C.S. Lewis, The Four Loves

The instrument by which God reveals to each of us the beauties of others.

In our silliness and goofy meetings. Our jokes and awkward moments, we are shown the beauty in God’s creation of another person who is on our side.

We stand side by side and look out at the world and work to make it better. We work to show the beauty of those special relationships in a way that brings light and crowds out the darkness.

Make it a great day.

Jake

Daily Attitude Email 03 19 25

Came across this old post and thought it was worth sending again:

Last night Maggie picked one of my favorite Dr. Seuss books, “Did I Ever Tell You How Lucky You Are”. That led to another Dr. Seuss inspired email.

Here is the quote to start the book:

“When I was quite young and quite small for my size, I met an old man in the Desert of Drize. And he sang me a song I will never forget, at least, well, I haven’t forgotten it yet. He sat in a terribly prickly place, but he sang with a sunny sweet smile on his face…”

“When you think things are bad, when you feel sour and blue, when you start to get mad… You should do what I do! Just tell yourself, Duckie, you’re really quite lucky! Some people are much more…Oh, ever so much more…Oh, muchly much-much more unlucky than you!”

The book is another classic example of Dr. Seuss. Only by being absurd and entertaining can he so pointedly remind us all that we are truly lucky.

No matter how bad you may think you have it at any given point, you are truly lucky.

But this isn’t an exercise in sending everyone on a guilt trip…..

When I am reminded of how lucky I am, I become more motivated to do something with it. I become even more focused on using what I have in order to make the biggest difference I can in the lives of others.

For whatever reason, we are the lucky ones. It is our job to do something about it. It is our job to help others move into the lucky column.

And like my email on the 51% rule, this one is the same. The good guys have already won. More people in this world fall into the lucky column than the unlucky one. All we have to do is find the unlucky ones and help them move to the lucky side.

Make it a great day.

Jake