Help! Has anyone seen my mojo?!
OMG – where did my mojo go?
Now I think about it, where does the word ‘mojo’ come from?
The Merriam-Webster online dictionary describes it thus: “Definition of mojo: a magic spell, hex, or charm”
The Urban Dictionary goes into more detail:
“Mojo is a noun originally used to mean a magic charm or spell or an amulet, often in the form of a small bag containing magic items worn by adherents of hoodoo or voodoo, or it could mean a quality or some ability that brings good luck or helps you be good at something. Originally from the US and associated with the music and dance culture, it has entered the English language and has also taken on an additional meaning of personal confidence and charisma with regard to sexual relationships.
The word Mojo itself probably derives from African-American language where it refers to a personal talisman or witchcraft charm, and is itself derived from the word Moco used by the Gullah people meaning witchcraft or possibly from the Fula word moco’o meaning medicine man.”
Well, who knew?
My interpretation of the word relates to my inner energy, spirit, ‘oomph’, and passion – I had no idea that it had magical connotations. Very interesting indeed. I had always thought it was it was an acronym for something too.
My lost mojo is the reason for this post … I seem to be lacking in inspiration for writing, despite knowing that I can draw upon all nature of things around me at any time.
I’ve just felt flat. ☹
As a normally high energy, high vibe person, who always jumps out of bed bursting with ideas and plans for the day, I’ve been finding myself completely lacking in this area.
Then the other day, I woke in the early hours of the morning, and whilst processing stuff as I lay in bed (before falling back to sleep and then oversleeping a tad, oops!), I realised what had happened.
You see, I like being curious, exploring what is going on in my mind, my life, and adjusting as necessary. But even this had seemed to vanish.
And here is where the power of meditation comes into its own – it allows you to take time to stop doing and spend time being, and in doing so, processing and working stuff out whilst letting it float through your mind. The answers are always there.
As I dwelled upon my lack of mojo, I realised that I had pared back too much. I am naturally driven by my adrenalin, my passions, my energy. Which is usually generated by multiple deadlines. The last few years have seen me on full throttle and the last two years were no different, as I pivoted during the pandemic and ended up taking more on again last year.
And it was too much – I knew I had to stop. (I’ve written about that in a previous post – here’s the link https://www.sarahjnaylor.com/2022/02/03/i-dont-ever-want-to-feel-like-that-again/ )
Fast forward to this year – it hasn’t got off to the best start, having been injured from sporting activities and ill from a virus. I pared back further to recharge and, if I am brutally honest, with complete awareness of not leaping back into things in case I ended up ill again. The virus and time needed to recover meant my fitness dropped off, which made me feel fed up.
My dad is also very poorly following a stroke, so I guess that is also on my mind.
All told, there are many reasons for losing my mojo!
That is NOT me though.
I need my mojo! I need it to be me.
So, what to do? What creates my mojo?
Being busy with deadlines and lots of stuff going on – that’s what!
Having had this big a-ha moment, I realised that for starters I could write about it – yay, my inspiration is back!
Next stop, rebuilding and reworking my focus around all that I have on right now and driving some energy into all that I do to create some invigorating drive that will propel me forwards.
I’ve plenty to get my teeth into workwise, but it’s about generating the passion around that work and for me that comes with having energising conversations, making connections, getting excited about stuff generally.
I am still going to be mindful about how much I take on again; however, I know that I need to rebuild those layers to be me at my best!
What have I learned in reflection?
- I love my mojo!
- I love the magical origins of the word ‘mojo’.
- I love how being curious and exploring brings us the answers that we need.
- I have always found that meditative time (when you wake up at silly hours) highly beneficial.
- There is inspiration to be found everywhere.
- Taking time to notice and explore what usually fires you up will generate the answers you need to re-ignite the passion in your belly.
- Be easy with yourself – believe that all will return to normal when you take the time to put the effort in to find the missing mojo.
- Do the stuff that brings that mojo back.
Laugh, smile, have fun, and love your life. And your mojo!
Mine has been found and is being worked upon – how is yours? I’d love to hear – please do let me know what fires your mojo!
