Mojo: How to Get It, How to Keep It, How to Get It Back If You Lose It
by Marshall Goldsmith
I was fortunate to meet Marshall Goldsmith and have him sign my copy while at a Microsoft event. After reading the book in 2010, I became more aware of “measuring” my energy level as I worked throughout the day. The signals gave me insight into what I loved spending time on and what I did not. We all have an inner sense of how we are feeling – the mojo – that helps us achieve our best.
My Notes
Mojo plays a vital role in our pursuit of happiness and meaning because it is about achieving two simple goals: loving what you do and showing it.
Mojo is that positive spirit toward what we are doing now that starts from in the inside and radiates to the outside.
Four vital ingredients need to be combined in order for you to have great Mojo.
Identity – Who do you think you are?
Without a firm handle on our identity, we may never be able to understand why we gain – or lose – our Mojo.
Achievement – What have you done lately?
These are the accomplishments that have meaning and impact.
Until we can honestly put a value on what we’ve accomplished lately, we may not be able to create or regain our Mojo.
Reputation – Who do other people think you are? What do other people thin you’ve done lately?
Your reputation is a scoreboard kept by others.
Acceptance – What can you change, and what is beyond your control?
When Mojo fades, the initial cause is often a failure to accept what is – and get on with life.
People with high Mojo at work tend to have high Mojo at home.
Truly successful people spend time a large part of their lives engaging in activities that simultaneously provide meaning and happiness.
Then I add: The only person who can define meaning and happiness for you is you!
Measuring Your Mojo
Mojo is an expression of the harmony – or lack of harmony – between what we feel inside about whatever we are doing and what we show on the outside.
Mojo
is that positive spirit
toward what we are doing
now
that starts from the inside
and radiates to the outside
Positive spirit is unambiguous. It’s a feeling of optimism and satisfaction. It conveys both happiness and meaning.
Toward what we are doing focuses us on the fact that we are dealing with an activity or a task – as opposed to a state of mind or a situation.
Now’s meaning is obvious. When we are measuring our Mojo, we do so in the immediate present, not in the recent past or vague future.
Happiness and meaning can’t be experienced next week, next month or next year. They can only be experienced now.
That’s why the most successful professionals are always “on” when they’re engaged in their craft.
They love what they are doing when they are doing it.
That starts from the inside and is my reminder that measuring Mojo is a self-assessment exercise.
And radiates to the outside is my nod to the cause-and-effect dynamic between what we feel inside, how much of it we show, and how it is perceived by others.
People who love what they’re doing but somehow never know how it are doomed to be misunderstood.
Measuring Your Mojo
Professional Mojo -> What I Bring to This Activity
Motivation: You want to do a great job at this activity.
Knowledge: You understand what to do and how to do it.
Ability: You have the skills needed to do the task well.
Confidence: You are sure of yourself when performing this activity.
Authenticity: You are genuine in your level of enthusiasm for engaging in this activity.
Personal Mojo -> What This Activity Brings to Me
Happiness: Being engaged in this activity makes you happy.
Reward: This activity provides material or emotional rewards that are important to you.
Meaning: The results of this activity are meaningful for you.
Learning: This activity helps you to learn and grow.
Gratitude: Overall, you feel grateful for being able to do this activity and believe that it is a great use of your time.