Starting a business is like riding a roller coaster with highs and lows but never a dull moment.  One of the more challenging things to do is keep our stoke high. And more importantly, understand why it wanes and know how to re-invigorate it when it does.

I’d have to say 90% of the time, my stoke is high and so many things contribute to this. I love what I do, I work with wonderful, positive people and really enjoy their company and I enjoy my lifestyle and friends.

However, sometimes the stoke takes a turn
.  Maybe the ATO wants more money, cash flow tightens up, a client may be upset, a ball may be dropped, … stuff like this happens with alarming regularity.  So, its a matter of how we handle these troughs.

Fortunately, I’ve been lucky enough to have a business partner (many people don’t) who is also a lifelong friend (quite rare) in Toby Jenkins and we’ve been in it together from the start.  Having two of us has made all the difference. If I was a lone ranger, I think I would’ve subbed out entirely by now.

In the five years since we started our web strategy company Bluewire Media there have been countless times where our stoke has come into question.  We both agree that ‘stoke is a fickle beast’ and a difficult one to tame.

That said, what we’ve learnt is that when one of us is down, it’s the other one’s job to lift the collective stoke a bit.  We’ll talk it through, try to identify the cause, and maybe sleep on it until we’re back on top of it.

This usually works, unless we have both bottomed out! In this case, a swim, a jog, some boxing, a PT session or a surf will normally clear the mind and sort us out, but if we’re still struggling we’ll go and see on of our mentors to get some clarity on whatever issue we are faced with.

We call it stoke.  Gary Berwistle calls it Mojo. It’s your magic, verve, pizzaz, oomph, get up and go, your zip, your spark.

Meeting Gary Bertwistle

I was a guest at a TEC breakfast workshop that Gary presented at in Brisbane last year, and I liked his style.  I picked up a copy of his book Who Stole My Mojo? in which he shares some great advice on keeping your stoke (aka your Mojo) high.

Some of the things I learnt from Gary’s book are:

– have a council of trusted people who you see on a regular basis — ensure these are people who care the most for you.
– allow time every week for quality thinking & reading.
keep a journal to document your thoughts (or maybe a blog).
write down issues that need to be tackled.
eat and drink well, plus exercise and rest- this alone makes a huge impact on your Mojo.
think big and remove any ceilings from your mindset so you can achieve your dreams.
give compliments in writing (so they can be treasured and revisited) and always sort out problems verbally, although ideally in person.

Thanks Gary. And may we all keep the stoke (or Mojo) alive!

Business Speaker Brisbane:  If you’d Adam Franklin to speak at your event, please call 1300 258 394.


Tags

Business, gary bertwistle, mojo


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