​The revelation that a seasoned woman like me could be a treasure astounded me until I realized that we are all treasures. Each of us is bulging at the seams with our talents, creativity, accomplishments and the ability to bring joy to other treasures in our lives. So, why is our mojo playing hide and seek within us?
Mojo has her own commandments for “artfully” dodging the aging issue and here is one of them: Stay engaged with activities that are meaningful and with people who are fun and motivating. Mojo believes there is no divide between the younger and older generations because there is so much to learn from one another. What a thrilling discovery.

I have discovered that there is something spiritual about my gut. I say that because it keeps eating at me (pardon the pun) until I quiet down and listen. I used to think that I ate something too spicy or too dairy or too sweet or too much or even too little. I refused to admit that I was ignoring a subtle whisper which kept getting louder and louder until I acknowledged it. It was the same whisper I had received many times before  which I chose to ignore.  Why?  Because it meant I had to make a change which frightened the heck out of me. Ignorance is not bliss when you are frozen. I relented.

Here is a MOJO personal story: I was living in New Jersey with my parents and in the same job for 11 years. I was grumpy more often than not, dissatisfied with my job, felt an enormous need for freedom and finally paid attention to that not so subtle whisper from my gut. It said “what does it feel like when you think about staying in this lifestyle for a lifetime?” That did it for me. I recalled a book I read several years earlier titled “Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway.” I felt the nagging fear, made an enormous life change, moved to Arizona, and never looked back.  I did it anyway.

I do not always pay attention. Recently, I disregarded a loud whisper. The results were dismal; but, the lesson was not. 

And you, my readers, do you suffer from gut feeling fatigue? Can you think about a time you paid attention to your gut and, conversely, when you did not? There are all kinds of telltale signs. One of mine is having a hard time swallowing. Take some time to think about your telltale signs when that gut feeling has a hold on you. how loud is the whisper? Is it loud enough for you to overcome the fear and leap forward?  Go ahead and leap. I dare you.

So, spiritually speaking from my whispering gut to yours, let us allow ourselves to feel that fear, to acknowledge that denial and those telltale signs. Then, let’s ask ourselves “do I want to stay or do I want to go?”  Let’s “go” dear readers.

 A few weeks ago I was a passenger in a car with three (3) other people. Our driver’s cell phone rang, she answered it and just as quickly turned it off to the relief of all of us. I thanked her for not putting the “treasures” in the car at risk. “Treasures” I said. Where the heck did that come from? Do I view myself as a treasure? Do I value those around me as treasures? The answers to these questions did not require tons of reflection because those answers came to me within minutes in the form of an AHA moment. Of course we are all treasures and this seasoned woman has finally come to that realization. Each and every one of our treasuries is bulging at the seams with our talents and our creativity and our compassion and our accomplishments and our ability to bring joy to other treasures in our lives. So, why is our mojo playing hide and seek within us? 
​
I just happened to pick up a book by Elizabeth Gilbert from my home library called “BIG MAGIC.” Interestingly, I had a page flagged which ties in beautifully to this Mojo Moment. This page says “And you have treasures hidden within you—extraordinary treasures—and so do I and so does everyone around us. And bringing those treasures to light takes work and faith and focus and courage and hours of devotion, and the clock is ticking, and the world is spinning, and we simply do not have time anymore to think so small.”  Thank you Elizabeth.  What more can I say?

Whether you are a fan of Facebook or not, it does offer food for thought at times, does it not? For instance, there are always pictures and sounds of the ocean which I, for one, cannot ignore. So, yes, I love the beach and the sand and the sun and the ocean and the shells and morning walks and the pier and, and, and. It is a happy place for me. I share this Mojo Moment with you because I asked a friend, a guy, if he had a happy place. He hesitated and it made me realize that we forget about our happy place and the way we feel invigorated and joyful there. As we continued on with our conversation, we both realized that we have more than one happy place. He mentioned two things: a special cabin in the White Mountains and his own home, here in Tucson, surrounded by his plants and his green house.  His face lit up when he mentioned these two places.

And, yes, I, too, have more than one happy place that is much closer to home than the beach and it is MY home and it is my very own castle. The other (and do not laugh) is my very favorite dive bar and that is the Bambi. There I am surrounded by authenticity and pleasantness which I find irresistible. Think about your happy place or places, my friends. How does it, or they, make you feel?  Interestingly, it does not have to be some faraway place, does it? Think about the joy you experience in your happy place and how easy it is to reflect and refresh there. Go there as often as you can because it is probably in your own backyard.

While waiting in my dentist’s office, the recent issue of TIME MAGAZINE grabbed my attention with its cover story: “HOW TO LIVE LONGER, BETTER* *(You’re still going to die, though).”  Having had a significant birthday recently, I felt compelled to read this article word for word, sentence by sentence, paragraph by paragraph. Here is a statistic from that article: “Life expectancy in the U.S. exceeds the global average, clocking in at just under 79 years.” WHEW! I made it.
    I cannot decide whether I was surprised or enlightened by some of the research:
    • A “2017 study in the journal Personal Relationships found that it can be friends, not family, who matter most…”  
    • Seniors love city living. Check this out: “In the U.S., 80% of people ages 65 and older are now living in metropolitan areas…”  
    • “Excessively happy people may ignore real threats and fail to take precautions or follow medical advice. It’s okay to fret — if in a responsible manner.”
    I have my own commandments for artfully dodging the aging issue. Here is one of them: Stay engaged daily with activities that are meaningful and with people who are fun and motivating. There is no divide between the younger or older generations. There is so much to learn. I was thrilled when I discovered this.
    So, for me, living longer is not as much a priority as living better and I am speaking for all of us that are more seasoned when I say that no one needs to remind us that we are going to die at some point, do they? 

​MOJO recently had a conversation with one of her #accountability partner clients about his recent and exciting #business growth and the expectation that it will be growing even more.  She asked how he planned to handle that growth and it got her to thinking back to her ownership in a successful staffing company and all of the steps necessary to insure the perfect placement for both the employee and the employer. She remembers joking about "missing a step." It wasn't really funny though as she thought about it because one misstep can ruin "the deal." So, what is "it."? What is that one misstep? "It" is the lack of followup. #Followup is everything, in my opinion, whether it be on a business or a personal level. Think about the times you did not return a telephone call on time or put something on the back burner even though you had a feeling you should not. What were the results? Did something fall through the cracks? MOJO is urging you to get into the habit of doing your followup daily. It's essential to your #peace of mind and your business and your personal relationships. Excuse me now.  I have followup to do.

​MOJO realizes the need to be held accountable as a solopreneur and has found her own Accountability Partner in Donna Snyder of RS Design (www.rsdesign.net).  Donna created MOJO’s “refreshed” website. So, are you accountable to yourself for achieving your goals? Let’s start with a fact according to a recent University of Scranton study:
 
“Not having an accountable (sic) partner to help a person accomplish their goal is one reason 92% of people did not accomplish their New Year’s resolution.” Admittedly, I used to be one of the 92%.
 
Here’s more enlightenment from an article entitled “The Role of an Accountability Partner in Goal Achievement.” (www.goal-setting-guide.com):
 
“The act of accountability serves to assist you along in your journey. It requires you to accept responsibility for your actions and to stay true to your commitments.” Being a solopreneur is isolating and staying focused becomes a daily challenge. I get it.
 
MOJO believes that the following sentences from the same article will help in your decision to work with an Accountability Partner:
 
“During your search for an accountability partner, keep in mind that the right person should be someone who will challenge, engage and evoke a sense of accomplishment in you. This person should be somebody you admire and who has accomplished what you are trying to accomplish.”
 
MOJO may or may not be that person. Just know that her tendency to procrastinate has dissipated with a lot of help from her Accountability Partner. Let’s talk.
www.carolynmonjoi.com
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