By: Mo Lidsky
Exactly one year ago inspired by my friend Allen Lau, I embarked on a little experiment. I decided to pen a daily missive to my team at 5:30am each morning – the Morning Mojo. These writings, raw and unstructured, were a true reflection of my morning musings. Due to our rapid team growth, I can no longer spend the desired one-on-one time with most people. As such, this became my way of connecting with each of my colleagues daily, sharing my curiosities and confusions, my highs and lows, some painful learnings, and new or exciting epiphanies.
As I reflect on my year and sift through some 300 mojos, the dominant theme is the simple idea that the best investment any of us can make is likely in ourselves. Our personal growth will often have the most powerful reverberations in our businesses, families, communities, and within ourselves.
In that light, I want to share a handful of snippets from 10 of these mojos, hoping they can offer you as much help as they’ve offered me. May these ideas spill into your New Year, reminding you how powerful and capable you are and how much the world desperately needs you, your unique gifts, and your love!
Here we go…
1. The stories we tell shape our reality. Henry Ford joked, “Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t – you’re right.” Our mindset drives our outcomes. Shifting from a fixed to a growth mindset rewrites the narratives we tell ourselves and unlocks new possibilities. Deep reflection allows us to question these narratives and clarify our purpose. Likewise, fostering courageous conversations where we call out our blind spots and offer candid feedback drives our growth. Changing the story we tell ourselves isn’t easy, but it’s where real breakthroughs happen.
2. Stretch goals + struggles = growth. Aiming big (and I mean really big!) isn’t so much about achievement as it is about evolution. Alan Patricof’s audacious mantra of “aiming for the moon, because even if you miss, you land among the stars” inspired me to look beyond my comfort zone. Like the butterfly fighting its cocoon, struggle builds the wings we need to fly. Struggle isn’t a bug in the system. This primary feature makes us stronger, sharper, and ready for whatever’s next. Aiming for ambitious goals, even those that seem out of reach, forces us to stretch and grow in unexpected ways.
3. Big wins begin with small steps. Progress doesn’t come with a marching band. It sneaks in through small, deliberate steps. Just as every snowman starts with a handful of snow, breaking big goals into small, actionable steps is critical to building momentum and confidence. Action begets energy, and energy fuels inspiration. Little victories keep us moving forward, and celebrating them energizes our continued growth. Regular reflections on these milestones allow us to appreciate progress, recalibrate, and strive toward even greater achievements.
4. Our schedule reflects our values. It’s been said that if you want to know what matters to someone, look at their calendar. Time is the great truth-teller. How we spend it reveals our priorities and how we think about our ambitions, our relationships, our health, and our growth. As the Dalai Lama observed, people often sacrifice time and health for money, only to later sacrifice money to regain health and time. As time is our only non-renewable resource, so we need to take extra care to spend it in alignment with the life we want to lead.
5. Presence turns the mundane into the magical. Think about the last time you gave someone your full emotional and mental attention. When I put aside my phone during bedtime with my kids, they started welcoming bedtime (instead of running away from it). Presence transforms even the simplest moments into something extraordinary. Exceptional conversationalists like Oprah don’t just engage in dialogue. They go “all-in” on the moment. Whether it’s a meeting, family time, or a project, investing in presence enriches every aspect of life and our relationships.
6. Emotional intelligence is our superpower. EQ isn’t just a corporate buzzword. It’s what makes us human. Misunderstandings are often just a sign of emotional or empathetic blind spots. The difference between harmony and chaos may just be the inability to step into each other’s shoes. And let’s not forget self-acceptance. EQ often starts with cutting ourselves some slack and recognizing that our imperfections are a function of our humanity. Self-compassion isn’t a sign of weakness. It’s the foundation for growth by casting aside what we can’t control to focus on what we can.
7. Greatness is anchored by humility and curiosity. Far more damage has been done with unwarranted confidence than with unwarranted humility. Humility frees us from self-importance and opens us to learning, connecting, serving, and continuously improving. Similarly, employing curiosity and asking deeper questions unlocks better insights and stronger relationships, and supports our growth. As Clayton Christensen said, “Questions are places in your mind where answers fit.” Ask more of them.
8. Love is our most precious resource. When a student asked Warren Buffett about what his measure of life success would be, Buffett answered, “when the people that you love, actually love you back”. Only this year did I realize how many of us struggle to give love or let love in, be it from others or even from ourselves. Whether it’s due to vulnerability, self-worth, or any other issues, overcoming these barriers changes everything. Because, in the end, love is all there really is.
9. The quality of our relationships dictates the quality of our lives. Rich, stable, longstanding relationships are both mirrors and amplifiers. They’re mirrors that remind us who we are and how far we’ve come. And they are amplifiers because, like the analogy of Belgian horses pulling exponentially more together than alone, the impact of fulfilling relationships is exponential. When we nurture our relationships properly, they are enduring wellsprings of inspiration and support. When we fail to do so, they can be unending sources of pain and suffering.
10. The inner scorecard matters most. We’ve all seen people chase outward success at the expense of their ethics, principles, and purpose. The result is rarely positive. True fulfillment comes from living in alignment with our values. External achievements are hollow without an inner sense of integrity and self-mastery. Self-mastery cannot be bought, rushed, or inherited. It’s earned through consistent effort, transforming us into stronger, more fulfilled individuals.
As we look ahead, let’s embrace these lessons and reinvest in ourselves to ensure that we cultivate our presence, humility, EQ, and curiosity. Let’s embrace discomfort, fight for our time, commit to self-mastery, and invest heavily in the relationships that matter most.
As we step into 2025, let’s renew our commitment to becoming the very best versions of ourselves. Everything inside and outside of us is calling for it, and the time is now!
With every best wish for an inspired New Year.
Mo
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