What the heck is mojo and why would you want it?
When we say mojo we mean your unique combination of heart and spark, or your muchness.
In Tim Burton’s version of Alice in Wonderland, there was moment when the Mad Hatter (played by Jonny Depp) saw Alice upon her return to Wonderland and said, "Alice you're different. You've lost your muchness, you use to be much more muchier!”
It's a great line. Can you relate?
Do you ever feel like you’ve lost your muchness? Or as we would say, your mojo? Do you feel like you:
· Have the great job, the relationship, the kids, but think “is this all there is?”
· Have long forgotten, or let go of, what you were passionate about?
· Work hard to make things perfect, but even then it’s not enough?
· Wonder why, even when you achieve your goals, happiness is fleeting?
Often this results in depression, low energy, anxiety or chronic health issues such as neck or back pain, headaches or stiffness.
In contrast, just today I was up skiing on Whitefish Mountain, when a little boy, about seven years old, and I think his little sister, about five years old, came by me, flying down the mountain. They zigged and zagged and even caught air as they came out of the trees. I thought, “Wow!”
They weren't scared. They weren't paying any attention to who was watching. They weren’t trying to impress or break any records.
The boy took a fall. His sister stopped beside him. They laughed. He got back up, and then they raced off to the chair lift for another run.
That, my friend, is full-on muchness, mojo.
Mojo is having fun without fear, without any need to impress, to achieve, to do something perfectly or hit a certain standard. I have no doubt you have experienced that feeling at least once in your life.
Yet, often along the journey of life you grow up and become responsible: get a job, get married and possibly have kids. Your muchness somehow fades until you reach a point and wonder - did I ever really have it?
How People Wake Up
You go about your life, and think, well I guess this is just what being a grown up is about.
Until a crisis occurs, you:
· Encounter a health challenge
· Lose your job
· Are faced with a divorce
· Have a child that is different
What was normal no longer exists. You find yourself on shaky ground. The veneer of your ideal, or perfect life cracks. Suddenly, what felt like the right thing to do no longer works.
You wake up to the incongruence in your life. You wonder how did I get here? This is your soul calling you to remember your muchness, to connect to your mojo!
Sometimes people don’t bump into a crisis. Instead, you wake up slowly to a sense of emptiness or dis-ease in yourself and your life. Something doesn’t feel quite right anymore, or there’s a pressure from within that shakes things up.
Yes, that too is a call from your soul to access your muchness - to find your mojo.
Finding Your Mojo
So how do you find your mojo?
Sometimes people confuse mojo with greatness.
Don't.
Too much of life is about playing to the audience, climbing the ladder or looking good. People get so caught up in achieving goals, being the great parent, the perfect spouse, or the top employee.
Mojo is not any of that.
People often mistake mojo for genius, greatness or wow. It’s not.
Mojo is not for the outside.
Mojo is for your inside.
Mojo is whatever sparks you and brings you joy.
Mojo is your special sauce.
You shine when you are in your mojo, and like those kids skiing down the mountain and having fun, when you’re in your mojo you may not even be aware of how you much you shine. It’s because you are connected to you, your heart, your soul, and not concerned with how good you are or what people think of you.
Meet Amy
I have client, Amy, who’s 42 years old, has a great business, is married with kids, and active in her community. She came to me because even though her life looked good on the outside, she had a nagging sense of emptiness. She loved her kids and husband, yet she wasn’t really happy.
Amy felt horrible about complaining, because she knew, all things considered, she had a life others would envy.
As we worked together, it became clear that one of her passions was dance and movement. Now, let me be clear, Amy was not ‘a dancer.” No. She just loved to move her body to music.
When I discovered this, I invited her to integrate some form of dance in her daily life. Her response was swift and determined, “I don’t have time! I get up early, take the kids to school, work late, and get home and make dinner. I’ve exhausted at the end of the day. Where am I going to fit in a dance class?! Plus, it’s a stupid idea.”
We did some work to loosen her beliefs, and as she opened to the idea she decided to join an evening dance class. She came alive! The class was hip-hop group that worked for months to get to the point of a one-time performance. Soon it was easy to get to class.
The troop performed. Amy, not the best dancer, was positioned safely in the back row. No one asked for her autograph after the show. However, Amy loved every minute of the experience! She was smiling the entire day. She was radiating joy, making her a magnet for people to connect to her.
She was tapping into her mojo. It didn’t matter how “good” she was. She was having a blast! Not just for the show but for the entire six-month process.
As we worked together, Amy began making her joy important because she saw the impact on the rest of her life. She found evidence that her being in her joy didn’t take away from her family or ability to get stuff done. No. As a matter of fact, it made everything easier!
Amy was able to identify that during that six months, the connection and passion with her husband increased and her kids told her, “You’re more fun Mom!” She found herself trying new recipes for dinner and wasn’t concerned when some were not so well received.
Even at work, people commented on her more relaxed confidence. Finding her mojo and enjoying that inner shine wasn’t competing with or ruining the rest of her life! It was helping it.
The truth is, your mojo may have nothing to do with how you make a living or how you help and support your community. Your Mojo has everything to do with your heart and your spark. Adding heart and spark to anything is the magic ingredient that turns your life on!
How You Can Find Your Mojo!
Your mojo is that gentle nudge that calls you to do something outside of what you’re “supposed” to do. Instead, it’s what you “long” to do.
Breath is one great way to wake up your mojo.
Take time each day to breathe deeply for 5-10 minutes. You don’t have to make this a serious business. Just a conscious willingness to breathe, lie down and breathe, sit cross-legged and breathe, shake and wiggle and breathe! Find your own sweet spot and breathe. I think you are getting the message – breathe!
Once you drop into your body and feel the fullness of your being in this physical form, pause and listen. Yes. It takes a willingness to engage your body, emotions, sensations, spirit, and mind. That combination will invite your soul to speak.
Sometimes it makes no sense. But listen. Breathe and let that whisper in.
Maybe it's taking the stage for community theater as CrisMarie has, or like me, some odd desire to go play with horses. Maybe it’s taking hip-hop classes or taking up salsa dancing like Amy, or learning to play the drums, joining a book club or a choir.
There are so many possibilities. The thing about finding your mojo, is that it might be something you have known for a long time, yet never let yourself act on. It might take some experimenting by trying a number of new and different nudges.
The key is letting yourself listen and play!
Your mojo is calling and if you listen, you’ll find your mojo and your muchness!
If you struggle on your own and want to join some other mojo seekers, we are starting our three day in person workshop: Find Your Mojo in Montana on May 19-21, 2017. We’ll have you working with a horse, which is an amazing mirror to help you access your authentic self quickly and easily. We’ll help your tap your creativity through your mind-body connection, and you’ll have loads of fun along the way!
You can learn more about it, and our other programs: Build Your Mojo and Ignite Your Relationship Mojo at www.thriveinc.com/programs. Feel free to contact us at thrive@thriveinc.com or give us a call 406.730.2710.
Come play with the horses and us and Find Your Mojo in Montana!
CrisMarie Campbell and Susan Clarke are Master certified life coaches, business consultants, speakers and authors of The Beauty of Conflict. They believe real relationships are the key to creating great business results. They’ll take your team from mediocre to great.
Interested in coaching? Check out CrisMarie’s executive coaching and personal coaching, or Susan’s personal coaching and equus coaching.
Want to take a class? Sign up for one of their virtual classes: Get Unstuck, Relationship Mojo or come to their signature retreat Find Your Mojo in Montana. Click here to check out all their service offerings.
Click here to contact them to coach with you, consult with your team, or speak at your next event.