Impact Through Mojo
Savvy Saturdays (3/13/21)
Growing up, I always believed that in order to inspire & create impact, you had to be big or have a position of great power.
This seemed to be confirmed when I entered the entrepreneurial world—startups aiming for the goal of becoming $1 billion dollar unicorns, scaling up to have a widespread impact like Amazon, Lyft, Uber, Zoom, Airbnb, etc…
(Also, living in a place that quoted, “Everything is bigger and better in TEXAS!” probably didn’t help)
But that all changed after reading “Small Giants”, a book sharing how businesses and organizations choose to be great without becoming big.
These small businesses would be great through the concept of mojo.
Mojo is that feeling of something different in the air for a group or company—of being a part of something bigger than yourself.
Mojo is what I felt when I went to Trader’s Joes for the first time, a couple of months ago.
I felt special when I walked into the store—the interior design, the way the staff interacted, and the vibe of all the elements in the shop seemed to work together, capturing my heart.
It was a very warm feeling that I wouldn’t normally feel when I walk into other stores like Walmart, Costco, or HEB (it’s a Texas thing).
Each item, nook, and cranny of the store demonstrated a well-thought-out brand, that not only said it cared, but lived it out.
Being in a place that counted the cost to care even in the smallest ways brought an experience that I won’t ever forget.
That is the way of mojo—to impact others not by doing things that scale, but by caring and being real—things that may be more costly in order to impact the clients, stakeholders, and the community.
This mojo of care is what I strive for in what I do.
This doesn’t stop logistically doing things by scale or striving to be bigger.
But I am challenged to count the cost.
To recognize that there is no pre-requisite to impacting others’ lives,
Influence and impact can start now.
Questions to ponder: 🤔
Where have you felt mojo in your life? (organization, community, company, etc…)
What is one way you can start creating impact and influence on others now?
Weekly Housekeeping
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Here’s a testimony from last week’s newsletter, which made me very blessed 😭:
Eric is great 🤓 Also I’m introduced to new insights and philosophies that have practical or thoughtful applications
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Weekly Collections
A collection of resources for you to enjoy… 📰 🎬 🎙️
Creativerly by Philipp
Do you want a deep dive digest of creativity & productivity-boosting tools and resources, as well as insightful resources to impact your daily life? Creativerly does the job!
Philipp does an amazing job sharing things to equip you within the field of design and tech. With a mind in product, you can tell he cares not only about what he shares, but also how it’s delievered.
My favorite part of the newsletter is his section on Mental Wealth, as it’s packed with value. In his latest issue (pictured below), I enjoyed an article he shared about “Performative Positivity”, and an argument against optimism.
Check it out and subscribe!
(a sneak peek of what he provides)
200 Questions to get to know someone
I always love meeting new people and getting to know what they value or are impacted by. This article had a lot of great questions, covering 3 levels of depth:
My favorite ones were:
If you were forced to relive one 10-minute block of your life again and again for all eternity, what 10 minutes of your life would you choose?
and,
What are some of your personal “rules” that you never break?
Write Simply by Paul Graham
“I try to write using ordinary words and simple sentences.
That kind of writing is easier to read, and the easier something is to read, the more deeply readers will engage with it. The less energy they expend on your prose, the more they'll have left for your ideas.
And the further they'll read. Most readers' energy tends to flag part way through an article or essay. If the friction of reading is low enough, more keep going till the end.
…
It's too much to hope that writing could ever be pure ideas. You might not even want it to be. But for most writers, most of the time, that's the goal to aim for. The gap between most writing and pure ideas is not filled with poetry.
Plus it's more considerate to write simply. When you write in a fancy way to impress people, you're making them do extra work just so you can seem cool. It's like trailing a long train behind you that readers have to carry.”
Weekly Tidbits
Learnings, verses, & quotes to chew on… 🧐
Verse of the Week
“For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue,
and virtue with knowledge,
and knowledge with self-control,
and self-control with steadfastness,
and steadfastness with godliness,
and godliness with brotherly affection,
and brotherly affection with love.
For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
—2 Peter 1:5-8
Challenging Quote
“I don't trust people who don’t love themselves and tell me ‘I love you.’
There is an African saying which is: ‘Be careful when a naked person offers you a shirt.’”
—Maya Angelou
Weekly Highlights
Update for the busy… 🏃⏳⏰
Toned down the number of people I meet up with, and have better boundaries of time when to meet (so I don’t get rekt at work), but still taking the time to connect with new people weekly!
Got the covid vaccine! (I’m immunocompromised, which is why I got it so early)
Got 100+ followers on Twitter since I started being serious on Twitter!
Weekly Update
Personal life stuff… 🔔
Hello friends,
And to all the new people, welcome! Greetings from Austin! 👋 Let’s jump right in!
I’ve been enjoying Twitter as a side hustle! Being able to process ideas & share them with others has been fun!
Though I may not have a lot of engagement as others, it’s been fun the few times I do, and I recognize my journey is unique to others, so I try not to compare as I explore the medium.
Outside of my hustles, I’ve been spending time to rest & enjoy quality time with people in my life! It’s refreshing to disconnect from social media and not let work and my hustles (like this newsletter) consume my life.
Anyways, here are several pictures from this past week: 📷
Thanks for reading to the end! Always a blessing to share in life with y’all!
With that, stay safe 😷, keep it savvy 😎, and I’ll see y’all in the next update 😊
Eric
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