Have you ever felt like you’ve lost your mojo? That is how I’ve felt this year. I hate saying that out loud because I have so much to be thankful and happy for when so many of my friends and acquaintances are going through a hard time. Do you know what I mean? If all I’ve lost is my mojo then I’ve got it pretty good. Mojo might be over-rated anyway.
What this year has taught me so far is that life is finite. You see, I never thought that. My thinking as a self-absorbed career girl has always been that there is so much time left. In my 20’s I smoked like crazy because – WHY NOT? Life was long and I’d have plenty of time to quit (and thankfully, I did!)
Here is why I’ve lost my passion and how I’m going to get it back (took some soul searching)
How I lost it:
- My career in the past was bent on leading clients in new directions with marketing. I was talking Facebook, blogs, and Twitter in client meetings across the country 8 years ago! I loved educating clients on more relevant ways to market their business. I was driven (driven is the operative word) by coming up with unique ways to make a connection between my clients and their customers. And it worked. I think I’m missing that driven part now. And it has something to do with connection.
- Loss, in general, has shaken me. Knocked me off center. And I hate saying that because it hasn’t been my loss. But I really feel for my friends who have lost parents, siblings, and pets. Sudden loss, surprising loss. Friends with cancer who have lost parts of their body to surgery. Even the loss of people I admired but didn’t know personally rocked me. Anthony Bourdain, who I quoted here, had my dream job and I loved following him around the world. Kate Spade was the first expensive purse I bought and I have her inspiration all around me in her books, shoes, earrings and more.
I’ve felt knocked off center a bit. But this is how I’m getting it back. I’m not going to include the things you think I’m going to say like being thankful. These are very true but you can read that anywhere. I’m going to be thankful and grateful every single day. Because I am. And just because I’ve felt off – doesn’t mean I’m not appreciative. After all, I am The Appreciator!
How I’m getting my Mojo back:
- Think in the present tense. I tend to think in the future. I don’t dwell too much on the past but instead am always thinking of what’s to come. Or what I think should come. For example:
- When I lose 80 pounds, I’ll be so much happier
- When I accomplish the goals I have set out for myself for the day and the week
- When we are able to buy a cabin up north
- When, when, when
If you’ve never read anything by Eckhart Tolle, read him. His faith is different from mine, but I appreciate his thinking and beliefs about living in the NOW. This I’m going to practice.
- Guarding My Mind. There is so much
shitcontent out there. Whether it is podcasts, blogs, television, articles, webinars, social media – it is all consuming. Oh, I love it, don’t get me wrong. I’m a consumer. Like this, this and this. <swoon>
Proverbs 4:23 says: ” More than anything you guard, protect your mind, for life flows from it.”
I’m going to guard my mind and train it to focus on my main passion – being curious. If I can stay focused on that goal and that is what I seek out in the content I’m consuming, then I think I can get my groove back on. It’s so easy to get off track and run down that rabbit hole of WOPAD (what other people are doing) – I’m going to stay curious.
Is this getting too deep for you? It almost is for me. Need a coffee break.
OK. I’m back. Here is the biggest thing. Saved the best for last.
I need to create. It’s what drives me. (wait. there is that word again!) And I’ve so gotten away from that. If I really think about when I’m happiest – it is when I’m being creative. Whether it is re-arranging furniture (only when ROF is gone, it stresses him out) or making a playlist, helping my clients, compiling an inspiration board or cooking dinner – I need to be creating.
Are you in a funk? What do you NEED to be doing? Do it.