How Faith Affects Mojo

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Faith and Mojo

I explained earlier that I believe faith is essential to having your mojo workin'.  Both faith and willingness to act are key contributors to mojo.  It is important to distinguish between faith and a willingness to act.  Faith is a durable trait.  It is tested over many events.  It's a persistent characteristic expressed over a long period of time. On the other hand, willingness to act, while also a trait, is tested by single events.  Sometimes a person who has willingness to act is said to be a "clutch performer."  A willingness to act is often a desire to take responsibility for a particular outcome or a group action. This post will concentrate on faith.

Webster defines faith as


1a : allegiance to duty or a person : loyalty lost faith in the company's president

b(1) : fidelity to one's promises
(2) : sincerity of intentions acted in good faith

2a(1) : belief and trust in and loyalty to God
(2) : belief in the traditional doctrines of a religion

b(1) : firm belief in something for which there is no proof clinging to the faith that her missing son would one day return
(2) : complete trust

3 : something that is believed especially with strong conviction especially : a system of religious beliefs
 // the Protestant faith

I am talking about (2)b(1) and (2) in particular (underlined).  Note that faith is not necessarily defined in terms of religion. The most important aspect of faith that I am referring to is a confidence that everything will work out, even if there is a temporary failure.  Faith is not blind belief that you (personally or collectively)  are going to succeed.  If you always expect to succeed, that is blind faith.  Real faith is more like a belief that whatever happens, you will be okay.

 Faith can also be seen as trusting that your training was appropriate.  If it was, you will be prepared for whatever happens.  It may also take the form of a confidence that you have the skills or experience to do what is required.  Lacking such a trust, experience, or skill may be a strong indicator that you will be lacking in mojo.  Conversely, a person who trusts their training or has great skill or experience may exhibit superior faith and mojo.  Sometimes it is evident that a particular individual is very calm even when circumstances are dire.  It can be a sign that that individual has faith that everything will work out.  For example, the blood pressure of basketball players was studied while they shot free throws.  The best shooters did not have a spike in blood pressure as they were shooting, whereas others did.  The best shooters stayed calm and didn't get tense under external  pressure.  I call that faith.




If you are religious, faith may mean that you are counting on God's help.  However, God's plans may not correspond to your plans.  In the event that they don't, you may fail in the short-term.  However, God can be relied upon to give you His help to deal with the negative outcome and reap your reward through something else.

 Faith does not predict the future. Many factors determine what will happen.  Faith can be expressed before the actual performance takes place. Faith is a trust that allows you to go through the training, preparation, and preliminary steps before the performance.  Imagine the faith that a college student must have to work for a degree before getting a job.   Remember, you may have plenty of expertise, experience, luck, support, and motivation, but if you do not have the faith to trust them, your mojo will suffer.


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