how to build a life doing what you love
Category Archives: my craft (‘me earner’)
How to get your mojo singing ‘Hell to the Yeah’
Truth be told I’ve been trying to get my mojo to sing loud and proud for an age, to middling success.
To get things hip hop moving along I spent a couple of days at the first ever Blogcademy in New York city. It was hands down one of the best things I’ve done to move my ideas forward in a really long time. The BEST. I think I may have a choir of mojo about to sing Hellalujah. It got me thinking about how we get our mojo’s to sing…..I’ve jotted down some ideas at the bottom of this post if your needing a wriggle on.
Two gloriously affirming days hanging out with 29 other fabulous bloggers at the direction of three superstars of the blogosphere (and all things individual expression) Gala Darling, Nubby Twiglet and Kat Williams. And lets not forget the superstar of photography Lisa Devlin.
I was plunk in the middle of a master mistress class and it was amazeballs!
The alchemy of hustle is all about living your joy and passion on your own terms and these women were rocking right out on that, they are alchemical hustlers in the truest sense of the title. They are tap dancing on the head of their passionate reason for being, and it is a glorious site to behold*. Unabashed, unadulterated full expression of self with the added bonus of making a very successful living from it. Is there no other holier grail than that? Well for me there’s not, its my life’s work.
The workshops style and delivery were perfect for the way I learn. Informal, packed with awesome content (from lessons learnt, tips, the basics, what works, what doesn’t etc) and with loads of space for Q&A. I came away learning SO MUCH about all things blogging and how to make my blog fabulous. I am inspired with a game plan = ignited. And unexpectedly I learnt about the power of really living my mojo, singing from my own voice full time (not part). Over two days I soaked up the authentic voices of our teachers and it unconsciously washed over me and settled into my psyche. Seeing somebody else rocking it out prompts your subconscious to say “hey, why not join in”?
The other surprise gem has come from the community that has sprung to life and that is continuing to grow. A big nugget shared was the power of community, collaboration and support and the life these bring to our work, ideas, inspiration and selves. It’s the relationships that make the difference. I am loving being a part of this community.
Blogcademy graduates on a high after finishing the workshop. Photo taken by Femke Leemans.
So if you’d like to get your mojo singing ‘Hell to the Yeah’ you could try a few of these:
- get clear about your joy/passion, what you want to do. this is a good read if your a bit murky.
- feel more, think less
- get your vision up where you can see it, it helps keep the main thing, the main thing. I wrote about how to make a vision board here
- start dabbling or dive right in, there will never be a perfect time (because there is no such thing as perfect) there is just now
- build your community – meet other like minded peeps for fun, inspiration and ongoing support. Veronica Varlow who attended Blogcademy wrote an awesome post on how to build community here
- get some steer and support on how to make it happen, I just found out about this fabulous woman/firestarter. want more than just a book/online resource? a life coach can be an incredible resource for creating change or a mentor could be your thang
- make self care a priority, good food/sleep/balance/water/friends/fun are all part of the equation
- learn from the best, ask questions from those that have done it……soak it up (trust me it is priceless gold to be in conversation with people who are successfully singing from the top of their mojo’s lungs – see Gala, Nubby and Kat’s links above).
- be yourself, its a fruitless task being anybody else
What gets your mojo singing loud and proud?
*My description of these fabulous woman may to some sound a tad gushy, it is not. I write with authenticity and honesty on the things and people that genuinely inspire and motivate me (and shining a flood light on powerful woman is a good thing, I feel). Seeing individuals doing their thing/joy and being truly themselves is powerful, it is a massive agitator of change and enhancer of mojo happiness. I found that out this weekend in bucket loads.
learning a new craft
I found myself learning something new tonight. And it was FUN.
At first I stumbled with clumsy fingers and an out of tune brain. I felt like a fish in roller skates. Progress was slow but leapt to a dazzling pace after encouragement and guidance from our fabulous teacher.
I’m working with a bunch of great peeps at the mo and I joined in on their monthly craft night, where the talented Genevieve teaches all who are interested how to crochet. Yes you heard right, crochet. In a pub. Balls of yarn, hooks and budding crafty enthusiasm nestled in amongst pints, hot chips and great banter.
I managed to master single stitch. Okay master could be seen as a slight embellishment, but Im proud of my wee length of string. I shall take on a new stitch next month.
In the blink of an eye I went from not knowing how to do something. To knowing. I went from ‘this is really hard’ to ‘this is fun and easy’. And in addition to the fun and connection, I got a timely reminder about the incredible capacity we each hold to try and learn things we don’t think we can do. Okay so it was crochet, not open heart surgery…..but me thinks the principle holds true for pretty much anything.
making it happen (fake it till you make it)
A mate of mines got a saying “you gotta fake it till you make it”.
This usually enters the conversation when we’re talking about making a big scary change which requires the taking off of comfortable pants and the venturing into the new. The change is generally anchored around a dream or goal, and I don’t know about you, but being clear on ‘what it is you want’ can be an achievement in itself (well it was for me). So here I was glowing with the flush of victory at gaining clarity on my future direction when it peevishly dawned on me that vulnerability (my favourite of emotions) along with the need for a good pair of steel balls was required to make things happen. I say peevishly, because I was side blinded by my victory at ‘getting clear’ and thought I was on the home run (running away from needing to dig deep again). But I digress.
Me, you, people and the whole ‘starting something new’…..what an interesting dance.
For some, starting something new is no sweat. I find I need a bit of a run up, swaddled in courage and confidence. You know the things that can start coming up, we’ve all been there……..you start asking yourself ‘can I do this’, ‘am I good enough’, ‘I don’t have enough time’, ‘I don’t have the skills’, ‘what will others think’. The catalyst for needing steely balls swathed in a veil of vulnerability can be; starting a new business venture, going back to study after an absence, telling someone you like them, starting out in a new industry, dating when your a bit rusty, starting a new hobby, a work presentation. The list is endless.
And back to faking it………I stumbled across this gem of a post by Sarah Wilson, about faking it till you make it, about just starting with what you’ve got. And my friends saying went ‘ping, ping, ping’ in my neural jungle of a brain. The lights were on and I was home. So I have now included the ethos of ‘faking it’ to my hustling strategy for living my creative life of joy.
If your feeling like you need a bit of inspiration to start something new, and your maybe waivering in confidence and thinking ‘where to start?’ click the link to read Sarah’s post. And be inspired like I was, by one of the most famous *alchemical hustlers* – Michelangelo of all people. Now there’s a man with balls (read on).