Read Time: 9 minutes

Following is the email Jane sent to her list that inspired the Business Acceleration Series.

It’s been a while since I’ve written…

Not because I haven’t been thinking about you and the others on my list, but because I’ve been down for the count, thanks to a chronic case of asthma that took me out of commission for four weeks.

I considered writing about the multiple trips to the ER, the sense of not being able to breathe and how my asthma was my body’s way of manifesting a way for me to slow down and disconnect from the world.

But instead, I want to share the part of my story I feel will serve you – how I went from feeling out of touch and completely unmotivated to getting back in my groove and feeling inspired to do the work I am here to do.

As entrepreneurs we make stuff happen. We keep the revenues flowing, the clients happy and the content coming. When others can feel our love for what we do and our sincere desire to impact change, it’s magic. Like a moth drawn to a flame, when we are in flow, people feel it and they want to be a part of it.

This thing that draws people to us is what I call “mojo.”

  • Cambridge Dictionary defines mojo as… “A quality that attracts people to you and makes you successful and full of energy.”
  • Merriam Webster defines mojo as… “A power that may seem magical and that allows someone to be very effective and successful.”

But when we feel like crap, lose our confidence, experience a setback, or lose sight of our vision our mojo starts to fade. And that, my friend, is what happened to me during my four-week dance with asthma.

I’ll be honest, it was scary. As the asthma started to subside, I assumed I’d be back to my old self, hopping out of bed at 5:30 am, starting my day with my morning practice, connecting with my team on the way to and from the gym and blowing through my to do list like a woman on fire.

But… not so much. No matter how much I willed it, I couldn’t find my mojo.

So, I began my quest to reclaim my mojo. What is that you may ask?

“Entrepreneurial mojo is an energetic vibration that begins with the owner and exudes throughout the company through its people, products and programs. It acts as a magnet that draws people and opportunities and a beacon for manifesting extraordinary results with ease, grace and fun.”

Guessing there may be times when you too, need to reclaim your mojo and get back in your groove, here’s what I did to activate my entrepreneurial mojo.

  1. I forgave myself. OK, I know, this may sound a little odd but I noticed I was beating up on myself a bit for not being super woman. I took myself off the hook and got over it.

  2. I let my leadership team know what was going on. My team is the best. They would go to the ends of the earth for me. I owed it to them to acknowledge that I was not my usual self and let them know I would be back with time.
  3. I changed the way I coached. Because I wasn’t able to talk, rather than have our usual coaching sessions, I offered to coach clients via email. What a gift it turned out to be. Through email we took our coaching to another level of transparency and depth.
  4. I cleared the decks. With zero bandwidth for anything that was not essential, I cancelled calls, bowed out of events and stopped giving my energy to non-essential things.

  5. I revisited my WHY. If you know me and my work, I am big on the importance of having a clear, compelling, written vision. This was the key element in getting my mojo back. Reading my own words about what I want to create, the difference I am here to make and the things I want to accomplish was profound.
  6. I changed how we do business. A theme emerged as I reflected on what prompted the asthma and what I wanted for myself, my clients and my team going forward. “Do less and do it at a higher level of excellence.” Mind you, I have three companies, two of them technology based, so my “do less” may be different from yours. But the takeaway for you is this… when you focus your efforts on the few important things you show up more powerfully in all you do.
  7. I adjusted how I set goals. Perhaps the biggest aha for me was seeing that my drive to achieve is more about how I am wired, rather than born out of need. Mario and I are good. Our lifestyle is simple and we are set, therefore hitting our revenue goal is more of a game for me than a necessity. From this place, we adjusted our annual goals.
  8. I practiced extreme self-care. Whether it was a massage, my last minute trip to Hawaii to be with my sister Sue, or asking for support getting dinners on the table, I was really kind to myself.
  9. I reached out. I am blessed with a kick ass team who knows and shares our vision. But during this time, I needed to connect with friends outside my day-to-day world. Many responded and you know who you are. You were instrumental in me getting my mojo back. Thank you.
  10. I remembered who I am. So, here’s the deal… when we are knocked to our knees, whether it’s an illness, a setback or some form of loss, we forget who we are. The greatest gift of my four week dance with asthma is that I reconnected with who I am, why I am here and how I am the perfect person to be doing what I am doing. And that my friends, is worth its weight in gold. ;0)

What I learned from my four-week hiatus and my triumphant return to my definition of normal is this… how we feel as entrepreneurs matters. Our ability to navigate the inner game of entrepreneurship is more important than any strategy or tactic we may decide to deploy.

So, whether you find yourself feeling unmotivated, disconnected, discouraged or down right depressed, take heart. This too shall pass, as my mom always said. The important thing is that you acknowledge where you are and take steps to create positive change.

Here’s my request… no matter how you are feeling right now, save these tips. Then, when you find yourself feeling disconnected or unmotivated lean into this process and hold the hope that this too shall pass.

I do not take lightly that you are allowing my emails to pop into your inbox. My promise is that there is more of this to come.

Much love to you,

Jane