When I was younger, I played a lot of basketball. That was most of what me and my friends did with our free time.

As is probably typical, somewhere along the way I stopped playing. And then last winter I got out on the court again and remembered just how much fun it is.

It was a great reminder that just because we become adults we don’t always have to act like one.

We can play games like we did when we were kids.

We can read books from when we were kids.

We can watch movies from when we were kids.

Is there something that you haven’t done since you were younger that would be a positive thing to add back in to your life?

Find something “kid-like” to do today.

Make it a great day.

Jake

Breathing room – the space between our current pace and our limits.

At Mavidea, Breathing Room is our current rallying cry. It’s what we decided our organization most needed right now.

The above definition of breathing room comes from Andy Stanley’s series on the topic.

Yesterday in the sales meeting we watched the first few minutes of the first part of his series on Breathing Room.

At the end of the first few minutes, he hits everyone with a question:

What are you afraid of?

We tend to overcommit and overextend ourselves out of fear.

We say yes to too many activities because we want them to like us.

We say yes to too much stuff because we want them to like us.

We say yes to too many meetings because we don’t want to miss an opportunity.

We leave ourselves with no breathing room.

At Mavidea, we have accepted the challenge of finding some Breathing Room. Of deciding what is IN and what is OUT when it comes to our schedules, our money and our processes. We are going to create some space between our current pace and our limits.

Make it a great day.

Jake

Fortune favors the bold.

Today is Columbus Day. A day to remember the explorer who first landed in North America.

The quote above reminds me of Columbus.

Finding America was actually a big mistake. Columbus had made a major miscalculation. He was way off.

Because he was willing to take a risk he ended up finding something else instead.

His mistake led to his greatness.

What area of your life needs some boldness?

How many mistakes have you made lately?

We must be willing to be bold in order to experience greatness in our lives.

Make it a great day.

Jake

http://youtu.be/waacof2saZw

You’re unbelievable.

Don’t ever forget that.

Your capacity for love, faith, hope, kindness, growth, imagination, and many other wonderful qualities is unbelievable.

Let this be your theme song today.

Not in a conceited or self-aggrandizing way, but in a comfortable in your own skin kind of way.

Make it a great day.

Jake

Invite people into your life who don’t look or act like you. You might find they challenge your assumptions and make you grow. – Mellody Hobson

This reminds me of the advice given by Zig Ziglar – spend time with someone under 5 and over 70.

Whether it is someone’s age or background or simply their likes and dislikes; we can all grow and learn by being around someone different than us.

Who are you currently spending time with that is different than you?

Do you need to seek and find a relationship to challenge yourself in this area?

Some quick ideas on how we might do this:

Travel

Volunteer

Attend an event you wouldn’t normally attend

Visit a nursing home

Volunteer in the nursery at church

Make it a great day.

Jake

It takes as much effort to move in a circle as it does to move forward.

Sometimes we mistake activity and busyness for progress when really we aren’t getting anywhere.

This is why goals are so important. We need check points along the way to make sure we are heading towards something and not just in a circle.

Next time you get a chance, take a step back and see if you are really moving forward or not.

Objectively look at the numbers and don’t let yourself off the hook.

And then make an adjustment if you need to.

Don’t keep doing the same things.

Make it a great day.

Jake

EB – "Mine’s the best ever" – JW

JW – “Your momma is so hairy, she only speaks Wookie!” – Ethan Warmbir

MS – Friendship is unnecessary, like philosophy, like art… It has no survival value; rather it is one of those things that give value to survival. – C. S. Lewis

JD – "A million dollars sounds like a lot, I know. Especially when you’re young. But you can’t let money erode your principles or you’ll wind up with nothing."

Sammy Keyes And The Dead Giveaway by Wendelin Van Draanen

BAD – It isn’t what happens to us that causes us to suffer; it’s what we say to ourselves about what happens. – Pema Chodron

A million dollars sure does seem like a lot, but something I have been thinking about lately is how much money we are likely to be responsible for over our lifetime.

If you work from when you are 18 until you are 68 (50 years) and if you average $20,000 per year you will have made $1,000,000 over your life time.

This shows the power of our everyday decisions.

It shows the power of having a monthly budget.

You are likely to responsible for $1,000,000 or more in your life. The question is, what are you going to do with it?

And the same thing goes for your time and other resources in your life.

We don’t seem to have much time, money or resources, but if you add it up, it will be more than it seems.

We are all stewards of abundant resources. Let’s manage them well.

Make it a great day.

Jake

I was listening to an audio book yesterday and the author was talking about time management.

Towards the end, he mentioned that the ultimate in time management was to become more skilled.

Being skilled helps us get the most out of our time.

As we look at our lives, what areas can we focus on getting better at so we can get the most out of life.

Could you go further, faster if you could communicate better?

Could you go further, faster if you understood leadership better?

Could you go further, faster if you had better time management skills?

Could you go further, faster if you were in better physical shape?

Got something in mind? Get started studying. Find a book or a class or a mentor. Go get the information and practice you need to get better.

Make it a great day.

Jake

We are living in a period which all too readily scraps the old for the new…As a nation, we are in danger of forgetting that the new is not true because it is novel, and that the old is not false because it is ancient. – Joseph Kennedy

I liked this quote this morning partly because it came from Joseph Kennedy. This means that when he was talking about “new” he wasn’t talking about the newest iPhone or technogagdget.

The temptation to forget our previous lessons and act as if everything has changed is an ancient one itself.

We are bombarded each day with the newest of everything. And there is a lot of positive that can come with the newer version of something and embracing the change that is inherent in all our lives.

But there is also value in that which has stood the test of time.

Truth will hold up forever.

Love will always be.

Faith will lead us forward always.

As you go about your modern life, make sure to mix in some of the old.

Read a book published before 1900.

Wear your grandparents old jewelry.

Make it a great day.

Jake

http://youtu.be/SwYN7mTi6HM

Sometimes in life you have to take a leap.

You have to jump in with both feet.

What’s something you have been holding back that you just need to jump into?

What’s something you have been meaning to say that you need to just say?

What is something you have been meaning to try that you need to give it a shot?

Jump in. Mix it up. It might be a little messy along the way, but it will be worth it.

Make it a great day.

Jake