Unconcious Inspiration
Savvy Saturdays - 9/12/20
Hello friends,
Greetings from Austin!👋
I watched a video recently called “The Genius of Phineas and Ferb’s Ending” that covered Phineas and Ferb, a tv show I really enjoyed during my middle/high school years, and I was inspired by it.
If you don’t know, Phineas and Ferb is a Disney show where two bored genius brothers think of crazy inventions during the summer and actually execute them while their sister, Candace, attempts to bust them to their mom.
Here’s the theme song if you’re interested in getting a small gist of it:
Personally I loved the show as I thought it was quirky, nerdy, and well-executed, and had a great parallel plot involving Perry the Platypus & Dr. Doofenshmirtz the local evil dad.
Anyways, I was captivated by this video, not because of the genius of the ending, nor cause of the nostalgic throwback (though I enjoyed both of those), but because their sister inspired the boys to create their inventions through her offhand comments.
You can watch the quoted segment below:
“I find the idea that Candace keeps inspiring the kid’s inventions based on her throwaway comments like sky high or out of this world really interesting.
These are the creations Candace is trying with all her efforts to get the kids in trouble for, but they wouldn't have even been made if it wasn't for her in the first place…
If in a mere throwaway comment she can bring about the completion of an awe-inspiring project who knows what she could accomplish if she refocused herself.”
The idea that inspiration from a few unintentional words is powerful.
It reminds me of many bible verses that refer to the power of words from the tongue:
“The soothing tongue is a tree of life, but a perverse tongue crushes the spirit.”
(Proverbs 15:4)“Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits.”
(Proverbs 18:21)“So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things. How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire!”
(James 3:5)
There have been many people who have inspired me through their words of encouragement. Words that motivated me to pursue coding, enter into entrepreneurship, and serve as a leader in my church.
There have also been others who have put me down. The most toxic coming from myself. Words that made me doubt myself, question my motivations and heighten my anxiety.
It makes me wonder how have I inspired others, positively or negatively, with my words?
How can I filter what I say to not only better others’ lives, but also my own?
Ultimately, our words have an impact.
They can have a ripple effect on other’s lives.
They can plant seeds of motivation or destruction.
How will you inspire others with your words?
Thanks for checking in on my update!
I’ve been a bit slow in transitioning my newsletter to private, as I’m trying to fill out the content for the public newsletter. You can check out the progress here (savvysaturdays.substack.com).
Hopefully, by next week, if not the end of the month, it’ll be privatized.🕵️
That aside, I’ve added some tweaks to my website to try and make it more modern.
The goal is to remove the navigation bar on top and blend it in with the black background.
(Unfortunately, I still work on it during ungodly hours…)
Anyways, here are pictures from the past week, with a lot of social distancing and late nights 😷:
(we had a backyard picnic with the pastor & leaders of the church. Thanks for hosting us Pastor Ben! 🧺)
(went to Ikea in order to get some furniture for our Life Group’s covenant item - essentially an item to symbolize our identity 😄)
(dinner with the roomies - we do a cooking rotation system where a roomie cooks dinner each day, and man, the meals have been fire 🔥)
(our apartment’s fire alarm went off at 3:30 AM, so we had to yeet out while half dazed. We spent 30 mins in the cold before we could go back into the comforts of our beds 🚒)
(social distance Insomnia cookies after our first ACCESS college gathering 🍪)
Thanks again for checking in. Please stay safe, keep it savvy, and I’ll see y’all in the next update 😊
Weekly Collections
Faith
They were searching for glory, but not the glory of God.
“Because Saul feared man more than God, he set himself against God, and nothing could be more deranged or dangerous than making war with God.
We must find our refuge, not in the praise and approval of one another, but in the arms and heart of heaven. And we must fear him more than we fear them.
The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life,
that one may turn away from the snares of death. (Proverbs 14:27)
The fears are many and varied that lead to death, but one fear is a deep and overflowing fountain of security, stability, and joy. The fear of the Lord is the only fear that breeds peace, and not just any peace, but a peace that surpasses all of our meager ideas of peace (Philippians 4:7).”
—Fear Your Fear of Man | DesiringGod
Entrepreneurship
—5 tips to follow when you’re building a new product | Noah Kagan
Productivity
—Productivity & Growth | Adam Grant
Weekly Reflections
Verse to Ponder
“So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind.”
—Philippians 2:1-2
Challenging Quote
"Giants are not what we think they are. The same qualities that appear to give them strength are often the sources of great weakness."
—Malcolm Gladwell
If you guys have found the newsletter to be helpful, I would love to hear from you on what’s been good, any suggestions for improvement, and anything else you’d like to see!
Please don’t be shy to let me know and thanks in advance!