{"id":291,"date":"2021-09-10T00:36:30","date_gmt":"2021-09-10T00:36:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jjwpr.com\/blog\/?p=291"},"modified":"2021-09-10T00:36:30","modified_gmt":"2021-09-10T00:36:30","slug":"life-is-good-how-to-live-with-purpose-enjoy-the-ride","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jjwpr.com\/blog\/2021\/09\/10\/life-is-good-how-to-live-with-purpose-enjoy-the-ride\/","title":{"rendered":"Life Is Good: How To Live With Purpose & Enjoy The Ride!"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The authors of the Life Is Good book (and founders of the Life Is Good company), Bert and John Jacobs, grew up in my hometown of Needham.\u00a0 They lived across the street from the Cricket Playground where we spent summers playing kickball, singing silly songs, and playing games in the field house on rainy days.\u00a0 While I didn\u2019t know the whole family, I knew Bert, who was close to my age \u2013 and I knew they had a big family and came from rather humble beginnings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We all know what a great company Life Is Good (LIG) became, and many of us (myself included) own Life Is Good hats, t-shirts or other products sporting the image of \u201cJake\u201d with his infectious orange-slice smile.\u00a0 What a treat it was for me to read this book and learn the details behind the story of 2 college grads who sold t-shirts out of their van (named \u201cThe Enterprise\u201d) and grew LIG into a $100 million company!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Viewing this story through my professional lens, I am impressed by the mission of Life Is Good — \u201cto spread the power of optimism.\u201d\u00a0 What a refreshing change from all the negativity in the world right now.\u00a0 I was also struck how these brothers remained true to their values through the ups and downs of growing a business and created a corporate culture that many organizations would love to have.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reading this blog is no substitute for reading the book, but let me whet your appetite with an overview of their sage advice, linked to their \u201c10 superpowers\u201d:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  1. \u00a0Openness<\/strong>.\u00a0 Be open to new ideas and experiences; changing up your routine and your physical surroundings will open your mind to fresh perspectives.\u00a0 Adopt the rule of \u201cyes, and\u2026\u201d used by improv comedians.\u00a0 In short:\u00a0 when you are brainstorming and collaborating, accept and build on each other\u2019s ideas rather than \u201cbrainstomping\u201d<\/em> with the word \u201cno.\u201d<\/li>
  2. Courage<\/strong>.\u00a0 Challenges and adversity, self-doubt, skeptics \u2013 those barriers will always be there.\u00a0 Don\u2019t be afraid to fail forward,<\/em> then adjust and move on.\u00a0 Have the courage to try new things. \u00a0Heed hockey great Wayne Gretzky\u2019s advice:\u00a0 \u201cYou miss one hundred percent of the shots you don\u2019t take.\u201d<\/li>
  3. Simplicity<\/strong>.\u00a0 Say \u201cyes\u201d to the things that really matter <\/em>and \u201cno\u201d to the rest.\u00a0 Unplug.\u00a0 Hit the \u201creset button\u201d with yoga, meditation, fresh air, laughter and time with friends.\u00a0 When these two brothers found they were becoming slaves to email, they made the bold move of dropping their email accounts and letting their team at Life Is Good prioritize and summarize the most important communication for them.\u00a0 The result? Increased productivity and the freedom to focus on what is really important.<\/li>
  4. Humor<\/strong>.\u00a0 Humor is the great equalizer,<\/em> according to Bert and John, and they have all the right instincts when it comes to creating a fun, productive work environment at LIG.\u00a0 \u201cWhen management is willing to let their guard down and laugh openly, especially at themselves, it invites others to do the same,\u201d they said.\u00a0 Humor leads to more unity and productivity in the workplace\u2026and it is healthy to laugh!\u00a0 Bert and John tell a great story of landing the Galyan\u2019s account (later acquired by Dick\u2019s Sporting Goods) before they had money to \u201cwine and dine\u201d \u2013 so they invited the Galyan executives to their small Boston apartment for a Ragu and pasta dinner.\u00a0 In the end, it was the laughter around that dinner table that led to the long-term business relationship \u2013 and helped take the LIG brand national.<\/li>
  5. Gratitude<\/strong>.\u00a0 See the glass as half-full, not half-empty<\/em>.\u00a0 Being grateful is a mindset:\u00a0 change your mindset from \u201cI have to\u201d to \u201cI get to.\u201d\u00a0 It\u2019s no surprise that Thanksgiving is a favorite holiday of the Jacobs brothers, because it showcases the superpowers of simplicity, love, humor and gratitude \u2013 but their advice is, \u201cdon\u2019t limit gratitude to just one day.\u00a0 Take time every day to express your gratitude to others.\u201d<\/li>
  6. Fun<\/strong>.\u00a0 Bert and John point to Dr. Seuss as a great example of someone who brought the power of fun to the task of reading \u2013 and changed the lives of teachers, parents and students as a result. \u201cFun is not a dessert reserved for special occasions; it\u2019s a healthy party of the main course.\u201d\u00a0 The company commitment to fun resulted in the birth of their Life Is Good Festivals; their \u201cBackyard Athlete\u201d competition at Fenway Park (featuring games ranging from seed-spitting to Wiffle ball home run derby); and their partnership with Camp Sunshine, an organization that offers vacation retreats and other forms of support for sick children and their families.\u00a0 In 2006 on the Boston Common, LIG teamed up with Camp Sunshine to gather 30,128 pumpkins in one place \u2013 breaking a world record and raising over $500,000 for Camp Sunshine.<\/li>
  7. Compassion<\/strong>. Kids are the ultimate optimists and the inspiration for the LIG brand, so they are a natural fit for LIG\u2019s charitable giving \u2013 thus, the decision was made to donate 10% of the company\u2019s annual profits to helping kids in need.\u00a0 When friend Steve Gross started the nonprofit Project Joy, focusing on the social and emotional health of Boston\u2019s most vulnerable children, Bert and John were \u201cin.\u201d\u00a0 Eventually Project Joy pivoted to \u201chelping the helpers\u201d by providing training and care for frontline caregivers.\u00a0 The partnership grew tighter and eventually, the Life Is Good Kids Foundation absorbed Project Joy, renaming it The Playmakers and placing their offices in the center of LIG\u2019s headquarters in Boston.\u00a0 Two takeaways relative to compassion:\u00a0 1) compassion begins with kindness to yourself.\u00a0 2) Adopt a \u201cjust like me\u201d mindset to help break down barriers and find common ground and resolution.\u00a0<\/li>
  8. Creativity<\/strong>.\u00a0 According to Albert Einstein, \u201ccreativity is intelligence having fun.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0 Decorate your home or work space with colors that lift your mood and inventiveness (a favorite quote from the book: \u201cWho wouldn\u2019t cancel a full day with beige to go to a meeting with green or a party with yellow?\u201d.\u00a0 Physically explore your world to find inspiration \u2013 \u201cexploreate\u201d.\u00a0 Choose any subject you love \u2013 read about it, listen to information about it and do something related to that subject.\u00a0 Lastly, don\u2019t keep creativity to yourself \u2013 invite others to join you.\u00a0 Connect, collaborate and create.<\/li>
  9. Authenticity<\/strong>.\u00a0 \u201cBe yourself; everyone else is taken\u201d<\/em> (Oscar Wilde).\u00a0 Bert and John\u2019s definition of branding?\u00a0 \u201cKnow who you are and act like it.\u201d\u00a0 Understand that customers build your brand. \u201cIt\u2019s not rocket science; we listen and try to deliver what people want.\u201d\u00a0 When you screw up, admit it \u2013 people appreciate honesty.\u00a0 Don\u2019t be afraid to take a stand, or to make a decision based on what feels authentic to you.\u00a0 Tell your \u201cheritage story\u201d by sharing what\u2019s different and special about your company and your products; people appreciate companies, and individuals, that are real.<\/li>
  10. \u00a0Love<\/strong>.\u00a0 Bert and John compel us to \u201cspread love like peanut butter.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0 The more you share your love, the more you connect with the people you love and the richer your life will be.\u00a0 Think about the strength of love during the Boston Marathon bombings.\u00a0 As a direct reaction to that horrific act of hate in 2013, millions of people performed acts of love; and this inspired LIG to create their \u201cBOSTON:\u00a0 Nothing Is Stronger Than Love\u201d t-shirt.\u00a0 The Boston LOVE shirt became their best seller, generating over a half of a million dollars in profit (and in their own act of love, the company donated every penny to The One Fund, established to help the victims and their families).\u00a0<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    Here\u2019s a question:\u00a0 what superpowers do you have and which ones do you want to work on?\u00a0 For further inspiration, learn more about this innovative company and its founders at www.lifeisgood.com<\/a>.\u00a0 And for heaven\u2019s sake, read the book!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Robin Schell, APR, Fellow PRSA is Senior Counsel and Partner at Jackson Jackson & Wagner, a behavioral PR and management consulting firm based in the Seacoast. For more information about JJ&W, visit www.jjwpr.com or contact Robin at rschell@jjwpr.com.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    The authors of the Life Is Good book (and founders of the Life Is Good company), Bert and John Jacobs, grew up in my hometown of Needham.\u00a0 They lived across the street from the Cricket Playground where we spent summers playing kickball, singing silly songs, and playing games in the field house on rainy days.\u00a0 … <\/p>\n

    Read more “Life Is Good: How To Live With Purpose & Enjoy The Ride!”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":292,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-291","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-branding"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/jjwpr.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/291","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/jjwpr.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/jjwpr.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jjwpr.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jjwpr.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=291"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/jjwpr.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/291\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":293,"href":"https:\/\/jjwpr.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/291\/revisions\/293"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jjwpr.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/292"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/jjwpr.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=291"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jjwpr.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=291"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jjwpr.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=291"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}