Thinking Inside the Box

What's in Store

1. Quote of the Week

2. Fundraiser Spotlight

3. Something We Learned this Week

4. Monarx Update

5. Recommendation of the Week

Quote of the Week

Never skip a good habit twice.

Fundraiser Spotlight

Jimmy Tran

Race: Chicago Marathon 2024

Link to Donate: https://fundraisers.hakuapp.com/jimmy-tran

A note from Jimmy

I’m running the 2024 Chicago Marathon for Good Sports. They’re a charity who’s mission is to give kids in low-income community access to brand new sporting equipment and a chance to go out and play without any financial burden tied to their gear. I feel connected to the cause because I never had these barriers and I understood the impact sports and athletics has had on my life. I would love nothing more for the kids within these communities to have the same experiences I have had.

My relationship with running has a short tenure, but the reason why I fell in love with it was being able to push myself each and everyday after my lifts. After hearing a podcast with Nick Bare discussing running and lifting, I saw the benefits of doing both. I realized running and lifting complement each other and gives me an advantage in both aspects. Not to mention with running, the community it has given me ever since I moved to Houston, some of my closest friends I met through the local run clubs, so if I had to tell anyone.

GO RUN.

Something We Learned this Week

Lebron James has played against 35% of all players in NBA History

Monarx Update

On the social media front we’ve still been posting content on a regular daily basis. The consistency and discipline have started to pay off as a few of our posts have caught the instagram algorithm.

Our next step is to refine our messaging and content to consistently perform in the algorithm but also present authentically represent Monarx staying true to the original vision.

Recommendation of the Week

Beckham. A Netflix documentary on David Beckham’s personal life and his career as a player. Great stuff. Very well done.

https://www.netflix.com/title/81223488

"Thinking outside the box" is often hailed as the golden rule of creative problem-solving. However, I believe that true creative achievement lies in working within the box. This 'box' represents the constraints that bind projects and ideas. The real accomplishment is in adhering to these constraints while still fulfilling the initial promise. Without constraints, the field is open to limitless possibilities, making any achievement less remarkable. True creativity and quality are demonstrated when one delivers exceptional results within set limits.

Consider President John F. Kennedy's famous 1961 challenge to the United States Congress, aiming to land a man on the moon before the decade's end. The Apollo program's legacy is not just its lunar achievement, but also its adherence to this ambitious deadline.

Similarly, while modern eyes may see Stonehenge as merely an arrangement of stones, its construction around 2000 BC was a feat of engineering. The builders were constrained by their era's technological limits, yet they managed to transport and precisely align these stones with the solstices, an achievement that seems nearly miraculous by their standards.

Unlimited budgets, time, and resource make any achievement null and void. So when you are thinking about the constraints in your life don’t bitch, embrace them.

In these examples, the constraints themselves enhance the impressiveness of the achievements. If JFK had allowed an indefinite period for the moon landing, it would have lost its luster. Likewise, if Stonehenge were built today, it would likely be overlooked.

From this, we can extract two key insights. Firstly, our achievements are often measured against others' expectations, but we are most likely to reach the goals we set for ourselves. We stand out when we exceed our job descriptions, go the extra mile, and deliver more than what is expected, setting our bar just beyond the conventional standards.

Secondly, we should recognize the importance of context in our comparisons. For those embarking on new hobbies or ventures, comparing oneself to seasoned experts is not just unfair, it's counterproductive. While beginners may lack the finesse of experts, they should measure themselves against their peers and their own personal growth.

Embracing constraints rather than lamenting them unlocks the door to true creativity and achievement. This shifts the focus from what we lack to what we can accomplish with what we have. It encourages us to set realistic yet challenging goals, to innovate within our means, and to measure success not by external extravagance but by our ability to surpass expectations and grow within our boundaries. As we navigate through life's various 'boxes', let us remember that it's not the absence of constraints that defines our success, but our ability to flourish within them.