Today is Veteran’s Day. Yesterday we had the great fortune of having a Korean War veteran speak at church.

He spoke of how those that gave their lives in combat didn’t get to have some of the experiences that he has had.

I thought to myself that that’s what it means to give your life. To exchange all of those experiences in exchange for something else.

Think about all of the experiences you have had since you were 18 or 20. That’s what they have given.

The wedding that never happened.

The birth of those children that never came to pass.

The simple joys of a great meal, a cold glass of water and the many daily joys we often take for granted.

All that served gave something. They gave up their time in exchange for our freedom.

And each day we choose how to use that freedom.

We choose to make the world a better place or to put our needs before others.

We choose to enjoy our freedom and experiences or to complain and bemoan our circumstances.

Their job was to give. Our job is to make the most of that gift.

Each and every day we make the choice.

Choose to respect their gift and honor their sacrifice.

Thank you to all of the Veterans who receive this email.

Make it a great day.

Jake

PS Still looking for volunteers to send the daily attitude email out on Wednesday and Thursday this week.

EB – It ain’t the heat, it’s the humility. – Yogi Berra

JW – Well done is better than well said. – Benjamin Franklin

JD – An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. – Benjamin Franklin

MS -We are all born ignorant, but one must work hard to remain stupid. – Benjamin Franklin

Some great quotes today from a couple of great thinkers.

Well done is better than well said kind of stuck with me though.

So often we get caught up in posting the best FaceBox post, the best Tweeter, or whatever will look the best in any given situation. We forget that substance really matters. That those things that really make an impact are the ones with real meaning behind them.

It’s easy to forget about or discount the quiet satisfaction in a job well done.

In Bruce Almighty, Bruce and “God” mop the floors of the empty warehouse floor together.

I have always thought of that as a good metaphor for most of the “work” we do in our lives. Most of it isn’t that glamorous and may even seem pointless, but the point isn’t the work or the praise for a job well done. The point is what it makes of us. What kind of person we become.

Find something over the weekend and create a job well done. Just for you. Just for the person it could make of you.

Make it a great day.

Jake

PS –I am going to be out of town Mon-Thurs next week and would love some volunteers to write the daily attitude emails while I am out for those days.

http://youtu.be/xB5ceAruYrI

Hakuna matata – it means no worries.

Was talking about this song with Maggie and thought it would be a great way for us to all to start off a Friday.

Let’s make today a day of no worries.

Make it a great day.

Jake

"Fake it till you make it" (also called "act as if") is a common catchphrase that means to imitate confidence so that as the confidence produces success, it will generate real confidence. The purpose is to avoid getting stuck in a self-fulfilling prophecy related to one’s fear of not being confident…, e.g., by thinking, "I can’t ask that girl out because she would sense my lack of confidence. – Wikipedia

Have you ever tried this?

Just started acting as if you already knew how to do something, like you liked something or that you were a happier person.

If you could pick one thing to “act as if” today, what would it be?

Act as if you were an athlete?

Act as if you were a millinonaire?

Act as if you had the best job in the world?

What one thing could you start faking until you made it would make the biggest difference for you?

Make it a great day.

Jake

I happened to end up on the Mavidea “Meet The Team” page yesterday.

If you haven’t seen it yet, click here: http://www.mavidea.com/meet-the-team/, well worth a few minutes of your time.

I found myself scrolling over each person and looking at the picture of them when they were little.

What a great reminder of that youthful innocence we have when we are children.

I see it every day with our kids at home, but often forget that all of those grownups around me were once young and innocent as well.

Three things popped out at me.

First, I am going to make a concerted effort to capture a little bit of that back for myself.

Second, each and every one of us has a long list of stories that have transpired since we were that little kid. Some positive and some negative. Some helpful and some harmful. In interacting with each other it is important that we empathize with each other and each of our histories.

Third, each and every person still has all of the potential for awesomeness that we see when we see a child’s face. At some point, most of us have listened to others and convinced ourselves that we aren’t quite as awesome as maybe we originally thought. But that’s a load of crap. You ARE awesome. YOU are the only you, no one can be as awesome at being you as you can.

For the Mavideans, please look at the pictures of your co-workers as a little kid. Think about that little kid next time you interact with each other. That person you are talking to still holds all that potential for greatness inside them, we just have to figure out how to get it out.

Make it a great day.

Jake

Do interesting things and interesting things will happen.

Paraphrasing what I heard from someone recently at a conference. They were talking about taking on interesting customer work and the surprising results that can come.

What’s true for work is also true in our personal lives.

If we get involved in interesting things, interesting things will happen.

When was the last time you took a chance and did something interesting?

It isn’t going to work out every time, but if you take a few chances on something interesting I am sure you will have some interesting adventures.

What is that one thing you have had in the back of your mind that you have wanted to do?

Take some kind of action step today to make it happen.

Make it a great day.

Jake

The greatest vision-casting opportunities happen between the hours of 7:30 and 9:30 PM Monday through Sunday. In these closing hours of the day we have a unique opportunity to plant the seeds of what could be and what should be. Take every opportunity you get.”

― Andy Stanley

This is true for our children and for each of us.

What we put into our minds right before bed will do more to shape our lives than most of us realize.

What is the last thought that passes through your mind before sleep?

Thoughts of anxiety or thoughts of peace.

Thoughts of worry or thoughts of calm.

Thoughts of fear or thoughts of determination.

Thoughts of hate or thoughts of love.

You choose those thoughts. Each night you choose to go to bed with a cloud over yourself or sunny skies in your dreams. You choose.

Each night is a new opportunity to plant and grow those seeds of greatness within yourself.

Each night is another chance to change your life for the better.

Each night is an opportunity to become the person you want to become.

And for those of us with kids, each night is an opportunity to cast the vision for them and all the possibilities that exist for them.

Don’t miss another night.

Make it a great day.

Jake

JW – I don’t initiate violence, I retaliate. – Chuck Norris

EB – The superior man is modest in his speech, but exceeds in his actions. – Confucius

MS – I’ve had a lot of worries in my life, most of which never happened. – Mark Twain

JD – Always do what is right. This will gratify some people and astonish the rest. – Mark Twain

What do you think it would like in your life to be modest in speech but exceed in actions?

Is that how those who know you best would describe you?

Something maybe to think about.

Make it a great weekend.

Jake

http://youtu.be/DR7KfFfse3k

Found this song at about the same time that I read the following excerpt from Les Brown:

Rise above the pain! You are bigger than your circumstances or your life situation. Your life is not defined by your relationship status, your current job, your bank account, or anything that you have or have not done in the past. Don’t listen to any person or automatic negative thoughts that may have conditioned you to think of yourself or your life as a failure.

Don’t ever choose a permanent solution for a temporary problem. You have people who need you and who are counting on you. There is always another day and another way. Rise above the pain and know that deep inside of you there is another person waiting to break through. You have the ability to rebuild, regroup, recover and revive!! Breathe life into your dream. Know that you can live a meaningful and purposeful life. You are an unrepeatable miracle and your dream can live…despite what you feel or what you’re going through right now. You have something special. You have GREATNESS within you!! – Les Brown

There is always another day and another way as you write the story of your life. Just don’t stop writing.

Make it a great day.

Jake

In honor of Halloween I went in search of an inspirational Halloween story. And I found a good one….

http://blog.littlepicklepress.com/2012/11/halloween-hero-story-of-giving.html?m=1

Instead of writing more for you to read, I will keep this short so you can spend time reading the story.

Make it a great day.

Jake