I offered to do the Daily Attitude for Jake… Here goes…

There’s a story I tell my kids about how feelings we choose to hold onto can change who we are inside.

An old Cherokee told his grandson, “My son, there is a battle between two wolves inside us all. One is Evil. It is anger, jealousy, greed, resentment, inferiority, woes and ego. The other is Good. It is joy, peace, love, hope, humility, kindness, empathy, and truth.”

The boy thought about it, and asked, “Grandfather, which wolf wins?”

The old man quietly replied, “The one you feed.”

Who we are today is a direct result of the choices we’ve made and the experiences we’ve had. And every day is like a “Mulligan” – we get to start over and do things better today than yesterday. We get to decide whether or not we will remember the lessons and use them to change our attitude towards life and the feelings we want to hold onto.

Every day is a new day to decide which wolf we will feed.

Susie Vigil

Zoo Keeper

Mavidea Technology Group

Putting Smiles on Faces

www.mavidea.com

susie.vigil

Office: 309-829-2000 x819

Toll Free: 888-898-8960

Friendship is born at that moment when one man says to another “What! You too? I thought no one but myself….” – CS Lewis

As a think about the power of HTG and our peer group, this CS Lewis quote comes to mind.

Part of the reason our peer group has been so impactful at Mavidea is the friendships born out of the moments like the one CS Lewis describes above.

As small business owners it is easy to think of yourself as being on an island, but when we come and meet with others facing similar challenges we enter into a brotherhood and friendship with those facing similar circumstances.

Our eyes are opened each quarter by the friendships that are forged by sharing similar concerns and joys.

Think about an area in your life where you are feeling alone and on an island. Seek out others facing similar challenges and work to create a friendship.

Go deeper in current relationships by sharing more and becoming vulnerable with others so that they can say “hey, me too”.

Make it a great day.

Jake

Today is Veteran’s Day. What a privilege it is to live in a country where we can celebrate our veterans for what they have done for us.

Recently, I have been reading the book “Unbroken” that tells the story of a WWII veteran that survived a plane crash and then was imprisoned in a POW camp.

The story so far is amazing and inspirational.

While his story is extraordinary, every veteran’s story is extraordinary in their own ways.

Each veteran has given something.

And each of us has been a recipient of that gift.

Days like this we are reminded of just how much we have been given.

We are reminded to be thankful for that gift and to make the most of it.

Thank a veteran today. And make the most of the gift you have been given.

Make it a great day.

Jake

This week I am in Orlando for the Q4 HTG meetings.

For those that don’t know, HTG is a peer group that Mavidea belongs to. We get together each quarter with a group of peers (small IT companies like ours) and share financials, stories and life and work to help each other make progress towards goals that matter.

As I approach the week, I am reminded of perhaps the most important part of learning from others – humility.

In order to learn something from others, first we must humble ourselves enough to realize that we don’t know everything.

Only when we allow ourselves to be humble are we truly ready to learn from others.

We all have something to learn. As you think about what area in your life needs more information and skills, think about whether or not you have truly humbled yourself enough to learn what you need to.

Think about what is holding you back, then let yourself become humble enough to learn.

Make it a great day.

Jake

http://youtu.be/9ogQ0uge06o

The bare necessities.

This goes well with our theme right now at Mavidea. One of the best ways to get more margin is to strip things back and simplify our lives.

Take a look around during your day today. Look for areas where you are making things too complex for yourself. Look for things you can live without.

And then take some action.

Say no to something.

Give something away to charity.

Throw some things away.

Make it a great day.

Jake

JD – "Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as ever you can.” – John Wesley

BAD – Do what you feel in your heart to be right. You will be criticized anyway. – Eleanor Roosevelt

JW – I don’t think you realize how Australian I am. – Jason Roush

EB – Maybe everybody will learn a little about each other. – Mike Somers

MS – Friendship is born at that moment when one man says to another: "What! You too? I thought that no one but myself . . ." CS lewis

The quote on friendship from CS Lewis is a great example of what I like about his style.

He defines something seemingly undefinable in a way that makes you think.

We often get trapped in our own thoughts and processes in a way that really limits us. Friends are a great way to get outside of ourselves in a way that lets us be safe and move forward.

Call up an old friend today.

Make it a great day.

Jake

I have recently been listening to “Change Your Brain, Change Your Body”.

One of the interesting concepts in the book is what the author calls “ants”. Automatic negative thoughts.

Two little tidbits that really stuck out to me in his discussion of this topic.

First – we don’t have to believe every thought that pops into our heads. When something negative or worrisome pops into our heads, we shouldn’t just believe it to be true. We should ask ourselves if it is true.

Some examples:

I’ll never be able to save that much money.

I’ll never be able to lose that much weight.

I’ll never be able to start getting up early.

Thoughts like these are just flat out wrong. But most of us accept them as they come, not taking the time to think about whether or not they are true.

The second concept I really liked was what he called “anteaters”.

These are positive and uplifting thoughts that squeeze out or eliminate the ants.

Thoughts of gratitude are a particularly good example. It’s hard to be negative and down when you are thinking of everything you have to be thankful for.

Let’s all get those anteaters to work today and get rid of those ants.

Make it a great day.

Jake

“Each problem has hidden in it an opportunity so powerful that it literally dwarfs the problem. The greatest success stories were created by people who recognized a problem and turned it into an opportunity.” ~ Joseph Sugarman

I liked the mental picture here of the opportunity being so much bigger than the problem.

Imagine something small in front of you, but it is so close it takes up your whole field of view. Like putting a finger right in front of your eye.

That is what our problems can be like. They are so close and so personal sometimes that they block out our entire field of view despite the fact that in the grand scheme of things they are relatively small.

They block our view of a huge opportunity that lies on the other side.

Is there a problem in your life that you need to move past to see a great opportunity waiting?

Is there something you are so focused on it blocks your vision?

Take a small step today to start moving past it.

Make it a great day.

Jake

Nothing can stop an idea whose time has come.

Ever had that moment when the switch gets flipped? When something just clicked? When a good idea all of a sudden became real?

Meaghan and I have been watching Biggest Loser again this season and for most of the contestants, this is exactly what happens to them. Their lives will never be the same.

But how do we increase our odds of this happening in our lives in a positive way?

Here are some ideas:

Be in the action business. All good ideas require action. If you are the kind of person that habitually takes action on ideas, it seems likely that when the good ones come along you will take action on them.

Be in the idea business. You have to be searching for and studying good ideas. They don’t just fall out of the sky and bounce right up into your lap.

Be in the relationship business. Most good ideas require other people. If you get a good idea but don’t have relationships with those who could help, it is too late. Relationships come first.

Be in the prayer business. Prayer and positive visualization plant the seeds in your mind that grow into good ideas.

Make it a great day.

Jake

Yesterday was the better end of the daylight savings time swaperoo.

While I don’t remember going through any Back To The Future style hijinks, it appeared as if I had one extra hour on my hands.

As I thought about what to write today, I thought of a question.

If you got an extra hour today, what would you do?

For some of you, the answer will be more of the same. You have a good handle on your priorities and your time and would let the extra hour fall into the plan.

For some of you, the answer might be silly or funny.

For some of you, the answer might be a bit sobering. Maybe the answer would show some priorities out of whack and time that needs to be prioritized.

Regardless of your answer, now is a great time to think about how you are spending your time.

Make it a great day.

Jake