One Year In — Love Equals Effort
There was a time, you had to make an effort for everything you valued. The simpler times they call it and then the internet happened — sweeping us in like a tidal wave, redefining every aspect of our lives, and little by little before you knew it everything of essence had changed. It was advancement, no shit. But recently, I have been asking myself, had we reached yet another inflection point where something needed to change back?
We launched PostMoji exactly a year ago on the 31st of August, with a simple goal of giving the internet generation a more real way to express themselves and over that course, I think I stumbled upon the answer; but we’ll get to that in a bit.
The most interesting thing I discovered, which has lately become a driving force for all of us at the company is the impact a very simple thing like PostMoji can make. The difference it can create, the value it can add; the emotion it can spur. To be completely honest, I was surprised at the overwhelming stories coming our way.
So much so that even if the product being delivered was damaged in transit, nobody was complaining. It’s almost as if they didn’t care what condition it came in; it was only about the emotion it represented.
90% of all our users actually display their Moji as a constant reminder of that person/feeling. It’s a token of value, and while it was definitely designed to be that; I wasn’t expecting the sense of attachment it ended up creating.
I started the company as a project, a fun way to express but we quickly began to evolve beyond that. Did I expect people to like the idea? I did.
What I didn’t see coming was the amount of positivity, joy, cheer, love that we could actually spread with something so tiny and simple.
We’ve had a long distance marriage proposal happening via a Moji. We’ve welcomed babies into the world and we’ve made people suffering with mental illness feel inclusive. The range is tremendous, and it genuinely did make me wonder — How?
Stating the obvious, it was a gesture in the real world as opposed to a text message — which added a lot of value. But that wasn’t all. And I realized the magic lied in one word:
EFFORT. Somebody was actually taking the goddamn effort.
What technology did to our lives was made it effortless, but let’s take second to think about this — do we actually savor/cherish/value anything that we haven’t put any effort into?
Everybody is talking about how modern dating sucks; but guess what finding a date is as easy as ordering food. How would you value a relationship that you’ve literally put zero effort into? You always have to make an effort; but meh! Swipe left to that.
You know why Munnabhai was such a chilled out doctor? Because, he didn’t make any effort to be one. Work your butt off for something and you’d be afraid to lose it. (I guess the analogy works for every aspect in life)
A plate of food you traveled a distance for, would always taste better than anything you ordered home, because it’s simple:
Our mind is wired to acknowledge and celebrate effort. While our lifestyle isn’t wired to take any.
And that in my honest opinion elevated PostMoji from a simple postcard to a way of expression, we could make a real difference with. It’s heartfelt, it’s human and… receiving a surprise in your mail, that somebody took the effort to send you out of the blue. What do you live in the 90's? Nobody does that anymore!
It’s been extremely fulfilling to build something of value, creating a community (brick by brick) of people who are willing to take that little effort and look at the magic and connection we can create. .
But today I decided to write this not only because of PostMoji. Just the thought of how we’re turning into a generation that refuses to take an effort towards our most real relationships is quite gloomy. I do think it’s time for us to bring a little bit of the simpler times back to where technology has left us today.
So, PostMoji or not as we complete a year this was ‘Food For Thought’ I wanted to share, because while it’s a plain & simple business opportunity for us; I’ve realized that if each of us made an effort, we would genuinely live in a more positive and humane world. It’s surprising what a little bit of kindness, empathy and thought can do ❤
In the meanwhile, it’s still our Birthday and I’d like to thank pretty much everybody who has reached out to us over the year and given us so much love. Everybody who has helped shape the next steps of what’s to come and turn this mini project into a company I’m very proud to be associated with. We have a bunch of very exciting things lined up to be announced over the coming weeks (so stay tuned)
It’s overwhelming to know that we can make such a positive difference; but safe to say we’re just getting started.
Onwards & Upwards!
Laksh
Chief Ranter
PostMoji
