KIRO NEWSRADIO OPINION

Jake: The best advice I ever got from my grandfather, echoed by Tim Tebow

May 12, 2026, 10:59 AM

Tim Tebow attitude advice...

Sports broadcaster, Tim Tebow, looks on prior to a game. (Photo: Norm Hall, Getty Images)

(Photo: Norm Hall, Getty Images)

Someone asked me recently how I stay positive given everything going on in the world — especially living in Washington. The question caught me off guard. I’d never really thought about it, but the answer traces back to my grandpa.

This morning, Tim Tebow posted something on X that brought it all rushing back:

“Attitude is a choice. Gratitude is a discipline. Bitterness is expensive.”

Hard to argue with that

Here’s the memory it unlocked: after my grandpa passed — an illness that took him from us too soon — my mom and her siblings were helping my grandma clean out his office. On his desk, they found a handwritten note. A list of his priorities for the year. Near the top: have a top attitude.

That note has become a Skorheim family mantra. One I’m trying to pass down to my own sons.

It sounds like a magic trick, but it isn’t. You can literally decide what kind of life you want by choosing your attitude every single day. When you have a good attitude, and bad things happen, they just somehow don’t hit as hard. The older I get, the clearer this becomes: You can’t control what comes your way, but you can control your response.

Thanks for the reminder, Tim. And thanks, grandpa. Again, not the same person.

I’d love to connect and hear your thoughts. Follow me on X and Instagram.

Listen to “The Jake and Spike Show” weekdays from noon to 3 p.m. on KIRO Newsradio 97.3 FM. Subscribe to the podcast here.

KIRO Newsradio Opinion

mariners john stanton changes...

Ursula Reutin

Ursula: John Stanton is embarrassed. So what’s going to change?

Seattle Mariners chairman John Stanton expresses embarrassment. Ursula Reutin expanded on what changes lie ahead for the team and its fans.

10 hours ago

stolen excavator...

Gee Scott

Gee: Wait, what?! You’re selling a stolen excavator on Facebook Marketplace?

A stolen excavator listed for $24,000 on Facebook Marketplace caught its owner’s eye, and led Pierce County deputies straight to the seller.

12 hours ago

earthquake...

Ursula Reutin

Ursula: Tuesday’s earthquake is a reminder to prepare for ‘the big one’

Tuesday’s 4.2 magnitude earthquake near Gig Harbor was not “the big one.” But it was a reminder to prepare.

15 hours ago

RV encampment...

Jake Skorheim and Spike O'Neill Show

‘Kids or drug addicts?’: Jake and Spike blast Seattle’s response to Woodland Park RV encampment

KIRO hosts Jake and Spike question Seattle’s response to an RV encampment raising safety concerns for young runners at Woodland Park.

15 hours ago

seattle minimum wage...

Jake Skorheim

Jake: Seattle’s minimum wage is $22.14. The real minimum is zero

My first job paid about $5.50 an hour. It wasn't going to make me rich, and that wasn't the point. I was picking up skills I could trade for better pay later.

16 hours ago

governor bob ferguson chess...

Charlie Harger

Harger: Gov. Bob Ferguson is a two-time state chess champion. Washington politics is his board now

Governor Bob Ferguson is smart. You don't make the move from the King County Council to the attorney general's office to the governor's mansion without being smart, savvy, and strategic.

21 hours ago

Jake: The best advice I ever got from my grandfather, echoed by Tim Tebow