For October’s Monday Morning Mojo sharing, I am including three stories that inspired me last month.

The first centers on the retirement of Justin Verlander, the phenomenal 21-year Major League Baseball pitcher, who played for the Detroit Tigers for 13 years.

The second story comes from a podcast I listened to on the New Yorker Radio Hour that focused on crime and gun violence in the United States, and a story about one major city which has succeeded in fighting crime through community outreach.

The third is inspiration coming from citizen action. I was moved by the story coming out of Dubai and Israel, about how a group of airline passengers averted disaster by taking control of a violent pilot situation. Concerned citizen action is so important in addressing many of the problems we face in the world today. The story I have shared is about a US immigrant in Los Angeles who has taken it upon himself to clean the streets of Los Angeles.

Without further ado, let me share with you these three stories.

First up, Justin Verlander. I am sharing a video here of the moment he left the pitcher’s mound to retire, and I was reminded how I felt after stepping down from my role of 35 years at Ogilvy. Verlander spent 21 years in Major League Baseball, and he was celebrated by players, the umpire, fans and most importantly, his family. Thank you, Justin, for the memories.

Next up, I have included the 22-minute podcast I listened to between the fantastic New Yorker interviewer, David Remnick, and writer Malcolm Gladwell, author of the newly released book, “The American Way of Killing.” If you have the time, the podcast is here:

https://www.newyorker.com/video/watch/malcolm-gladwell-radio-hour-interview

Gladwell, in his book and podcast interview, highlights the great work being done by the city of Baltimore, historically viewed as a dangerous city, and the community outreach methods they use to combat violent crime. This story demonstrates that despite the complexity of problems we face in the world, there are solutions. Here’s more on what is happening in Baltimore.

The third inspirational story comes from a story about everyday citizen action, and how any one of us can contribute. Again, this story was motivated by the citizens who saved the distressed FlyDubai flight on its way to Tel Aviv and how passengers saved the plane from crashing.

The story below details how one person in Los Angeles took it upon himself to clean the streets of LA. I often think about how clean cities like Tokyo are, and how comfortable it makes you feel. If everyone did their share in cleaning up their environment, I am certain it would have an enormous positive uplift on citizens who live there and the overall reputation of the city. Here is how one citizen makes his contribution.

Thanks all for being part of this community. Congratulations Justin Verlander! Bravo city of Baltimore! Thank you for your contribution, Juan Naula.

Please think about what contribution you are prepared to make!

Onwards and upwards.