If you want to have something different than you have ever had before, you have to become someone different than you have been before. – Les Brown

The results of our lives are a reflection of our inner selves. We can’t get better results on the outside than the person we are on the inside.

If you want something different and better then you need to become someone different and better.

How about that for a challenging statement?

Sometimes we need to have the maturity to face the fact that when we are disappointed in the results achieved in our lives we are the ones that need to change.

If there is an area of your life you are struggling I encourage you to look in the mirror. Face it with courage and make the decision to change for the better.

Make it a great day.

Jake

Today is Rebecca Barber’s (RB) fifth anniversary of her start date at Mavidea. She was one of our very first Mavideans and is the first person to make it to their fifth anniversary.

And while I could write today’s email about all the awesome things about RB, I am going to operate under the assumption that that might be slightly embarrassing for her (but she is awesome).

Instead, I wanted to share some of the other things that come to mind on her anniversary.

First, thankfulness. That someone would invest 5 years of their life into helping Mavidea succeed is something that I am very thankful for. I am thankful for each and every member of our staff and every day that dedicate to our cause.

My next thought was how humbling it is that someone of RB’s caliber has decided to work with us. All of our staff humble me with their quality of work, dedication and general awesomeness.

Then I thought about how far we have come. RB and Mavidea have grown a lot over the last 5 years. Growth is such an amazing process to watch and participate in.

My last thought was about the next 5 years. RB has seen a lot of change and progress over this first 5 years. But the next 5 years are going to be even better.

I am looking forward to writing the daily attitude email for her 10th anniversary.

Thanks for all you do for Mavidea, RB. We wouldn’t be where we are without you.

Make it a great day.

Jake

Slow down and everything you are chasing will come around and catch you. -John DePaola

I have also heard success or happiness described as a butterfly. You can run around all day long trying to catch the butterfly, but only when you slow down and stay still will it come to you and rest on you.

This is another of life’s great mysteries. You must continually move forward in the direction of your dreams but at the same time be calm, peaceful and slow down in order to attract the results you want.

Think about some of your life goals, maybe there are one or two that require you to slow down a little.

Maybe you need to slow down a little and enjoy some slow moments with your small child before they aren’t so small anymore.

Maybe a coworker needs you to just slow down and listen for a little while.

Maybe you need to slow down and spend time with your spouse or a close friend just talking about nothing in particular.

Maybe you need some quite reading and reflection time to get through a tough time or problem.

Maybe you need to lighten your schedule a little so you can make those wise food or money decisions needed to meet your goals.

I am sure we all have something that if we would just slow down it would come right around and catch us.

Make it a great day.

Jake

To teach is to learn twice. – Joseph Joubert

Teaching someone else something is such a positive experience in our lives.

We get to learn twice and they get something new out of the experience.

There are so many teachable moments in our lives when we have the opportunity to teach someone else, we just need to look for them.

This concept can also be used purposefully in your own skill development.

Have a skill that you want to become an expert in? Sign up to teach a class or set up a time to show a friend.

By creating a situation where you have to teach someone you will have created the opportunity for yourself to learn twice.

We all have lots of learning left to do, but maybe some of it should come in the form of teaching.

Make it a great day.

Jake

Manners are a sensitive awareness of the feelings of others. If you have that awareness, you have good manners, no matter which fork you use.

-Emily Post

Meaghan has this quote on her blog and it reminded me of another quote that I really like as well "I am convinced that most of society’s ills could be solved with simple manners."

Manners are really just a manner (how about that for a play on words) for showing others that we are thinking of them more than ourselves. They are a simple way to show others we care more for them and their comfort than our own.

It is almost unbelievable how far simple "please" and "thank you’s" can take you in getting along with others in life.

Empathy for others is an important step in becoming a more mature and well rounded person.

In order to become the best version of ourselves we must subjugate our needs for those of others around us.

Let’s all make an effort today to use our manners a little more and think of ourselves a little less.

Make it a great day.

Jake

“To have a mind full of peace simply fill it with peace.”

Norman Vincent Peale

I must be a simple person because I am attracted to these simple quotes.

In order to be peaceful, you must fill your mind with peace. We often spend our days worrying and full of stress, repeating and introducing worrisome and nerve producing thoughts into our mind and then wonder why we aren’t filled with peace.

We wonder why it is that when we look around in our lives we can’t find that peace we are looking for.

Psst….got a secret for you.

You put it all there.

You put the worry in.

You put the nervousness in.

You put the stress in.

What might happen if you put peace in instead?

What if you read and said peaceful things?

What if you spent time with peaceful people?

And it works for more than just a peaceful mind.

Want a joyful heart, simply fill it with joy.

Want a mind full of wisdom, simply fill it wisdom.

Want a relationship filled with love, simply fill it with love.

Want a career filled with meaning, simply fill it with meaning.

Did I mention that I love these simple sayings…..so easy to apply to so many areas of life.

Make it a great day filled with __________, you fill in the blank.

Jake

‎"The best motivation is self-motivation. The guy says, "I wish someone would come by and turn me on." What if they don’t show up? You’ve got to have a better plan for your life." — Jim Rohn

I know you all have been anxiously awaiting the next Jim Rohn quote as part of a daily attitude email.

I saw this one on the FaceBox and thought it would be a good one to share.

If you really want something in your life, you will need to find the self motivation to make it happen.

Others will come along and offer help, but the start of the important changes belongs with you.

Too often we fall into the temptation of waiting for someone or something else to come along and get us jump started towards the change we need in our life.

If you are waiting for someone else, your results will depend on their "want to" and not your own.

That workout partner might not want to work out as much as you do.

That diet partner might want to "fudge" a little on that diet (pun intended).

That financial advisor/counselor might not want to meet and review as much as you need.

We all need others along the way, there is no discounting the positive effect that others can make in our lives.

We just can’t depend on them for the motivation part. We must find that within ourselves.

Make it a great day.

Jake

PS. Jim is definitely not talking about the daily attitude emails. Those are a great way to find motivation. Plus, you only have to wait until the next morning to get one of those..

Saturday night I had the unique (at least for me) experience of going to a Tim McGraw and Kenny Chesney concert at Soldier Field.

I am not much of a country music fan, so I spent much of the time people and crowd watching.

It is amazing what happens when you get tens of thousands of people in one place together. It is even more amazing when you get the majority of those people to sing and dance along to a song.

There was a lot of power in all those people and their collective voices and actions.

It was a great reminder of just what we can do if we work together as human beings.

A positively focused group of people can accomplish amazing things.

I am glad to be part of a great group here at Mavidea.

Make it a great week.

Jake