Regaining Your Mojo

Victoria Canham • 1 May 2024 • 8 min read

Has your career mojo upped and left on an extended vacation without you? You are absolutely not alone. Honestly, it seems like the last few years have been a really bad sequel to “Groundhog Day”, with bad news piece after bad news piece, and while the “guru” advice to avoid the news seems like a good idea, I don’t think burying your head in the sand is particularly high performance behaviour.

The reality is, whether you're a professional in the boardroom or an athlete on the field, we live in the real world where real shit happens and we need to stay informed, so that we can choose how to react and move forward. Especially when it’s making us feel like retreating into ourselves.

The good news is that regaining your mojo is not only possible but also a transformative journey toward rediscovering your passion and purpose.

What’s causing this lack of mojo?

We can blame a loss of mojo, motivation, oomph - whatever you want to call it - on the news, pandemic, the government, the state of the nation but actually it’s likely that you’ve felt this way for a little while, but you had ways of snapping out of it, but this is a new level, and we all know new levels have new devils.

Losing your mojo feels terrible, it can feel dull and heavy and leave you feeling burnt out and bored. It could even leave you feeling as though you have a whole weather forecast in your head, cloudy, grey and dull with little signs of lifting or brightening. It certainly doesn’t inspire you to be creative and proactive and that is probably the hardest part for high performers who are creative problem-solvers.

Then, when you look around, especially social media, everyone else seems to be doing really well so you pile the pressure on yourself, and your inner perfectionist, who is a real bitch, keeps coming to visit to remind you of all the things you are doing wrong, or at least not perfectly, so you pile on more pressure and double-down on the work.

It’s normal to feel despondent with that uncertainty alone but when you add in the “comparisonitis” and perfectionism – you can’t just snap out of it.

Know that you aren’t alone, many people are in the same situation. This isn’t meant to diminish how you are feeling, it is a warning that it is in fact time to acknowledge how you are feeling and take the steps required to get your mojo back on track.

Ways to get your mojo back on track

Before we jump into the steps you can take to get your mojo back, the first consideration when it comes to any kind of introspection is the reminder to give yourself some grace. This means giving yourself the permission you need to do what you need to do, feel what you need to feel, and to forgive yourself for staying in the situation longer than you should have.

It may sound strange, or very “woowoo” to you on first reading, it certainly did to my science-y brain, but how often do you beat yourself up for the way you feel, the things you do or the things you think? Giving yourself grace is about reminding yourself that you too are human, and humans have ups and downs and change their minds, even about things that we’re raised to believe are permanent, like careers. Giving yourself grace will open you up to the steps that follow.

Second consideration, your health matters. It’s easy to overlook your health when you are wrapped up in a negative situation or feeling, but this is an important time to look after yourself from head to toe. Different feel-good hormones (endorphins, dopamine, serotonin and oxytocin) are stimulated by different activities and that means looking after your whole being to create healthy hormone reactions in your body.

Rest

Don’t work harder - take a break. If you are feeling exhausted (not just tired from a hectic weekend), forcing yourself to work through it won’t make anything better, you’re likely to make more mistakes and lapses of judgement.

Move your body

Move your body however you like, just get some daily exercise. This will give you an endorphin boost and if you exercise outdoors, you will also get a serotonin and Vitamin D boost (even in the UK where the sun is yet to make a decent, prolonged appearance).

Endorphins relieve stress, while serotonin stabilises our mood and gives a feeling of wellbeing and happiness, and vitamin D protects our bodies from infection, it is also a natural mood enhancer.

Mindset

Your mindset is a crucial element of salvaging your mojo, because if you get yourself in a negative spiral it becomes very difficult to turn it around.

Try to reconnect with hobbies and all the things that light you up, whether that’s reading, gardening, painting or spinning. Whatever it is, find and do the things that bring you joy, it is easier to find solutions to life’s problems when you are feeling upbeat and your mood is lighter.

Doing the things that you love releases dopamine, which is the hormone responsible for keeping us motivated and helping us to strive, focus and plan.

Do a Brain Dump

This exercise is very powerful, if you are honest with yourself and commit to it fully. You will no doubt uncover many insights you hadn’t previously considered, and possibly solutions.

Get a sheet of paper and write down all the things you can think of when it comes to your life:

• What did your life/ sport/ career look like when you had your mojo?

• What do/ did you love about it?

• What’s missing?

• What’s gone wrong?

• Why don’t you like it anymore?

• What’s changed?

• What would the ideal solution look like (winning the lottery is not an answer)?

• Are you ready for something completely new?

• If yes, what else would you like to do?

• If not, what needs to change?

• Who do you need to become to make it work?

Get in control of your inner critic

Your inner critic is a liar basically. It criticises you to keep you small, so that you don’t get hurt in making the changes or decisions you want to make. But your inner critic is not there to change your current situation, it uses your misery against you as evidence for why you can’t do something, but it’s lying to you. You are absolutely capable of changing your situation and life.

Don’t be afraid to make big changes

Honestly, if you already feel like you’ve lost your mojo, you probably know that big changes are needed anyway. Remember that a big change could completely turn your situation around. How big? Well, how big is your imagination? It could be having a chat with a coach (Ola), or starting a new business, or getting a new job, or starting a new fitness routine. Only you know what that thing is for you.

Reconnect with your purpose

Reconnect with what you want to do rather than what you feel you must do.

Many people I have worked with in the past have landed in their current career because their parents wanted them to be a doctor/ lawyer/ accountant/ business analyst/ fill in the blank, but now that the reality is staring at them down the barrel of 40 years of misery, they know what they were meant for something else and the wait of that reality is devastating for them.

Let’s be honest, every year Masterchef is filled with doctors/ lawyers/ accountants/ business analysts/ fill in the blanks who wish they’d selected a career in food.

Put anger aside

Don’t be angry with yourself. Things happen and people change, we are supposed to change, maybe this once was the thing you loved, but as you’ve gained more knowledge and insight, you’ve changed, and you want something else. This is YOUR LIFE; you get to change your mind. About absolutely anything.

Hug someone (or a dog)

Touch is an integral part of human interaction and hugs are known to release oxytocin, which is responsible for relaxation and decreasing stress and anxiety. For those on their own, hugging a pet (or someone else’s pet) also releases this helpful hormone.

Ask for help

Don’t be afraid to ask for or seek out help, whether that is from a boss, colleague, friend, mentor, therapist or coach, the answers are out there and there is plenty of help available to you, if you are courageous enough to just ask.

I Am Here to Help

If you can’t move beyond a slump in your enthusiasm on your own, perhaps there’s something deeper at play. I can help you get back on track and switch your mojo back to achievement, click here to book a discovery session. If you’re looking for support for a career change, but you’re not quite ready for a discovery session, then check out the career coaching workbook here.

If you would like to read more on the topic, check out the book: Mojo: How to Get It, How to Keep It, How to Get It Back If You Lose It by Marshall Goldsmith

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Victoria Canham - Mental Performance Coach

Victoria is an ICF-accredited certified professional coach, who offers bespoke performance coach. With a background in change management and countless hours of professional coaching training and experience, I made the big switch to full-time coaching in 2020. I know what it is like to suddenly have the rug pulled out from under you while you're busy making other plans, as a result, I now help people like you to bounce back from adversity and major setbacks to emerge stronger and better than ever before. Our clients have transformed from feeling overwhelmed by life's challenges to confident, goal-driven individuals who navigate life's obstacles with ease. They've achieved their personal and professional objectives and embodied peak performance in all aspects of life. You too can experience this transformation. This is your moment. Your chance to take control, to choose growth over stagnation, achievement over inaction. This is your opportunity to prove to yourself that you're not defined by your challenges—you're defined by how you rise above them. Are you ready to transform your life and achieve peak performance?