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26.10.2022

Managing Your Mojo | Beauty | Simplify

Hello there! Welcome to my weekly LEAPS. 

You’re receiving this email because you subscribed to my weekly Wednesday feature or our mailing list. Every Wednesday, I share 5 things using our LEAPS approach: 

Learn: something new or an idea
Energy: something that’s creating an energy and positive impact
Action: something to do
Processing: a question to consider
Shout out: something or someone that I want to celebrate or acknowledge

Have you taken the GLAS Understanding Assessment
and received your free report?

LEARN
Something Worth Sharing

Managing Your Mojo

A dear friend of mine recently posted on her Instagram story: “I seem to have lost my mojo”. It made me think about the reasons behind this, and how I could help her, along with many of her other friends, to find it again. Her post also made me think about when I've previously lost my own mojo, and where the term comes from.

The expression “mojo” dates back to the 1920s and was from southern United States; believed to originate from the Gullah word “MOCO” - meaning ‘magic’. When I read this, it instantly made sense to me. So what causes us to lose our ‘magic’? Research that we have been conducting for the past couple of years shows that the loss is often caused by being depleted - having given our energy away through overcompensating; we try to overly prove ourselves, we struggle to deal with overwhelm and the world around us and stress about things outside of our control.

We found some top tips for managing the mojo are:

1. Awareness of stress and how you feel (even by keeping a written note)

2. Share how you feel with others - you’re not alone

3. Deliberately seek out lightness - laugh, fun, humour

4. Restrict negative input - the news, moaning people, social media

5. Choose to see positive things - go and find the magic around you

6. Rest and sleep as the body and mind needs - listen to yourself

7. Keep moving - being active (walks etc) encourages ‘feel-good’ hormones

8. Learn something new e.g read - increases self-esteem and confidence

9. Acts of kindness - focus on kindness to yourself first and then to others

10. Accept the temporary state - don’t be hard on yourself, it will pass

Finally think about the fact that mojo means magic - and that this is something we all have within ourselves. Magic doesn’t disappear, you just need to look deeper within yourself to find it - and learn to protect and manage it.

ENERGY
Focusing on an emotion or positive energy; a stand-out word / s

Beauty

Beauty is a beautiful word - it’s one that makes me smile. The origin is from the Latin word BELLUS meaning "pretty, handsome, charming”. I don’t think that the etymology sufficiently captures the importance of the word.

Beauty is often said to be “in the eye of the beholder” - the perception of beauty is personal and subjective. I also believe that there is a choice; people can observe the same thing and yet see differently. We all have a unique lens through which we see the world, situations and experiences. We can be deliberate in our choice to see the beauty, even in the smallest things - or rush on by and miss the wonders around us.

ACTION
Something small that you can do that might make a big difference

Daring To Do New

Whether you choose to do something new by simplifying an existing activity or elect to find a new thing to do - be daring and try something new. This may mean: finding new people, new places, new books, new methods, new recipes…even new thinking. Be daring and do something new!

PROCESSING
A question to think about and consider (you can discuss this with someone or write your thoughts down)

“What can you simplify?”

Most of us respond better to things when they are clear and simple. Having said that, we are all exceptionally good at overcomplicating things. Can you think of one thing you can simplify? It may be a task, conversation, your wardrobe or an issue - just as a few examples.

SHOUT OUT
Who / what I think deserves recognition, my gratitude or to be celebrated.

Listening, Understanding and Acting

Last week I shared a challenge with my team. They were helpful and a super sounding board, but ultimately I knew I had to deal with the particular challenge on my own. Several days later, just after the point of dealing with the issue, separately members of the team reached out to me. Each of them sent notes to ask how the issue was and how things had turned out.

Having people that REALLY listen to you - and understand what matters or is causing pain - is so valuable. The next part of this is that the listening translates into action and they step forward. A huge shout out to my team - and everyone that is able to properly listen, understand and act.

BONUS GIFT FOR YOU
This week’s little extra for you - from me

A couple of weeks ago I mentioned a book called Effortless by Greg McKeown. Given that I’ve also touched on the need for ‘simplicity’ (see the Processing section), I wanted to gift you access to my visual for the other book that Greg wrote - Essentialism.

This is gifted to you for free until 1st November using code: SIMPLE when you check out. Access is via the link below.

The artwork featured in this section is all copyrighted and for private use only. If you wish to use these online, features or in presentations etc - we are happy to discuss licences.

If you’d like to discuss having your ideas, business or culture captured visually - you can also let me know via email.

*** ORDER YOURS NOW READY FOR 2023 ***

Order Your Deliberate Year Calendar & Logbook Set

LEAPS is a process used by our team and clients all the time - and even my own family on a daily basis. 

I’ll be sharing a set of LEAPS each week with you and encourage you to do your own version:

• L: what have you learned?

• E: what’s your energy / feeling word

• A: what’s one thing you need to do?

• P: what are you thinking / processing?

• S: who or what can you shout out?