What do Serena Williams, Adele, and Robert Downey Jr. have in common?
They all have incredible MOJO!
Let’s start with Serena Williams, badass boss of the tennis circuit. In 2016, she tied Staffi Graf’s record of 22 Grand Slam wins and set the record for being the oldest woman to ever clinch a major title when she won Wimbledon yet again! After two decades on the court, she reigns supreme and shows no sign of slowing down.
But that doesn’t mean her career has been without low points. There was the time she lost the U.S. Open in 2015, followed by the French Open in 2016. She just didn’t have her mojo going for those competitions, but she didn’t let it get her down. Instead, she described it as a “win and a learning experience.”
Now let’s talk about Adele, the soulful chanteuse who swept the 2012 Grammy Awards, taking home six wins for her blockbuster album 21, including Album of the Year. Her third album, 25, sold 8 million copies in the U.S., making it one of the top selling albums since 2001.
She has become one of America’s sweethearts, but she almost didn’t make it to the U.S. In 2008, she cancelled her U.S. tour dates to be with a former boyfriend. She was drinking too much and going through a self-described “early life crisis.” It was only a last-minute appearance on Saturday Night Live that got her on the Billboard charts.
Finally, there is America’s bad boy Robert Downey Jr. He made his debut at the young age of five, and was nominated for his first Academy Award in 1993 for his role in Chaplin. However, his promising acting career was derailed in 1996 after he got convicted of felony drug possession and spent nearly a year in prison.
Downey made one of the biggest comebacks in Hollywood history by starring in Captain America: Civil War, among other blockbusters. He has been ranked as one of Forbes’ highest-paid actors for the past several years.
So what is this thing called MOJO?
We all know it when we see it, but what exactly is it?
The Merriam Webster dictionary defines it as “a power that may seem magical and that allows someone to be very effective, successful, etc.”
Executive Coach Marshall Goldsmith calls it “that positive spirit toward what we are doing now that starts from the inside and radiates to the outside.”
I think it is both of those things and more…
When we have our mojo going, it is a magical feeling. But where does it come from?
It starts with a little bit of talent and a lot of passion.
It is nurtured by dedication and commitment to our craft.
It grows stronger when we are tested by adversity, and stay in the game.
It manifests itself when we shine our light on the world and it is reflected back to us.
It thrives in an environment of absolute trust and belief in the abundance of the Universe.
It is not reserved for the wealthy and famous. It is a feeling we all can create in our own lives.
And yes, we will know it when we feel it!
