The best of times or the worst of times?
You pick.
I am pretty sure that throughout history there have been people declaring the present age to be both the best and the worst of times.
But who is right?
Maybe this is a bit naïve, but I can’t see how you could lose thinking these are the best of times.
If they are, you win.
If they aren’t, maybe at the very least you lived a little happier along the way. You win.
Make it a great day.
Jake
"All you can do is all you can do, but all you can do is enough! " A.L. Williams
What a great attitude to have.
We all have the same 24 hours in a day, the question is "What are you going to do with it?"
If we consistently do all that we can, we will find out that it is enough.
There is a tendency to underestimate what you can do over the long haul. Small, consistent steps forward really do add up.
Think about a long term goal of yours. Then think of "all you can do" for today….then do it.
Make it a great day.
Jake
Anyone who does anything to help a child in his life is a hero to me. – Fred Rogers
Last night I was walking out of Wal-Mart and saw a guy walking in holding a little girl in his arms and they both had smiles so wide they could eat a banana sidewise (stole that one from good ol’ Zig Ziglar).
It struck me just how special the smiles, laughter and happiness of children really is.
My happiness thought for all of us today….spend a little time with someone under 10.
Ask them questions.
Let them ask you questions.
Do whatever they want to do.
Embrace the silliness.
And never forget that no matter how mean or nasty someone is to you, they were a silly little kid at one point. They just lost that part of themselves.
Let’s help each other find this part. Let’s laugh and be silly.
Make it a great day.
Jake
I’d rather see a sermon than hear one any day,
I’d rather one should walk with me than merely show the way.
The eye’s a better pupil and more willing than the ear;
Fine counsel is confusing, but example’s always clear;
And the best of all the preachers are the men who live their creeds,
For to see the good in action is what everybody needs.
I can soon learn how to do it if you’ll let me see it done,
I can watch your hands in actions, but your tongue too fast may run.
And the lectures you deliver may be very wise and true;
But I’d rather get my lesson by observing what you do,
For I may misunderstand you and the high advice you give,
But there’s no misunderstanding how you act and how you live.
~ Edgar Guest
A lot of truth in one short poem. Most of us learn better from the examples in our lives than we do from a book or a lecture.
I think it goes even deeper than this.
Each day we have choices to make.
Whose "sermon" are we watching?
What kind of "sermon" are we "preaching"?
We are picking things up from those around us and the shows we watch on TV.
Others are picking things up from us.
We get to choose the content. Choose wisely.
Make it a great day.
Jake
Do not fret because of evil men or be envious of those who do wrong; for like the grass they will soon wither, like green plants they will soon die away. Psalms 37: 1-2
Sometimes in life we get tempted by the shortcuts.
We see someone else get their way by telling a white lie.
We see someone else get one over on the insurance company.
We see someone who got rich and famous by putting themselves in places we all know better than to be.
It’s easy to see these people and be a little envious that they seemingly got ahead without having to put in the hard work that seems to be in front of us.
I think that is why these verses were written. As a reminder that the high road is always the road to take and the low road always leads to death.
For today’s language, let’s replace "do not fret" with "do not worry".
Let’s not worry about the wrong or evil doers who seem to be able to take shortcuts, let us focus on finding our own high road. And taking it every time.
Make it a great day.
Jake
JD – Your Journey has molded you for your greater good, and it was exactly what it needed to be. Don’t think that you’ve lost time. It took each and every situation you have encountered to bring you to the now. And now is right on time.- Asha Tyson
EB – Wisdom comes in understanding what you are assuming.
MS – God wants you to love other people. You do so through service. And he rewards you for it. – Rabbi Daniel Lapin
JW – You just can’t beat the person who never gives up. – Babe Ruth
The quote from Rabbi Lapin is such an important truth.
We love others by being of service to them.
It is active thing. Love is not sitting around and taking it easy.
It requires effort. Selfless effort.
Want to make a difference in the world? Love is your best bet. And service is the manifestation of that love.
Serving others from a place of love is the place where the world begins to see the difference you are making.
Make it a great weekend.
Jake
Another thought about adversity.
At some point during the process you must make the decision to be a survivor.
You have to decide not to give up or give in.
As we face a different future at Mavidea, this is our starting point.
We won’t give up.
We won’t give in.
Make it a great day.
Jake
The act of facing overwhelming odds produces greatness. – Malcolm Gladwell
In his book "David and Goliath", Malcolm Gladwell tells the story over and over again of how a difficult circumstance was part of what led to greatness.
Difficulties in life come with them an opportunity for greatness.
By facing the challenge and doing our best we change.
We grow in strength and resolve.
We see that we are capable of greatness.
Embrace the challenges in life.
Make it a great day.
Jake
All the adversity I’ve had in my life, all my troubles and obstacles, have strengthened me… You may not realize it when it happens, but a kick in the teeth may be the best thing in the world for you. – Walt Disney
Challenges and adversity are a fact of life. There is no special pass code where you can skip difficulty any time it presents itself (at least not that I know of).
Accepting this reality doesn’t mean that you have to like it. I think an important part of handling adversity or bad news maturely is acknowledging the feelings of hurt, frustration, etc. Recognizing these feelings and being self-aware enough to know when they pop up and how to best deal with them is an important first step in dealing with difficulty.
Just because you don’t like it doesn’t mean you can’t think positive, though. How you think about the future and what difficulty really means to you will determine whether it is a long term net positive or negative in your life.
In this, you have the ultimate choice. You choose the positive or negative end result when you choose your attitude.
As we face adversity at Mavidea, let’s help each other recognize and acknowledge whatever feelings someone might be having. And then let’s turn this adversity into a positive.
We can choose the end of the story.
Make it a great day.
Jake
The aim of a joke is not to degrade the human being, but to remind him that he is already degraded. – George Orwell
What a great reminder for April Fool’s day.
Whether you have any good pranks planned or not, this is a reminder that in some ways we all prove to be fools in one way or another.
If you are going to be a fool at some point, just make sure it was worth it.
Be a fool for your kids.
Be a fool for your wife.
Be a fool for love.
Be a fool for your God.
Be okay with making a foolish mistake here and there.
Make it a great day.
Jake
Additional note: As I was writing this I was playing the Happy song by Pharrell and Maggie was singing “Happy for Bologna” instead for “Clap along with me”. In case you needed proof that being foolish might just be a little a fun after all.
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