Lord, make me an instrument of your peace:

where there is hatred, let me sow love;

where there is injury, pardon;

where there is doubt, faith;

where there is despair, hope;

where there is darkness, light;

where there is sadness, joy.

O divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek

to be consoled as to console,

to be understood as to understand,

to be loved as to love.

For it is in giving that we receive,

it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,

and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

Amen.

Prayer of St. Francis

Wow. The world sure needs this right now.

The level of maturity required to live this out is beyond me most days, but it’s still worth trying.

Even if we just got one or two of these right today the world would be a better place.

Pick a couple to work on this week. Watch what God does with your step of faith.

Make it a great day.

Jake

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In Earl Nightingale’s “Direct Line” he explains how to increase our income.

He explains that other people are in possession of all the income we want, we must simply find a way to earn it.

After listening to this for the 10th+ time, a light bulb went off for me (I’m a little slow). The same rule applies to a lot of the other areas of life where we are looking for something that others have.

Whether it be love, friendship, knowledge, companionship, respect….we must earn it.

And like money, when we don’t first earn it, it doesn’t stay around long.

We have all heard the stories of the lottery winner or professional athlete that has lost their millions and now is filing bankruptcy.

The same is true elsewhere. If we want something of value, we must earn it. Otherwise it probably won’t be around for long.

Is there something in your life you have been looking for that you haven’t earned yet?

What step can you take today to start earning that which you desire?

Make it a great day.

Jake

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Of all duties, prayer certainly is the sweetest and most easy. – Laurence Sterne

Sure wish it felt easier, but prayer is definitely a positive in my life.

Any time I can force myself to quiet down long enough to think more slowly, talk to God and try to focus on someone else I feel better after.

It’s easy to run from task to task, activity to activity. Not slowing down enough for prayer.

Make some time to pray today.

Make it a great day.

Jake

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Spent a lot of time on the golf course this weekend. Here’s one of my favorite movies scenes from Bagger Vance.

Rannulph Junuh: You really love this game, don’t you?

Hardy Greaves: It’s the greatest game there is.

Rannulph Junuh: You really think so?

Hardy Greaves: Ask anybody. It’s fun. It’s hard and you stand out there on that green, green grass, and it’s just you and the ball and there ain’t nobody to beat up on but yourself; just like Mister Newnan keeps hittin’ himself with the golf club every time he gets angry. He’s broken his toe three times on account of it. It’s the only game I know that you can call a penalty on yourself, if you’re honest, which most people are. There just ain’t no other game like it.

This back and forth from “The Legend of Bagger Vance” is one of my favorites.

I’ve tried to play a little more golf this summer and it’s been a great reminder of the value of doing something fun (and difficult).

Golf is a great place to practice and live out some great life lessons….

You can hit a great shot, but end up in a poor spot – life’s not fair.

Your score and your integrity matter.

Green grass, fresh air and trees blowing in the wind are good for the soul.

Life is best when done with good friends.

Make it a great day.

Jake

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https://youtu.be/JiwvcnikYKs

Good one to get you started today.

Make it a great day.

Jake

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Laughter is the closest distance between two people. – Victor Borge

Goal for today. Laugh more.

A lot even.

Laugh enough today that somebody asks “what’s so funny?” And then tell them so they can laugh too.

Watch this to get you started:

https://youtu.be/ydAyvvDQrgY

Make it a great day.

Jake

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Your life becomes meaningful in precise proportion to the depts of the responsibility you are willing to shoulder. – Jordan Peterson

We were built to seek out and find meaning in our lives. Some fall victim to trying to find it where it can’t be found: stuff, money, food, drugs, alcohol, etc.

Real meaning in our lives comes through the hard stuff: responsibility, love, relationship, humility, service, etc.

Where are you looking for meaning in your life?

What are you doing today to move closer to more and deeper meaning?

Make it a great day.

Jake

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You have succeeded in life when all you really want is only what you really need. – Vernon Howard

I recently read a book on minimalism and came away with a similar thought to the one above.

If we have and want less material stuff we can focus and enjoy the rest of life much more.

We’ve been well trained to want stuff. To hunt for it. To read reviews and compare options. To see what others are doing and wearing and making sure we aren’t falling behind or standing out by not being with it.

What’s one thing you could stop wanting that would lead to more joy?

What occupies to big a place in your thoughts and desires?

Make it a great day.

Jake

PS – For those of us who are Christians there is another layer to this. A Christian has succeeded in life when all they really want is only what God wants for and through them. I think the quote above lines up well here too. God wants you to have what you need. And to live life abundantly. He also wants stuff to be in its proper place – after Him, your spouse, your family, your contribution to others, etc.

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I slept and dreamt that life was joy. I awoke and saw that life was service. I acted and behold, service was joy. – Rabindranath Tagore

Friendly reminder to start the week – the goal is to be of service (with love).

Opportunities abound.

Make it a great day.

Jake

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https://youtu.be/Kwf7P2GNAVw

Figured a Taylor Swift was a good choice this week in honor of Maggie’s birthday.

This one has some of my favorite lyrics in it:

The whole school is rolling fake dice

You play stupid games, you win stupid prizes

She often does a great job of capturing the feelings of what I would call “teenage angst”. That uneasy feeling of growing up and finding your way in the world.

These lyrics remind me that a lot of are still playing some stupid games for stupid prizes.

We compare ourselves to others and let our level of happiness be determined by how we compare to someone else (often to their “highlight reel on social media”).

We try to win the busy game, always making sure we are busy, busy, busy so next time someone asks we can tell how we are soooooooo busy.

We buy stuff we need to impress others while we spend all our time managing all the stuff we already have.

We let what other people might think get in the way of authentic relationships.

Be careful not to fall into the trap of playing stupid games for stupid prizes.

Make it a great day.

Jake

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