MOPO Mindset
Since 2010, Plainfield resident Oggy Brewer has been living by a motto that has steered his life, as well as his students’ lives, as a local teacher and coach — Max Out Pay Out (MOPO).
“It’s about maxing out the day. What do you want to accomplish? What do you want to get out of your day? And then what do we need to do to get there?” Brewer said. “The purpose behind MOPO is to look at my own life and make sure I’m living to my full potential and then share that encouragement with others.”
During the pandemic, Brewer wrote a book about MOPO, Max Out Pay Out: Living the MOPO Life. He’s always enjoyed sports and being active, so he reached out to high school and college basketball coaches, asking about the MOPO of their programs. In other words, how do they consistently encourage athletes to give their best performance in each and every practice and game?
“I accumulated all of the coaches’ remarks and put them in the book. That was a fun project for me,” Brewer said. “Then, I started thinking about my Tony Dungy desk calendar and how I had a son in college and would like to give him some daily wisdom. I created a MOPO desk calendar too.”
Most recently, Brewer came up with the idea to create an app that shares daily Christian wisdom, an encouraging thought for the day and a challenge to max out the day to accomplish as much as possible.
“I reached out to Shane Abrell, a computer science teacher at Plainfield High School, and asked him how I could go about this,” Brewer said. “It just so happened Shane was looking for a senior project for some of his seniors, and he connected me to Carter Benson to create the app.”
Abrell said his goal is to give seniors an opportunity to do “real-world” projects, including creating websites or apps, doing IT hardware repairs and more. It’s a great addition to college resumes and portfolios, and Brewer’s idea fit perfectly.
“Things like this can take 2 to 3 years to get dialed in,” Abrell said. “I think Carter did an amazing job, better than I thought possible, and I think Oggy agreed. With all the stuff out there on social media, it’s nice to have something with a positive vibe to it, and an app is accessible. I’ve had friends comment about reading the app while waiting for a doctor’s appointment or teachers using it with their students. The app reaches a much broader audience.”
For many, the project may seem daunting, but Benson was open to the challenge and appreciated the opportunity.
“This was a huge project, and I’ve never done one like it,” Benson said. “It’s the first opportunity I’ve had, and it’s really cool when you’ve created something that is now on the app store. There was some trial and error in the beginning, but once we got going, it took a few months to complete.”
Though Benson hadn’t heard of the MOPO motto previously, he now has a good understanding of what it means.
The app walks the user through a brief daily Bible verse, ideas on ways to max out your day and the payoff that results, along with a daily challenge such as “take a walk,” “jog on the treadmill” or “lift weights.”
It also encourages users to think through their daily “why.” What is motivating you today? What do you hope to accomplish?
“It’s a cool concept,” Benson said. “Just by reading the questions and quotes I input into the app, it’s taught me a lot of good things about life. It’s a good message to send to people of any age.”
As far as Benson’s role in the app creation, he said the impact the MOPO app could make didn’t really hit him until he saw it available on the App Store.
“I was busy trying to get it to function how Oggy wanted it to, so I don’t think I realized how cool it would be when it was finished,” Benson said.
For Brewer, he’s connecting with people more than ever before.
“I love it,” Brewer said. “I love knowing there’s a way to connect with people I don’t even know. I have random people text me for a calendar or the book, and I feel like MOPO just translates to all areas of your life. Whether it’s work, family, marriage, relationships or faith, in all areas you can evaluate yourself and ask what you want to get out of this. The app is just another way to get this message out there.”
Though he’s now reaching out to individuals and families across the world, Brewer can see the impact MOPO makes on his friends, family and students at home firsthand.
“At the beginning of the year, I give each of my students a MOPO bracelet, and I see them wearing them all the time,” Brewer said. “I might not see something every day, but every once in a while, something comes across my desk where a student has said, ‘I love MOPO-ing in Mr. Brewer’s class,’ and that’s the best part.”
He has a Facebook page that receives comments and questions from adults, and he’s invited to speak at various sports events and school-related activities too.
“I’ve probably done 25 different MOPO talks with sports teams across the state,” Brewer said. “Churches have invited me to speak, and it’s all about connecting with people. Carter did an excellent job, and now we’re reaching even further.”
For another daily reminder, MOPO gear such as T-shirts and hoodies is available on the app. Brewer’s book is available on Amazon, or reach out to him via social media or on his website at mopo4life.com to purchase the book or calendar directly.
