https://youtu.be/qOD9M95_fS0?si=BI-hOdyQelCAcrfu

Goodbye yesterday!

What a great message to start the year.

Learn from the past and then let it go.

Don’t let yourself dwell on it and dominate your thoughts.

In the Christian faith we have this idea that through Christ we become an entirely new person.

We renew our minds by letting the Holy Spirit rule over our thoughts.

We can say goodbye to the person we were yesterday.

Embrace this possibility for yourself.

Make it a great day.

Jake

Into each life some rain must fall. – Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Seems obvious. Life isn’t perfect. Bad stuff is going to and around us.

Some other obvious notes….

It’s not all rain. Good stuff can and does happen to and around us.

It’s usually temporary. Life ebbs and flows with both good and bad. All in their own season.

We can still have joy in the rain. It won’t be easy. It won’t be the same as the best day of your life. But joy can still be found.

Rain waters the plants. Growth comes from difficulty. Challenge creates character.

This is all easier said than done. One email from me won’t fix it or make it any easier for you or a loved one.

When it’s raining is a great time to find shelter. Friends, family, faith, a good book – ask for help and lean on others.

The rain will end. At some point, it will stop raining.

Make it a great day.

Jake

It is easier to prevent bad habits than to break them. – Benjamin Franklin

That would be a great new year’s resolution – don’t pick up any bad habits.

Probably something worth thinking about for a few minutes – how to avoid picking up bad habits.

Avoid hanging out with groups that have a habit you don’t want.

Avoid going to places where bad habits you don’t want get started.

Avoid thinking thoughts that could lead to bad habits.

Make it a great day.

Jake

You can’t expect to hit the jackpot if you don’t put a few nickels in the machine. – Flip Wilson

You’ve got to take some risks to get where you want to go.

I wish it wasn’t this way.

I wish there was some kind of gaurantee.

I wish it always worked out.

I wish life didn’t include heartache.

But it does.

More times than not, wise risks are rewarded.

More times than not, it’s better to step forward into the unknown.

More times than not, the risk is worth the reward.

Choose wisely, but take the chance.

Make it a great day.

Jake

Humility isn’t thinking less of yourself – it’s thinking of yourself less. – Rick Warren

Our pastor used this quote in church yesterday.

It was a great reminder of the real goal of humility.

It isn’t to be insecure and self conscious or to think little of ourselves.

It’s the opposite. To be so focused on loving others that we don’t have time to think of ourselves.

Goal for the week – stop thinking so much about myself!

Make it a great day.

Jake

https://youtu.be/btPJPFnesV4?si=MQXtT3Pg7z2I96ns

Eye of the Tiger – time to focus up to start off the year right.

Spend a few extra minutes tightening up those resolutions.

Put a little more clarity on each one.

Pick one or two to take higher priority.

Make them all SMART goals.

Share them with a friend/accountability partner.

Take that one extra focused step to make sure your dreams come true.

Make it a great day.

Jake

“Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference.” — Winston Churchill
Mornings are built on tiny choices—
your first words, your first click, your first thought.
Pick one small lever today:
Choose presence over pace.
Trade one scroll for ten minutes in a good book.
Speak a kind word before you open another app.
Do one task slowly and well.
Small choices compound.
And they change the feel of a whole day.
Bring steadiness, not noise, into the room.
Make it a great day.
Jake (aided by CoPilot – first time experiment….)

Seek the lofty by reading, hearing and seeing great work at some moment every day. – Thornton Wilder

Garbage in, garbage out.

You become what you consume.

We live in a day and age where we can consume almost anything we can think of.

Shows, movies, podcasts, YouTube, sportsing, social media….so much to occupy our time.

What if we pointed our attention to the "lofty" instead?

What if read meaningful books?

What if we viewed great works of art?

What if we read the Bible daily?

What if we listened to inspirational talks?

We choose what goes in. Choose wisely.

Make it a great day.

Jake

Wherever you go, no matter what the weather, always bring your own sunshine. – Anthony J. D’Angelo

Just got back from another trip with the family.

While it’s great to go and explore new things and places, it’s more important to bring your own sunshine.

The best vacation spot can be miserable with a bad attitude.

Digging a ditch in the rain can be great if you have the right attitude.

We get to choose our perspective. We can bring our own sunshine.

Make it a great day.

Jake

I’m not sure why, but I can’t believe how often I need to be reminded “It’s not about you!”

What if we looked at the New Year this way?

A year of “it’s not about me!”

Time to focus on others and how we can be of service.

A list of goals – not one of which is focused on me.

A “word of the year” that had nothing to do with me and where I wanted to go.

A SMART goal filter than included “is it about you? No seriously…is it?”

Ok, maybe that’s a little extreme. Maybe just one goal focused on others?

Make it a great day.

Jake