Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does. – William James

Monday morning reminder – you make a difference.

You are needed.

You have an important role to play in making it all turn out the best way it can.

All because you can be of service in love.

Even if you have to start real small with a real small service with just a little love – that makes a difference.

Make it a great day.

Jake

PS – You can also make things worse. If you make poor choices things will get worse for you and those around you.

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https://youtu.be/nhdDbQ3rL3k?si=E54-UXwYYZpi7sJ0

Back to school week next week for the Davis kids.

A time of change. A new grade and set of teachers and classes for two of the kiddos and a whole new experience for one who is heading off to college.

Change isn’t easy. It’s scary and uncomfortable.

On the other side of change is the good stuff. For the kids with their school changes it usually ends with lots of learning, friendships and some good memories.

For us adults it could mean growth, opportunity and something better.

The truth though is that sometimes things change for the worse. Or at the very least something that feels worse for now.

The question becomes – do you risk it? Stay where you are and work to stay in your comfort zone or change and risk it not working out?

The answer isn’t always to risk it. The answer isn’t always to stay comfortable.

You’ll have to find your own balance of the two.

For me, I try to lean towards risking it. Even if it means forcing myself to try something new.

What do you think?

Make it a great day.

Jake

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We boil at different degrees. – Clint Eastwood

Another lesson that comes with a little experience in age – people are different.

I know…brilliant, right?

It matters because when we accept a simple truth like this we can adjust our expectations and actions accordingly.

When we can do this with love and without judgement – good things happen.

How can you be of service to those in your life – regardless of your differences?

Make it a great day.

Jake

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There is no limit to the power of loving. – John Morton

As the political season heats up again – much will be made of our differences.

Each side will make it clear all that is wrong and contemptible about the other side.

As I get older I’m trying hard not to get disheartened by the whole thing.

I’m convinced that the only answer is love. That there is no limit to the power of love.

When all seems dark and dim – there is a dawn available to us.

And it is love.

I’m sure this is a little corny and idealistic – but maybe still worth being a part of anyway?

Make it a great day.

Jake

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Dreams will get you nowhere, a good kick in the pants will take you a long way. – Baltasar Gracian

Not sure who else needs to be reminded (constantly) of this.

I sure need a kick in the pants frequently.

So here goes….

Get after it.

Don’t let all the distractions get in your way.

What are you waiting for?

If you don’t start, you’ll never finish.

Take the first step and adjust from there.

Don’t let the sun go down one more day without making progress.

You are worth it.

Make it a great day.

Jake

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I once heard a TED talk by Rick Warren and he mentioned something I found interesting.

He was talking about the idea that he believes that we as human beings have some obligation to leave this planet better than we left it. He mentioned having a conversation with someone once and asking them if they believe that we have this obligation.

The person responded with something like "no more obligation than a duck or any other animal".

Rick’s response really stuck with me.

He said "You are not a duck".

Think about that for a second. If you believe that human beings are not ducks, but that we are something different and unique then we have the obligation of stewardship that Rick talks about.

We are all given something to be stewards over during our lives. At the very least, we are stewards of our own time and lives.

And since we are not ducks, we must use them wisely. How we spend our days and our lives does matter.

Make today count.

Jake

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Resending a toe tapper from the Olympics in China….the best part is that we just talked about how much she liked it when she saw this when she was a kid. She was laughing at herself and saying that she actually thought they made up and sang the song as a team (instead of lip syncing).

http://youtu.be/YPIA7mpm1wU

Maggie randomly requested to watch and listen to this one last night.

I was thinking afterwards how amazing it is that a silly song could bring together a little 7 year old and an Olympic swim team that was in China.

And this reminded me of a conversation I had once where someone smarter than me was explaining to me the power of music as a "universal language".

How true. Somehow it (maybe this song doesn’t quite reach out to everyone) reaches out to that part of all of us that is uniquely human. Created in a special way, for a special purpose.

Make it a great day.

Jake ​

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I know it’s not Father’s Day – but I think of this moment every time I watch the Olympics so I’m resending this daily attitude email from a few years ago.

Father’s Day Lookback: Derek Redmond 1992 | NBC Sports (youtube.com)

This is one of my favorite father-son moments from sports.

Derek Redmond is running the race of his life, on the grand stage of his sport and the unthinkable happens: he pulls a muscle and can’t finish the race.

As he hobbles along, trying to just cross the finish line his dad comes running out from the stands and helps him across the finish line.

Imagine what is going through his mind.

I can’t believe this happened.

I’ve wasted so many hours and years training.

I failed.

And then comes this loving gesture from his dad.

His dad swoops in and puts his arm around him and helps him across the finish line.

Together, they showed that sports are more than just winning and losing. More than an injury at the worst possible time. It was about the love of a father for his son.

I have been very blessed to have a father and father-in-law who have shown me this same love. I work to show my kids this same love every day.

Maybe we all can’t be fathers who run out on the track during the Olympics.

But we can all be that person to run in and put our arm around someone and show that we are there for them in their moment of pain and weakness.

We can be strong for someone we love.

We can inspire others to love and serve one another.

We all will struggle at one point or another. My sincerest hope is that we will all also have someone in our lives to run in, put their arm around us and help us across the finish line.

Make it a great day.

Jake

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We don’t stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing. – George Bernard Shaw

The Olympics have been a great reminder that it is fun to play.

We were designed to enjoy play and to have fun.

What could you do today to have fun?

What is something you could introduce into your life to get more playtime in?

Make it a great day.

Jake

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In order to understand the world, one has to turn away from it on occasion." [The Minotaur] Albert Camus, The Myth of Sisyphus and Other Essays

Introspection is another one of those tricky double edged swords in life.

I think of it like looking in a mirror.

If you dont take a few moments to look in the mirror before leaving for work in the morning, you might just show up disheveled.

But if you spend an hour in the morning staring into the mirror getting every piece of clothing on just right, you just missed an hour of your day.

We all need to take time to look honestly at the mirrors in our lives (our relationships, our bank accounts, the mirror, the scale) and make the necessary course corrections to get where we want to go. We need to deeply understand ourselves in order to make the most of our strengths in service to others.

But we need to spend more of our time focused outwardly. Looking for others in need of service, in need of the love and warmth that only we can bring.

We werent created for ourselves. We were created for service to others. We need to look inward to find out what kind of service, but we need to look out to serve.

Make it a great day.

Jake
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