Paying It Forward

Today’s Topics

• Getting Your Mojo Back While Working From Home 🖲️

• The First Builders 🔨

  3 Mins Read Time

Getting Your Mojo Back While Working From Home 🖲️
By Jo

Working from home can quietly chip away at your sharpness. Those little steps you take in an office—the quick chats, the spontaneous brainstorms, the witty exchanges—they matter more than we realize. Over time, the lack of in-person interaction can dull your edge, especially if your role relies on collaborating across multiple teams.

I’ve noticed it myself: a little less wit, a little less spark. But I’m committed to getting my mojo back. The key is intentionality. Reaching out to colleagues, engaging in games or communicative activities, or simply creating spaces for connection—these deliberate steps keep your mind fresh and agile.

The Golden Rule: Greatness doesn’t come from isolation. It comes from practice, interaction, and the little moments that sharpen you. Don’t wait for your mojo to return on its own—go get it.

The First Builders 🔨

By Marcus

There was once a time when old money was new money—when a person or family found an opportunity and decided to do everything in their power to avoid financial struggle for the long term.

What’s interesting is that I’ve seen the results of people who have benefited from long-term generational planning. Maybe not everything was mapped out perfectly, but it worked. From the outside, it can appear they’re coasting through life. But in reality, that ability to coast was earned through the sacrifices and strategic planning of those before them.

One of my biggest challenges earlier in life—especially in college—was seeing people whose entire lives were sponsored. Car, rent, money, care packages… all normal for them.

For me, everything was my responsibility. I worked multiple jobs while being a full-time student. No financial support. No bailouts. It was frustrating to watch my peers have more free time and fully enjoy the “college experience.”

As I matured, I realized that many of my peers with a more “comfy” experience were simply the beneficiaries of first-, second-, or even third-generation sacrifices. Their freedom was built on foundations they didn’t create.

After years of, admittedly, being a hater, I came to recognize that in my family I was part of the second generation to attend college. But that’s where the planning ended.

For what I want to achieve, build and leave behind… I’ll be the first.

For Those Who Came Before

Depending on your background, your parents and elders—if they were present and supportive—could only take you so far. At some point, you become responsible for steering your own ship.

We all experience hardships in life. But if you can reduce or eliminate those hardships for future generations, why wouldn’t you? Yes, you may wear the struggles you’ve overcome as a badge of honor, but perseverance, resourcefulness, and grit can be learned in more ways than one.

Not everything needs to be: “Well, I struggled, so you should struggle the same way.” Why?

Next week, I’ll share a hypothetical 100-year plan. It’s food for thought, but if you’re interested in carving a path for the next generation, that one will be for you.

“For Those That Come After”

—Gustave, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33

Fall is on the way…