Bertwistle - Who stole my mojo?: how to get it back and live, work and play better

WHO
STOLE
MY
MOJO?

HOW TO GET IT BACK AND
LIVE, WORK AND PLAY BETTER

GARY BERTWISTLE

First published by Allen & Unwin in 2008

First published in 2007 by Blue Moon Publishing

Copyright Gary Bertwistle 2007

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without prior permission in writing from the publisher. The Australian Copyright Act 1968 (the Act) allows a maximum of one chapter or 10 per cent of this book, whichever is the greater, to be photocopied by any educational institution for its educational purposes provided that the educational institution (or body that administers it) has given a remuneration notice to Copyright Agency Limited (CAL) under the Act.

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National Library of Australia
Cataloguing-in-Publication entry:

Bertwistle, Gary.
Who stole my mojo? : how to get it back and live, work and
play better.

ISBN 978 1 74175 533 6 (pbk.)

155.232

Set in 10 on 14 pt Sabon by Midland Typesetters, Australia
Printed in Australia by Mcphersons Printing Group

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

To my baby girl Charley, for showing me a world
full of possibilities, through the eyes
of a child... forever yours.

It was during the closing presentation of the International Alliance of Learning Conference in Washington DC, USA, in 2006 that the concept for this book first came to me. I was thinking over the fantastic presentations that I had attended at the conference and the new and valuable information and training techniques that I had gained, and it occurred to me that while many of the attendees sitting in the room would leave the conference feeling motivated and inspired, within weeks all but a few would find themselves back in their old routines wondering what had happened to that extra spark they had felt during their time away. Where did their motivation go? Why did all their new ideas come to nothing? In fact, the question in their minds will be, What happened to my Mojo? I am sure that many of you have experienced something similar.

Throughout our lives, we are often exposed to new concepts, ideas, methodologies and outlooks, however after the initial excitement and stimulation wears off we often find our motivation dies away and all that enthusiasm comes to nothing. Then we look back and ask ourselves, What happened to my Mojo?

When I arrived home and spoke to friends and family about the book concept I was surprised to discover just how interested everyone was in learning more about their Mojo. No matter how successful or happy a person seemed, it soon became apparent that everyone wanted to learn more about how to increase their Mojo.

Why Mojo? What in fact is Mojo? Mojo can be defined as your magic, voodoo, charm, or your energy, vitality, zest, drive, zip, zing, spirit, verve, pizzazz, punch, passion, oomph, power, get up and go, vigour and feistiness.

There is no doubt that people from all walks of life are losing their zip and their spark. It seems that the little bit of extra energy that we need to get the most out of life is sadly lacking in a lot of people. I believe this lack of Mojo is really important to address as it affects every aspect of our lives... our mood, our relationships, our emotions, our work, our play, our creativity, and in turn it affects our results and what we get out of life.

Mojo is the extra spark that is the difference between having a good day and a great day. Its the difference between getting good results and outstanding results. You know yourself when you are in the presence of someone with Mojo. They just seem to have that extra something that helps them get that little bit more out of any situation. They seem centred and calm, yet at the same time they have that twinkle in their eyethey have Mojo.

Why is Mojo so important? Because it gives you the edge. It gives you the spark, oomph and energy to wring the last bit of juice out of your life. Without Mojo life has a tendency to be bland and mediocre. But once you get your Mojo working and put that vitality and vigour back into your life, the rewards come tenfold. People with Mojo seem to attract different and better results, and they always seem to find themselves in the right place at the right time in order to gain that extra inch. The greatest achievers in any aspect of lifebe it business, family, sport, politics, religion or communityare the people who achieve the most and live their life to the fullest... people with Mojo.

Mojo comes in many different disguises and this book will give you the essential keys to unlock yours. Mojo is within all of usthe trick is knowing how to access it. Once you access your Mojo, you can not only put that something extra into your life, you also gain a great deal more. Every day, ordinary people are doing extraordinary things, and you can be one of them if you choose to be.

Our attitude and the way we think determines everything we do, and in this book I hope to be able to give you all the essential information and tools you need in order to get the most out of your life. But remember that unless you change the way you think, everything will stay the samemental and physical vibrancy must be earned and this book will show you how to acquire yours.

Sometimes Mojo may seem out of reach of the everyday person, however Im sure all of us know somebody that we live with, work with or hang out with who has it. Think about the people around you who have that spark, energy, and extra bit of oomph, and then think about what attributes they have. Thats what this book is about. Its finding those special ingredients that separate those who have Mojo from those who dont.

Who Stole My Mojo? is full of simple tips and tools, examples and anecdotes that Ive collected from some of the thousands of people Ive met and worked with over the years who all have Mojo. Its also full of observations about people who quite obviously have lost their Mojo. My question is, what gives people their Mojo? And for those who might have lost it, how do they get it back?

Ive purposefully written this book in short, simple chapters so that you can take a single concept and apply it to your own world in an instant. The book is packed with practical ideas about how to foster Mojo in your life and, most importantly, to make sure that no-one steals it from you ever again.

If you carry this book around with you while you are reading it, my suggestion would be that when you have a spare moment to drop your shoulders and relax, you can pull it out and read a chapter. Id then encourage you to ponder what youve read, throw it around, wrestle with it, sleep on it, but most importantly apply it. Before you know it, youll be at the end of the book and the people around you will be looking at you and sayingyouve got Mojo!

Although this is not a workbook as such, I believe that there are some valuable nuggets you will find as you move through the book.