Choose Happy - Past State President John Jennings Motto
Current state president John Jenning's motto is Choose Happy - below are excerpts from his acceptance speech and from the State Convention banquet that conveys the message of what Choose Happy means to John - and to us all.
Acceptance Speech
Members all,
I thank each and every one of you for having the confidence in me to represent the state of Minnesota as your association president. I will do my best not to let any of you down. When I was elected district president, I was given some good advice by PSP Pat Wright, who told me to start getting ready for my year as president right away and think of something that I may want to change in our association.
I have had my motto picked since my second year as central district president. Figured out my pin design the same year. I have stood up and given remarks in front of the state delegation with my motto in mind for years. Then came 2020. Interestingly enough, the motto I have chosen seems to really fit nicely with what has gone on over the last 14 months. I have decided to take on as big of a task as I can possibly imagine, and that is to change people's mindsets. This motto is something I have to work on every hour of every day. Whether I’m talking or just observing. Moving or sitting still.
My motto is Choose Happy.
You see, happy is a choice. Finding the positive is a choice. There is a positive in the majority of life's dealings. For example:
I got so tired of hearing about politics and the media's view of science that i turned it off. That personally made me happy.
Couldn’t watch sports on TV? I went outside and started woodworking again. That made me happy.
I found that instead of just getting angry with people who disagreed with me on a certain topic, I asked them why they thought that way and tried to learn about their view. If I still disagreed, so be it, but I learned something through good conversation.
Folks, I am not kidding when I tell you that I have been working every day on this since the day my grandmother passed away in 2017. It was because of her that I chose this motto. I found her to be one of the finest human beings ever put on this planet and that it was about time I start acting like her. Kind, thoughtful, charitable, and a great listener. Always positive.
How does this motto tie with the Elks? Any of you who have heard me give a report in the last three years know:
You’re an elk. You are responsible for giving a homeless vet a roof over their head or thanking them for what they did for us.
You’re sending the youth who will lead us tomorrow to school with some money in their account.
You’re giving a kid whose family has no money a life changing trip and experience to the most beautiful piece of property in the state of Minnesota.
What in the hell do we have to be mad about when it comes to this order?
Hank said that Shirley cooks terrible chicken in your lodge kitchen? Who cares? Teach her how to cook it right. Jennifer doesn’t pour drinks strong enough? Buy two and call a cab. Something tells me that she did put an ounce in there. Don’t complain that Don doesn't work hard at your function? At least Don is there. Give him a job and I bet he will do it.
The club is only a fraction of what we do, but it causes the most drama and dare I say it is the number one reason that we lose members. Keep it positive in there. Or at the very least remove the negative from the room.
Now, I cannot guarantee thousands of new members or tens of thousands of dollars in the youth camp bank account. I can guarantee that you’ll get the best I got.
If you take a pin from me, I ask you commit to trying to choose happy. Some of us have an easier time with this and for some it will be a very difficult challenge. Ask me how I know.
In closing, when I became an elk 20 years ago, this day was never on my radar. I just wanted to volunteer some time because I didn’t have enough money to just write checks for charitable groups. Fast forward 20 years and I still don’t have enough money to write checks to charitable groups. I am however very humbled to be elected to this position and proud to represent the great state of Minnesota as your president. I look forward to learning from all of you and I look even more forward to hearing about situations where you chose happy.
Thank you.
John Jennings
Minnesota Elks State President
Members all,
I thank each and every one of you for having the confidence in me to represent the state of Minnesota as your association president. I will do my best not to let any of you down. When I was elected district president, I was given some good advice by PSP Pat Wright, who told me to start getting ready for my year as president right away and think of something that I may want to change in our association.
I have had my motto picked since my second year as central district president. Figured out my pin design the same year. I have stood up and given remarks in front of the state delegation with my motto in mind for years. Then came 2020. Interestingly enough, the motto I have chosen seems to really fit nicely with what has gone on over the last 14 months. I have decided to take on as big of a task as I can possibly imagine, and that is to change people's mindsets. This motto is something I have to work on every hour of every day. Whether I’m talking or just observing. Moving or sitting still.
My motto is Choose Happy.
You see, happy is a choice. Finding the positive is a choice. There is a positive in the majority of life's dealings. For example:
I got so tired of hearing about politics and the media's view of science that i turned it off. That personally made me happy.
Couldn’t watch sports on TV? I went outside and started woodworking again. That made me happy.
I found that instead of just getting angry with people who disagreed with me on a certain topic, I asked them why they thought that way and tried to learn about their view. If I still disagreed, so be it, but I learned something through good conversation.
Folks, I am not kidding when I tell you that I have been working every day on this since the day my grandmother passed away in 2017. It was because of her that I chose this motto. I found her to be one of the finest human beings ever put on this planet and that it was about time I start acting like her. Kind, thoughtful, charitable, and a great listener. Always positive.
How does this motto tie with the Elks? Any of you who have heard me give a report in the last three years know:
You’re an elk. You are responsible for giving a homeless vet a roof over their head or thanking them for what they did for us.
You’re sending the youth who will lead us tomorrow to school with some money in their account.
You’re giving a kid whose family has no money a life changing trip and experience to the most beautiful piece of property in the state of Minnesota.
What in the hell do we have to be mad about when it comes to this order?
Hank said that Shirley cooks terrible chicken in your lodge kitchen? Who cares? Teach her how to cook it right. Jennifer doesn’t pour drinks strong enough? Buy two and call a cab. Something tells me that she did put an ounce in there. Don’t complain that Don doesn't work hard at your function? At least Don is there. Give him a job and I bet he will do it.
The club is only a fraction of what we do, but it causes the most drama and dare I say it is the number one reason that we lose members. Keep it positive in there. Or at the very least remove the negative from the room.
Now, I cannot guarantee thousands of new members or tens of thousands of dollars in the youth camp bank account. I can guarantee that you’ll get the best I got.
If you take a pin from me, I ask you commit to trying to choose happy. Some of us have an easier time with this and for some it will be a very difficult challenge. Ask me how I know.
In closing, when I became an elk 20 years ago, this day was never on my radar. I just wanted to volunteer some time because I didn’t have enough money to just write checks for charitable groups. Fast forward 20 years and I still don’t have enough money to write checks to charitable groups. I am however very humbled to be elected to this position and proud to represent the great state of Minnesota as your president. I look forward to learning from all of you and I look even more forward to hearing about situations where you chose happy.
Thank you.
John Jennings
Minnesota Elks State President
Banquet Speech
My motto for my term as state president is choose happy.
When it comes to life or the benevolent and protective order of Elks, attitude is incredibly important. It has been said, and I wholeheartedly agree with this statement, that attitude is 10% about what happens to me in a certain situation, and 90% how I react to it.
Negative situations can have positive conclusions if you take a breath, think for 10 seconds, and choose happy.
And sometimes choosing happy may mean happy for the rest of the people in the club. Maybe it means telling an unruly member or officer that they are on probation until they can get their act together for the betterment of your club. Maybe choosing happy means thanking people who helped at a function by shaking their hand and telling them thanks to their face and in your newsletter instead of just giving them a drink ticket. Maybe it means that you go to a function where members cook and tell them its the best (insert food here) that you’ve ever had. Tell them the Elks is a better place because of their help. This goes for non members who help and support, too.
The marketing professional that spoke at mid year a few years back gave us the best advice we could ever ask for when it came to getting new people to join the elks. He said, “if you take care of your own, the problem takes care of itself.” In my opinion it all starts with choosing happy.
Thanks again for your support. Thank you to those who took on the role of state officers. I couldn’t be happier with the choices. Thank you to Willmar lodge for putting on a fantastic state convention. Thank you to Past Grand Exalted Ruler Rumney and Grand Exalted Ruler Ryan for their help and guidance throughout my journey to this chair. Thank you to all of the current and past grand lodge and state presidents and officers I have dealt with in my years as district president for being terrific to work with. Lastly, thank you to that damn George Lehn. Only the people who came to the central district meeting will get that one.
It is a privilege to be elected to serve this order and this state.
Thank you
John Jennings
MN Elks State President
My motto for my term as state president is choose happy.
When it comes to life or the benevolent and protective order of Elks, attitude is incredibly important. It has been said, and I wholeheartedly agree with this statement, that attitude is 10% about what happens to me in a certain situation, and 90% how I react to it.
Negative situations can have positive conclusions if you take a breath, think for 10 seconds, and choose happy.
And sometimes choosing happy may mean happy for the rest of the people in the club. Maybe it means telling an unruly member or officer that they are on probation until they can get their act together for the betterment of your club. Maybe choosing happy means thanking people who helped at a function by shaking their hand and telling them thanks to their face and in your newsletter instead of just giving them a drink ticket. Maybe it means that you go to a function where members cook and tell them its the best (insert food here) that you’ve ever had. Tell them the Elks is a better place because of their help. This goes for non members who help and support, too.
The marketing professional that spoke at mid year a few years back gave us the best advice we could ever ask for when it came to getting new people to join the elks. He said, “if you take care of your own, the problem takes care of itself.” In my opinion it all starts with choosing happy.
Thanks again for your support. Thank you to those who took on the role of state officers. I couldn’t be happier with the choices. Thank you to Willmar lodge for putting on a fantastic state convention. Thank you to Past Grand Exalted Ruler Rumney and Grand Exalted Ruler Ryan for their help and guidance throughout my journey to this chair. Thank you to all of the current and past grand lodge and state presidents and officers I have dealt with in my years as district president for being terrific to work with. Lastly, thank you to that damn George Lehn. Only the people who came to the central district meeting will get that one.
It is a privilege to be elected to serve this order and this state.
Thank you
John Jennings
MN Elks State President
