I would suspect that most of us go through phases in our lives where we have seemed to have lost our interest in what we do and much of the routine aspects of our existence. Maybe we are losing our mojo.  Webster’s defines mojo as:

“a power that may seem magical and that allows someone to be very effective, successful, etc.”

It would be nice if everyday was a big adventure, but for most of the world consists of rituals and a fair amount of work. After all we cannot all be Anthony Bourdain and travel the world-embracing new cultures and cuisines, or maybe we can. From my personal observations, it appears the vast majority of the modern world experiences this malaise and has lost their mojo. Some symptoms of lost mojo include:

1. It is difficult to get out of bed in the morning and when you do you still feel tired
2. Your productivity is suffering, you are beginning to feel like the guy in Office Space who only does 15 minutes of actual work each week
3. The highs aren’t very high and the lows aren’t really that low anymore, you are stuck somewhere in the middle
4. You are not interested in things that were pleasurable in the past
5. You don’t feel good, even though you are exercising and eating well

Now you might want to go get a checkup from a physician just to make sure what you are experiencing isn’t due to some medical problem, but if you have a clean bill of health you will need to do something to regain the mojo you once possessed. Here are a few things to consider:

1. Maybe you need to consider a career change to get fired up again. Being on a steep learning curve can release some of that hidden mojo.
2. Start breaking some routines, even if it is simple things like when you workout and what type of exercise you are performing. Change from a 3 day split to a 5 day split, throw in some cardio (running, biking, walking, kayaking).
3. If you can change-up your schedule, start work an hour later, or work at home a couple of days of week if possible.
4. Do something for your state of mind like meditating, praying, inspirational reading, or walking.
5. Take up a new hobby or re-discover the one you quit 10 years ago when your mojo was beginning to fade.
6. Write down something you are grateful for everyday. Sometimes the malaise begins with a lack of appreciation.
7. Take a vacation, which of course will allow time for a few of the things I mentioned above.
8. Do at least one nice thing for another person everyday such as paying them a complement, holding a door, helping someone at work or at home. Remember you’re not the only one that has lost their mojo, and paying it forward can help you and someone else.
9. Just say no, and maybe even drop some non value added commitments. It may be that you just have way too much on your plate and need to scale things back a bit at least for a while.
10. Get in touch with your own thoughts. I mentioned meditation which helps me, but there are many ways to become more introspective such as journaling, blogging, writing poetry, spiritual practice, or just taking long walks.

Above all you need to jump off the hamster wheel for a bit and try to understand what is important to you. Your mojo is not gone, it is simply suppressed by routine and not caring for yourself. Do as many of the things above as you can during the course of the next few months and you will start to feel that magical power again.

Namaste

• Philosophy