I am not going to lie; it has been difficult to find points of inspiration amidst much of what has happened in January. Beyond what is happening throughout the US and globally, we lost a few family members in January. My stepmother, and a regular Monday Morning Mojo reader, Peggy Kronick, passed away after years of dealing with a debilitating disease. And a very young, close family friend also passed. Both were wonderful people who added much color to my life and those around me. Apologies to begin with a downer, yet on a happier note, I encouraged my kids, family members and affected friends to celebrate the good times and great memories we have of both.

Inspired By Determination

In searching for inspiration, I asked Lisa what inspires her, and she said her mother (my mother-in-law), who is 84 years old and works on the health of her mind and memory every day. Here is a picture of Lisa’s mother below.

Superhuman Feats

Lisa and I were also most inspired by the Netflix-sponsored live event featuring free solo superstar Alex Honnold scaling the skyscraper Taipei 101 earlier in the month. On January 25, Honnold completed a free solo ascent of the Taipei 101 skyscraper in Taiwan, scaling the 1,667-foot (508 meters) structure without ropes or safety gear. He reached the top smoothly in approximately 1 hour and 31 minutes. Sharing below a short clip of Honnold’s feat.

Inspired By Sport

Those sports enthusiasts in our community who love great contests, emotional stories, wonderful sportsmanship and true feats of brilliance had plenty of material in January. The NCAA College Football Championship featuring Indiana University and the University of Miami was a fantastic game, made even better by the authentic quarterback for Indiana, Fernando Mendoza. Here’s an article in the New York Times about what makes him so special, thanks to my Ogilvy colleague, Simon Webb, for sharing. If you want to read the full article and can’t get beyond the paywall, just message me please and I will get this to you.

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6980666/2026/01/19/fernando-mendoza-indiana-postgame-interview-speech/

Personally, I saw a short clip that made me feel good after the American Football Conference Championship game. At the end of the New England Patriots vs. Denver Broncos game, Christian Elliss (Patriots) older brother of Jonah Elliss (Broncos), shared a moment. This was a nice storyline that helped put the whole game into the right perspective.

This year, the Australian Open certainly did not disappoint. Last Thursday, I began watching the Alcaraz–Zverev semi-final match at 7:30 pm. After nearly two hours, Carlos Alcaraz won the first two sets, and I figured it was close to over. I watched a quick show with Lisa following this, and one hour later, Zverev won the third set. I then watched the fourth set, which was a crazy battle and then the fifth and final set (at around 1:30 am), in which Alcaraz came from behind to win. What was amazing about this was the determination and fight of both competitors throughout more than a five-hour battle. The rallies were long, the serves were great, and the stamina of both was impressive. I was out of breath watching this. I really enjoyed getting to know Zverev, who is a diabetic, and loved how he responded to questions in the press conference. That interview is here if you have a moment to watch.

Quirky Inspiration

A final bit of quirky inspiration I learned about this month happened in 1982, when one truck driver from San Pedro, California, acted on an idea to attempt to fly while reclining on a lawn chair. “Lawn Chair” Larry Walters became an urban legend when he flew a homemade aircraft—composed of a patio chair and 42 helium-filled weather balloons—to an altitude of 16,000 feet over Los Angeles. Walters didn’t expect it to fly as high as it did (he expected it to go no higher than 100 feet), and he had to bring it down by using a pellet gun to shoot some of the balloons. He survived the flight, and it became an inspiration for a movie. Here’s a clip detailing his trip if you have the time.

In recognition of “Lawn Chair” Larry, I am ending this Monday Morning Mojo with some music I always liked but did not know the story behind. This song, “99 Luftballons” by Nena from 1983, is a German anti-war protest song which became a global phenomenon, famously reaching No. 2 on the US Billboard Hot 100 despite being sung in German. The lyrics describe 99 balloons mistaken for UFOs by military radars, triggering a 99-year nuclear war that leaves the world in ruins. While the topic is horrifying, the fact that this song was popular more than 40 years ago and we are all still here gives me hope. Here is the English version.

Wishing you all a great month ahead.