This week I’m reading Mojo by Marshall Goldsmith.
Mojo originally referred to a belief in the supernatural powers of voodoo charm, often a small flannel bag containing magic items. The word has evolved to describe a personal sense of positive spirit and direction, moving forward, achieving goals, doing something that matters and enjoying it.
For Goldsmith, mojo is vital to our pursuit of happiness and meaning because it is about loving what you do and showing it. “Mojo is that positive spirit toward what we are doing now that starts from the inside and radiates to the outside”.
Goldsmith also defines the opposite of mojo, which he calls “nojo” the negative spirit that you might see in someone who is bitter and resentful, bored and frustrated.
The book sets out the four key factors that affect our professional and personal mojo and looks at each one in detail:
- Identity – who do you think you are?
- Achievement – what have you done lately?
- Reputation – who do other people think you are?
- Acceptance – what can you change and when do you need to just “let it go”
Goldsmith then provides a practical “Mojo tool kit” to help you change what you don’t like so that you experience happiness and meaning in what you’re doing.
As it says on the cover, this book is how to get and keep your mojo and how to get it back if you lose it. An interesting read.