How to Change Your Life (For the Better)

Does this sound familiar? 

You open one eye mad at the alarm and hit snooze. You oversleep and wake up mad and tired at the world. Since you're now running late for enslavement, I mean, work, you stop at Starbucks on the way in and grab a venti caramel macchiato and a marble loaf. 

During lunch you swing by a drive-thru and grab something from the value menu and you run back to the office and devour it at your desk. About an hour later you feel sluggish and need a pick-me-up. Off to the vending machine you go for a candy bar. After all, sugar is a stimulant right? You need some more coffee to accompany the sugar, so you make some coffee at the office and sip that the rest of the afternoon.

For dinner, you have a famished family that needs to be fed so you open the pantry and pull out a box of mashed potatoes that claims to be made with real potatoes and you make a quick and easy meal. The table is served with a grocery store bought baked chicken and some gravy from a glass jar. Sounds like a hearty meal, right? 

The next morning you wake up feeling even more tired. You have huge bags under your eyes, you don't have the energy to brush your teeth much less function at the office. You keep hearing about people who have time to exercise, eat right and live a well-balanced life. So where does a person who works a full-time job, has children, and somewhat of a social life find time to do all of that? 

Well, I'm here to share some information with you about how to start. For starters, I'm not a psychologist, nutritionist or medical doctor. I'm just an average person who has highs and lows just like anyone else. I'm a work in progress. I'm also a full-time professional and a single parent. It has taken me years to realize that a) we are what we eat and b) trying to stay healthy in my 30s is a heck of a lot harder than it was in my 20s.

My college years consisted of eating things I thought were healthy, working on a college degree and still having enough time and energy to exercise 6 days a week and party hardy and let me tell you, I scrubbed the ground back in my hay day. I was always on the go, full of zest and life, but eating all the wrong things. Fast forward to my mid-thirties, a divorce and c-section later and here I am.

I'd be fooling you if I told you that exercising and eating right are the only things that need to be done to be healthy. We must be self-aware first and then set goals not only for our physical health but also for our spiritual, mental, social and other areas of wellness. That is why I started Mojo Dojo. It's not just about me, but about the big picture. Our society is slowly dying because of how we are living. Stress and food are killing us. I'm a firm believer that complaining gets us nowhere. We have to do something and take action steps toward change or we will remain in the same spot we are in with zero progress.

These are my Tips for Getting Started Right Now:

Change your mindset - Henry Ford is quoted as saying, "Whether you think you can or you think you can't--you are right." Our thoughts can turn in to our reality. Period.

Observe your own behaviors - Before I could change my life, I had to pay close attention to what I was doing. This included everything from what I ate to what I allowed myself to think about myself and how I viewed the world. My advice is to keep a journal and write all of your actions down. Every activity and nuance should be documented. This is key to becoming more aware of your own behaviors. Self-reflection is an on-going process so we should all do this periodically.

Set some goals - After I reviewed what I was doing, I then set some goals. I made my goals realistic. Stay away from words like never and always. I know my Self and I love me some chocolate so to say I would never eat a piece of chocolate again, was setting me up for failure. I also had to be practical based on work/life commitments. I can't vow to exercise 3 hours a day because I work full-time and have a child that has real homework and a set bed time. I also had to prioritize the goals and started with one or two, "This week I will ______." When it comes to food, there will be a future blog with specifics on why my nutritional goals are what they are, but this is something that is very personal and customized. 

My physical goals are to

Increase flexibility

Get more rest at night

Be more active during the day

My nutritional goals are to

Avoid white sugar, rice, flour, sodium, wheat, coffe, meat and dairy

Eat primarily fruits and vegetables

Buy organic whenever possible

Drink more water (minus the fluoride)

My Spiritual Goals are to

Meditate/pray more

Listen to my Self

Be more self-aware

Reflect more on my actions

My Environmental Goals are to

Recycle regularly

Reuse plastic and glass containers

Donate/sell things I don't use

Learn more about renewable energy

Conserve power & water

Plant a food garden

Make my own all natural haircare/skincare products

My Social Goals are to

Listen more

Talk less

Give more

Expect less

Love more

Dislike less

Understand more

Judge less

My Occupational Goals are to

Pursue what I am passionate about

Think less about money

Think more about fulfillment

Eventually work for myself

Provide a cushion of sustainability

Create a fulfilling environment that brings in sufficient income with less enslavement

Be a transformational leader

Some of you may have specific questions or need a sounding board. Feel free to e-mail us directly or visit our Facebook page for more detailed information.

Inform yourself - We've all heard that most of what we learn in life is learned outside of the classroom. Lifestyle changes are no different. Find something that you are passionate about and make it a goal to learn something new about it. Reading is fundamental so put your brain to work and tap into your resources. There is a vast amount of information on the web these days and you can google just about anything. We are all researchers. If you have a Netflix account, view some documentaries about topics of interest. If you do not have Netflix, visit Films for Action. I started by watching documentaries a dear friend recommended. The documentaries were about food so that is where I started. A list will be provided in a future blog. 

Detox when you need to - By detoxing I don't just mean your body. I mean your mind and spirit too. In order to be a healthy person it's not just about food and exercise. It's about your thoughts and what things you do to make your Self feel fulfilled. You must have a purpose and take action steps to fulfill that purpose. One thing I started doing was turning off my phone when I spend time with my daughter. It's bad enough we spend 40+ hours per week in enslavement, I mean, work. Now we are also slaves to technology. Learn to turn off the television, the phone, the computer, etc. and spend quality time with those you love. If you find yourself in solitude, enjoy that time to get to know your Self better. Silence can be very revealing. For food detoxing a juice fast is awesome. I like it because my body received the nutrients it needed and I was not hungry. The hard part is getting used to not chewing on something. Starting off with a 1 day juice fast or weekend juice fast is realistic but pick the right weekend. Don't do it when your friend has an outdoor BBQ planned. Juicing tips will be provided in a future blog. 

Commit to your Self - To piggyback on the above, you can learn to say "no." Say you are already committed and spend alone time to do something you enjoy whether it's a hobby, going for a bike ride, researching lifestyle changes, or what have you.

Get rid of the stuff that is weighing you down - Some people call this spring cleaning, others call it purging or donating. Look around your home and make it a goal to de-clutter one room at a time. Make piles as you sort through your stuff. This tip can also be about people and relationships. If you are in an unhealthy relationship be it with a significant other or friend/family member, it may be time to move on. Surround yourself with like-minded people. Negativity will weigh you down just as much as a heavy tumor will. 

I invite you to think about these things in relation to your life and habits. This blog is more about sharing and exchanging information. Please visit us on Facebook or Pinterest for more information. We hope this has been of value to you. We would love to receive feedback and questions from you. You can either comment on e-mail us privately.

Living and Loving Without Ego

There is Cherokee legend about an old Cherokee who is teaching his grandson about life. "A fight is going on inside me," he said to the boy.

"It is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves. One is evil - he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego." 

He continued, "The other is good - he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith. The same fight is going on inside you - and inside every other person, too."

The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, "Which wolf will win?"

The old Cherokee simply replied, "The one you feed."



This great story could not outline better the differences between those two sides in each of us. If we investigate deeply into the origin of our ego, we will discover that it is not something we are born with nor is it something we consciously began to create. Rather it is what develops automatically in us from living in this crazy world. Since the time of our birth, it becomes this collection of all our social conditioning and the defensive walls we erect in reaction to life's painful experiences (which includes the negative messages we have received from others). It is fed predominantly in an environment of scarcity ( where we don't get enough of our physical and emotional needs met).

Think back to a period of time in your childhood when you were consistently teased, hated on, bullied or unfairly punished. How did you respond to it? Did you become less trusting, more insecure, and apathetic?  Did you consciously choose to react this way or was it spontaneous? With each occurrence did you build up your guard more, making it a deeper part of your personality? If you answered "Yes" to all of these then is it fair to say that, as time has passed, this set of unhappy reactions is now one big habitual creature? This is just a small example of how it grows unsuspectedly in a person's mind and heart. 

The reality today is that we have very little choice (or much of a will) in the moment when we are not even aware of this ego, of how it formed in us, how it is running our lives when we are on autopilot, and how destructive it really is.

So what is it like to exist without this ego?

It is quite simple... this is when we are operating much closer to our true human potential. We feel free to play, to explore, to truly learn, to contribute and to treat things around us with the respect and appreciation they deserve. We are free to realize that we are interconnected and that we all have come to this existence from the same divine all-powerful source.

Let's reflect for a moment on how it is to (try to) love another person with our ego. We often start by enjoying that person. After the honeymoon period, inevitably, things lead to conflict, fear, insecurity, jealousy, lots of limitations, desperation, loneliness, boredom, pressure and/or selfishness. This is unfortunately how most of us experience love and relate with each other. 

Flipping things around, what is it like to love another person in the absence of this ego? It would be an experience of consistent harmony, trust, abundance, freedom, fluidity, appreciation, understanding, warmth, playfulness, and cooperation. Promises and sweet talk are not a requisite here because, when we think about it, only the ego needs reassurance. Our higher self is much more grounded, connected, and fulfilled with life in general. From this level of awareness, groundedness, and freedom, we are able to supply each other with continuous intelligent and nurturing acts of love. 

We must become acquainted with our ego in order to no longer feed it and, by doing so, set ourselves free.

The Power of "No"

Ever felt overwhelmed by your To Do List?  Then a friend texts you asking for a favor and you wonder where you will find the time to help them out.  One of the things I have always struggled with is knowing when to say no.  Sometimes there can be a thin line between helping someone out and inconveniencing your Self. 

A few years ago, I was watching the Oprah Winfrey Show and heard something that struck a chord in me. Oprah's guest was talking about the power of no. She went on to say that we should view our To Do List in terms of commitments. If something comes up that we know we do not have the time or energy for, we can always say I'm already committed. That can mean I'm already committed to my work, I'm already committed to my family, or I'm already committed to my Self. You may have noticed on previous blog posts that I separate my from Self and capitalize Self. In doing so I am referring to the spiritual person that resides in each of us. 

Making time for our Selves is just as important as making time for others. It's wonderful to be altruistic and share our time with others, but at some point we all need time for our Selves. Solitude is just as important as having a sense of community. Whether we make time to meditate, exercise, or read a book spending time alone is often needed in order to drown out all of the noise around us and return to center. 

If you need some suggestions on  how to decide whether to say yes or no, this article is a great reference:

Questions to Ask Before Saying Yes