Dear #Positivity Friends,

This month, I’m thinking about astronaut Neil Armstrong, who was born on August 5, 1930 and became the first person ever to walk on the moon. As part of NASA’s fabled Apollo space program and the commander of the Apollo 11 mission to the moon, on July 21, 1969, Armstrong was the first of his crew to venture outside the lunar landing module and set his big moon boot on the lunar surface.

Unless you were born in another galaxy, you know what happened next: With an estimated 500 million people watching the historic event as it was broadcast on live television, Armstrong famously said: “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.” What an incredible moment, huh?

Well, even with the overwhelming awe and pride Americans felt over his tremendous feat, it didn’t take Armstrong long to feel the wrath of the grammar police, who argued that the statement didn’t make sense as worded. Armstrong claimed he had said, “That’s one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind,” phrasing that would have improved the message considerably. But endless reviews of the audio revealed that no “a” was spoken and eventually Armstrong had to admit his mistake: “I blew the first words on the moon, didn’t I?”

The lesson for me is that there’s no dress rehearsal for the biggest moments in your life. So always be ready to put your best foot forward in word and deed because you never know when the whole world might be watching. Happy birthday, Neil Armstrong!

As always, I hope that you are enjoying my newsletter. If you miss any edition, you can find it on my website. Pass this newsletter along and encourage your family and friends to sign up.

With hope and positivity,

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#Positivity® Stories

Tortillas Save Lives!

Katie Asher Adlong of Amarillo, Texas had an unexpected visitor at her recent summer barbeque when she found an abandoned baby bird shivering in the grass in her backyard. Sensing the urgency of the situation, she warmed up a tortilla on the grill and used it to scoop up and swaddle the bird. After contacting the Wild West Wildlife Rehabilitation Center, she handed over the tiny bundle—tortilla and all—to the experts, who identified the bird as a Mississippi Kite. “Undoubtedly, it was an inventive method to keep the baby warm, and surprisingly, it was effective,” the wildlife center said in a Facebook post. Thanks to Adlong’s quick thinking, the bird now known as Taquito is alive (and warm!) and doing well.

On the Treetops

Visitors to the Blacklick Woods park in Reynoldsburg, Ohio have the opportunity to experience the park from a new vantage point. The Columbus Metro Parks system introduced a new Canopy Walk—a 35-foot-high walkway nestled among the trees. Featuring an eighth-of-a-mile boardwalk, an observation tower, a rope bridge, areas for bird watching, and play features for kids (including a fireman’s pole), the treetop walkway is accessed by a 72-step staircase or via elevator. Tim Maloney, executive director of Columbus Metro Parks, said of the construction: “There’s not a blueprint for something this unique and of such magnitude. We had to work closely with our design professionals and engineers to understand how to create such a structure while also preserving as much of the natural surroundings as possible.” All but the observation tower is accessible for visitors who have physical disabilities.

Use, Wash, Return, Repeat

Petaluma, California is a test location for the Reusable Cup Project, which aims to replace single-use cups with reusable cups. The goal of the project, headed by the NextGen Consortium in partnership with the City of Petaluma, is to help consumers develop a "return habit", which is a key component to the reuse movement to reduce landfill waste and pollution caused by single-use products. Over two dozen locations in the city—ranging from national chains like Starbucks, Target, and KFC to local restaurants and cafes—will offer bright purple reusable beverage cups to customers instead of the usual disposable cups. These cups may be used then dropped into one of the many purple return bins that have been placed all around town. The cups are collected, professionally washed and sanitized, and then returned into circulation at the participating businesses. There is no extra cost to the public—either the business or the customer—for the use of these reusable cups. Michael Kobori, Starbucks chief sustainability officer and a big project booster, “It takes an entire community to build the future of reuse that we want to see.”

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Tip of the Month

Be a contrarian! Go in the opposite direction of what is popular or trending in your business or field. This creates the opportunity to recognize potential where others can’t because they’re following the crowd.

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Think Again: The Power of Knowing What You Don’t Know by Adam Grant

Thinking and learning are ways of gaining intelligence, but what if rethinking and unlearning are just as important to the growth of our minds? We experience it every day as we use our knowledge to react to the people and events in our lives. What happens when things around you change and what you know is no longer true or applicable? Do you stick to your guns and try to prove you are right or do you rethink and unlearn what you thought you knew? Grant gives advice and examples of how to challenge yourself and others to let go of views that are no longer serving you well. He also encourages you to learn how to change what you know instead of holding steadfast to beliefs that can back you into a corner of inflexibility. Think Again shows how to expand your knowledge by opening your mind to new information.

If you like our #Positivity® Newsletter...You’ll ?Our Podcast, Common Denominator. Each week, I have inspiring conversations with great thinkers.

New Episode! Grit, Resilience & The American Dream with Kehinde Thomas

Kehinde Thomas started from humble beginnings, facing poverty and hunger in Nigeria. He came to America as an exchange student, seized his opportunity, and never looked back. Now, he encourages people to take risks and be bold in every aspect of their lives.

Listen Now

Catch up on previous episodes:

What David Meltzer Learned From Losing $100MM
How Kelly Roach Plans to Scale Her 6 Businesses to $100mm+
The Daily Routine you NEED to Become a Successful Leader with Moshe Popack

Listen to Common Denominator on Your Favorite Podcast App & YouTube

Spreading #Positivity^®

Thank you, readers, for sending us your photos with your comments. We are so excited that you are helping spread a positive message everywhere you go! Let’s keep spreading #Positivity^® together! Send us your photos and stories to info@moshepopack.com and include your name and social media handle. We will feature them in the next newsletter and on Facebook!