MojoDave

What to do when you lose a partner Suppose you are relying on external motivation from a partner to help with your mojo .  Suddenly, your partner is not available.  What to do? You have to find more external motivators. Go back to basics. See if you can apply some of the other external motivators. For example, apply variety to friends, or find another friend. Equivalently, what if you have a sudden deficit of external motivators, and insufficient internal motivators or other components of mojo.  I answered a similar question on Quora about an injured running partner. A running partner is a kind of friend who can help your running motivation. Finding another friend may sound crass, but unlike a spouse, it is okay to have more than one. Whether you have multiple partners at the same time or get another when the first becomes unavailable is up to you. Also remember that a partner does not have to be human. One thing I emphasized in my answer was not to forget or...

Overcoming Anxiety with Mojo I have been asked on Quora how to overcome anxiety or use anxiety to build motivation, which will aid in your Figure 1. An anxious woman mojo.  It is possible if you have enough motivation, to use motivation to overcome anxiety and fear. But anxiety and fear do not motivate you.  Remember that I have described how motivation is a key contributor to mojo in an earlier post . Anxiety and fear are inputs that generate a reaction. Usually, the inputs are or are said to be negative or difficult. Think “performance anxiety” as an example. The most significant contributor to mojo is motivation, either internal or external. If an actor's mojo is strong enough, that actor can overcome the anxiety and perform anyway or contribute more to a team's performance. The best directors and coaches choose the actors with the most mojo to perform the hardest tasks Their superior mojo allows them to resist anxiety and fear and inspire other...

Converting external motivation to internal motivation In a previous post, I asserted that motivation is the key ingredient in mojo and that it can be internal or external. I have been asked how external motivation can be converted to internal motivation. Some people are lucky enough that conversion can happen. The question is if you have insufficient internal motivators, can you convert external motivators so that you make up for the deficit. Unfortunately, conversion happens to varying extents and isn’t predictable nor can it be forced. You are more likely to be successful by finding additional external motivators. Sometimes conversion just happens. Sometimes it will not happen. Sometimes you get a little conversion. You are more likely to be successful by finding additional external motiva tors i f vari ety, friends and rivals are not enough. Look for additional friends and/or rivals to help your motivation. Its okay to have more than one of each at a time. This...

Motivation - Internal or External Types of Motivation Motivation is a big part of mojo, maybe the most important part.  I like to consider two types of motivation, Motivation Internal External Both internal and external motivation can affect your mojo. Internal motivation comes from you alone. You might have it from birth or you might develop it. It is your drive, your impetus, your commitment. Everyone has a different amount of internal motivation for any given subject. One’s true internal motivation depends on being interested and excited about a given subject. In other words, unless you have a good fit with a subject, it will be difficult to gauge.your true internal motivation for that subject. Recommended External Motivators Variety Friends Rivals External motivation comes from something beyond yourself.  Most often, I recommend variety, friends,and rivals. More about these in another post . Just as an example, for a runner, friends mig...

Figure 1. The components of mojo. What makes up mojo? Merriam Webster says: Mojo is :” a magic spell, hex, or charm, broadly : magical power // works his mojo on the tennis court //The team has lost its mojo.“ I’m not sure about the magic part of it, but mojo is something that a person or group has to varying degrees. You know it when you see it, even if you can’t define it. Another example of such a thing was cited by U.S. Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart who famously said in his 1964 Order , he could not use words to describe pornography but " I know it when I see it ." When something is not well understood, it is indistinguishable from magic . Maybe this is why people are often said to have their “mojo workin’” even if magic is irrelevant. Parts of Mojo motivation expertise experience support luck faith willingness to act. This blog will focus on motivation because it is such a big part of mojo and is often a poorly under...