You may be thinking I named the business mojo because it’s kinda catchy (or quitchy). That’s not why I chose it. To me, finding your mojo means much more than the typical: getting my groove back or being confident. It relates to my personal learning journey of reclaiming and embracing who I am, creating a life I LOVE and my desire to help others do the same.
Way back when, in primary school, my nickname was mojo. It was a play on my name and reflective of my obsession for MOJO candies that were popular at the time. When I think of the little girl with that nickname, I remember a quirky, joyful, carefree, open-hearted, funny, gregarious, adventurous, athletic, fearless and confident little girl. A girl who didn’t care that others thought she was weird. An innocent child who gave and received love freely, smiled a lot, showed up big and was a bright light in the world.
Many of those unique characteristics that made me – ME – I “lost” by my early teens and didn’t find again until many, many years later...
I’ve come to learn that, experiences such as: unrequited young love, perceived failure, social rejection / isolation, anxiety, and bullying — combined with underdeveloped emotional intelligence and other essential life-skills — created the perfect storm for losing my mojo. By the age of 14, I somehow convinced myself that the pain of hiding the parts of me that were deemed socially “unacceptable” by other kids, some adults (and eventually me) somehow outweighed the risk of being seen, judged, criticized and rejected. I learned to consciously dim my light when I felt vulnerable and shine it brightly when I felt safe. I learned how to make myself small so others could feel big. I learned how to swallow my hurt and, hide my insecurity, anxiety and emotional pain behind a smile. I focused on over-achieving as a way to feel valuable. I became a chameleon that was a master at being who I needed to be to “fit into” my environment. I strived to be the perfect daughter, sibling, student, friend, girlfriend and eventually: employee, manager and wife. I perceived THIS is what I needed to do to be: acceptable, loveable and successful.
By my mid-20s, despite my ability to achieve incredible success (by society’s standards) : I sure as hell wasn’t feeling successful. Instead, I was feeling exhausted, burnt-out, depressed and anxious. I didn’t understand why. I sought professional help and after a several months I started to bounce back. Then, at 27, a series of devastating experiences created a downward spiral so deep and dark – I didn’t think I would survive. An experience I will be forever grateful for (although I sure as hell didn’t feel grateful at the time).
It turns out this “wake-up call” was the catalyst that started me on my – difficult, yet oh soooooo worth it – inward path of self-discovery, development, care and eventually healing I didn’t even know I needed.
This path became a personal journey that helped me learn to be vulnerable, admit I don’t know what I don’t know and ask for help from those who do. This learning journey helped me develop the life & leadership skills we all need to be our best selves, build healthy relationships, be better leaders and create lives we love. It helped me realize: that what seemed like a totally reasonable/practical strategy for fitting into the world had actually created such a deep disconnection from who I truly am, that it was a significant contributing factor to the physical, emotional and mental pain I had been navigating for years. It helped me re-discover, accept, love and embrace all those unique characteristics of that little girl nicknamed mojo, that I unknowingly lost so many years before.
So, in hind-sight, my life-changing wake-up call at 27 and my decision to learn to live differently is what helped me find MY mojo which I now define as:
mo·jo (noun)
/ˈmōjō/
: the innate energy that fuels your passion for life, motivates you to fulfill your true potential and enables you to create a peaceful, purposeful & prosperous life
(synonyms): your inner light; the TRUE YOU; the heart of TRUE SUCCESS
The moral of the story is this...I named my business mojo because it reminds me, every day, to BE authentically ME and shine brightly in the world. It reminds me to navigate my fears and uncomfortable emotions, not hide from them. It reminds me to: be my best self, work joyfully, love fearlessly and lead courageously so I can make a meaningful difference in the world and help others find their mojo and experience the fulfillment of TRUE SUCCESS.
To help others find their mojo, I created the Master the Art of Being the TRUE YOU workshop and The Journey to The Heart of the TRUE YOU 1:1 Mentorship Program. If this interests you, check out the workshop or schedule a complimentary Explore Consultation to learn more.
