JD – You are The Special.

EB* – People who think they know everything are a great annoyance to those of us who do. – Isaac Asimov

JW -Any day that you can stay home and play Legos all day is a good day. – Ethan Warmbir

MS – Prudence means practical common sense. Taking the trouble to think about what you are doing and what is likely to come of it. – CS Lewis

BAD – Form your purpose by asking for council, then carry it out using all the help you can get. – Proverbs 20:18

BethAnne’s sharing of a Proverb from the Bible is a great example of what I have seen consistently from her (and Mike, too) over time.

She consistently has some wise words to share from this portion of the Bible.

The lesson I have learned from her is that “seek and you shall find” is actually true. She purposefully sits down and reads (and rereads) the Proverbs.

Because of this she has a lot of wisdom to share with our leadership team and is wise beyond her years.

I share this story not to convince everyone how cool BethAnne is. I share it to show that if you go out looking for wisdom, you will find it.

If you go out looking for positive and uplifting, you will find it.

If you go out looking for hope and love, you will find them.

What are you out looking for?

Make it a great day.

Jake

“Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others?’” – Martin Luther King Jr.

One of the persistent themes that flows throughout speeches and quotes from Martin Luther King Jr. was that of service.

He seemed to understand that service to others was part of the path to prosperity that he and the people he led were seeking.

Think about the situation though.

They were persecuted, belittled, beaten and mistreated in every way possible. It would have been difficult to live in that environment and have your thoughts be focused on serving others.

But he knew that love and service would win out. He knew that the only way to rise above it all was to be better than their oppressors.

As we think about Martin Luther King Jr. let’s remember to focus on service to others regardless of our current circumstances. It is the sure path to victory and happiness in the long run.

Make it a great day.

Jake

The Birthday Book by Dr. Seuss is one of my favorites.

In it, Dr. Seuss takes us through a special birthday day, Dr. Seuss style. He describes a special day as only Dr. Seuss can.

Along the way, in typical Dr. Seuss style, he weaves in an important message: your birthday is special because you are special.

Today is Meaghan’s birthday. Today I am reminded of all the things that are special about her.

But instead of embarrassing her with a long list of all that is special about Meaghan (she is pretty great though), I wanted to remind everyone that you are special.

Dr. Seuss says “no one is youer than you”.

And our birthdays are a great day to remember that truth.

Happy Birthday, Meaghan. No one is youer than you.

Make it a great day.

Jake

http://youtu.be/bW0PLT120yY

In “The Greatest Miracle in the World” Og Mandino proclaims that the greatest miracle in the world is……YOU.

You are uniquely gifted.

You were uniquely made.

As Dr. Seuss says, “No is youer than you”.

We are all uniquely equipped to be of service to others.

Embrace the miracle that Is you.

Make it a great day.

Jake

Stewardship is one of the Mavidea values.

It’s one of those concepts that is not the easiest to nail down.

An example of stewardship that I think of frequently is the lotto winner.

I have seen statistics about how money lotto winners lose all the money or end up really unhappy.

And I think it begins with stewardship.

If the lotto winner wasn’t already a good steward of their money, it all goes away, just like their money did before they won the lottery. Winning changed their circumstance, but it doesn’t automatically change the person.

Winning the lottery doesn’t create a millionaire, being a good steward of money does.

This is why stewardship is so important. We must learn to be good stewards when the amounts are small.

Whether it is our money, our time or our relationships, we must manage what we have now well if we wish to have and be more.

Challenge yourself. Think of a resource that you steward. Pick something small.

Now think of something you could do to steward that resource more wisely.

Do it. Start now.

Make it a great day.

Jake

“Write it on your heart that every day is the best day in the year.” ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

We are only about two weeks into the year, but this seemed like a great reminder to me this morning.

We choose each day whether it will be a good day or a bad day.

Whether it will be the best day or the worst day of the year.

Remember today to choose to make this the best day of the year.

Make it a great day.

Jake

JD – A man does what he must – in spite of personal consequences, in spite of obstacles and dangers and pressure – and that is the basis of all human morality. – Winston Churchill
EB – It’s a new dawn, it’s a new day, it’s a new life and I’m feeling good……………………..yeah. – Random Artists JW – Be kind, for every man is fighting a hard battle. – Ian MacLaren
MS – Therefor do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. -Matthew 6:34 BAD – All serious daring starts from within. – Eudora Welty

I have always really liked the passage from Matthew that includes the quote Mike shared above.

In it, Jesus reminds the disciples that birds of the air and the flowers of the fields are well cared for and yet they worried about unimportant things.

If each of us could remember how lucky we really are in that we have food, shelter, and all our basic necessities provided for and to find happiness in those things we could let go of most of our worries.

Make it a great evening.

Jake

“In order to understand the world, one has to turn away from it on occasion." [The Minotaur]” ― Albert Camus, The Myth of Sisyphus and Other Essays

Introspection is another one of those tricky double edged swords in life.

I think of it like looking in a mirror.

If you don’t take a few moments to look in the mirror before leaving for work in the morning, you might just show up disheveled.

But if you spend an hour in the morning staring into the mirror getting every piece of clothing on just right, you just missed an hour of your day.

We all need to take time to look honestly at the mirrors in our lives (our relationships, our bank accounts, the mirror, the scale) and make the necessary course corrections to get where we want to go. We need to deeply understand ourselves in order to make the most of our strengths in service to others.

But we need to spend more of our time focused outwardly. Looking for others in need of service, in need of the love and warmth that only we can bring.

We weren’t created for ourselves. We were created for service to others. We need to look inward to find out what kind of service, but we need to look out to serve.

Make it a great day.

Jake

You won’t be happy if you don’t produce. – Jim Rohn

Leisure and rest are not the point. Producing and leaving things better than you found them is.

Jim Rohn talks about the seed, the soil, the rain and the sunshine. References to his growing up on a small farm.

The farm is a great metaphor for being productive and being a good steward.

Being productive is an important element in our quest for happiness and success.

Are you letting the seed, soil, rain and sunshine in your life go to waste or are using it to produce?

Make it a great day.

Jake

http://youtu.be/StTqXEQ2l-Y

Everything IS awesome.

Make it a great day.

Jake