Imagine this – a high level meeting with the customer has been planned a week hence, and you, along with a few peers, are responsible for putting together a very big-fancy presentation. Been there – done that ?

You begin by waiting for the perfect moment to start putting the presentation together – first thing in the morning, before the craziness of the day hits us. But to no avail. You then decide to postpone efforts until the evening, but unfortunately the movie on cable TV is far more interesting. This cycle continues over the next few day too, but with new distractions – a great book, must-do-shopping and a visit to the doctor.

The countdown has already begun and with each passing hour, the tension only increases. Ideas are drying up and the stray one that makes it past the initial stage, doesn’t last the full leg. Dear God! The stress is unbelievable and the clock doesn’t stop ticking.

Suddenly , it all makes sense. These creative roadblocks are but obvious! How foolish to have forgotten that the presentation will not fall into place cause neither of you were wearing your lucky socks! Socks?!! Really ? What may appear to be results of hard work, smart thinking and collaborative efforts, is actually because of a pair of (hopefully, clean) socks ?

You’d be surprised but this isn’t a pet quirk of the baby boomers or even the new-age-middle age. Gen X+1 subscribe to it as well, and bring to the table, their own style. Not to be confused with superstitions or religious beliefs, the ‘sock’ transforms the creative road block into free flow of thoughts. Suddenly, the task seems within reach and the end results already look smashing.

What changed it all? A mindset shift or is it truly the energy from the pair of socks? That’s the beauty of a Mojo – traditionally a magical charm bag used in the African-American culture, it translates to a lucky charm ( an object, action or even a person) that we secretly and privately believe brings unprecedented fortunes. Lucky pens, special clothes, bracelets, watches, shoes, activities – the list is enthralling, endless and sometimes, embarrassing to print and share 

I met with Karthik a few months ago, when the tizzy over IPL matches had reaches new heights. He is the proud owner of a 75-inch flat screen TV and he promised us a gaming experience that no hotel could match – unlimited drinks and snacks, an impromptu dance every time Royal Challengers (the local team) scored and no air-conditioning! What?? That, he explained eagerly, was his way of ensuring that his favorite team won all matches . If only Dhoni (Captain of the Indian Cricket team) had figured that out, we would’ve saved some face in the recent Sri Lanka series  and a small personal fortune on electricity bills.

I must admit, it took me a while to recover from the heat stroke, but lesser to realize that there were many more Karthiks around me. Sachin is convinced that he will bag a sales deal only if his mum answers “Yes Munna” ( read – sonny) when he poses the question “ Mom, will I get a great sales deal this month?”. All credit to the magical words from mommy dearest . Meena wears pink, and only pink, for all examinations and interviews while Priya doesn’t step out of house until she’s given her Labrador puppy, Leo, a good belly-rub. Why? To avoid traffic snarls on her long drive to work.

While these may seem a little eccentric, lucky charms are fairly common in the celebrity world too. Cricket icon Sachin Tendulkar usually wears the leg pad given to him by his brother, on his right leg, before every match. If he has to change his pad during a match, Sachin ensures that he wears his brother’s pad, even if its for a short while only. President Obama carries a statuette of Madonna with her child and a bracelet worn by a US soldier in Iraq, with him at all times.

So, can a mojo cross over to become an obsession? It sure can, and Priya had to bear the brunt of it, cause very soon, Leo began to see the belly rub as a catch-me-if-you can game that took 15 precious minutes off Priya’s hectic mornings. Karthik was banished to the kitchen to watch the matches on a 14 inch screen and Meena was nick-named ‘Pinky’.

However, Im not convinced to give them up, not as yet atleast. Why should we, especially when it boosts self-confidence , self-esteem and is a feel good factor? If the first cup of tea for the day, in my favorite chipped mug, can reassure me that the day ahead will be stupendous, I don’t want to be a masochist and deny myself the pleasure.

Sometimes I wonder, am I the only one for whom matter takes precedence over the mind? What mojos are the others hiding behind? Will sharing it with others render it powerless?

If yes, keep it a secret. If not… go on and tell us, what’s your Mojo?

One of the best choices I have made in my recent blogging experience was to leave the blog open ended without a prescribed closing thought or with any attempt to provide ready-made answers. Honestly, I didn’t think or ponder over it too much. And boy, am I glad I didn’t !

However, while still writing out the blog, my confidant warned me that no one will respond. People prefer passive reading and mostly limit their comments to ‘great job Elango’ or ‘great thought’ or ‘agree with you’. However, this blog would require each one to think, deliberate and possibly reminisce, before they respond.

Was I asking for too much? Well, I went through several anxious days when the number of comments didn’t get to the numbers I expected . Ranging from sulking to speed-depression (like speed dating!), I thought I had lost my touch and connect. I had gone with my instinct and soon enough the barrage opened. Once again, I was overwhelmed with the responses I got.

Overwhelmed, not by the number of responses ( many of you still chose not to comment!) but with what was put out there. People were honest, clear and convinced about what their choice would be. Some even spoke about their insatiable want to have both options – the boyfriend and the fancy onsite job. This is a tough one, and different circumstances would elicit different responses altogether. However, the simplicity with which people took these hypothetical decisions is intriguing.

A majority of you were very emphatic about giving family and personal life preference over fancy job postings. “For me the choice is based on what weighs more positive on the bias, with family on both sides of the scale” – Well said Padma Prabhkaran! Suraj J echoes that further by saying “Moral of the story is – value family over everything else”. This concept of ‘family first’ is definitely a surprise for me… I haven’t seen this so strong before.

The second paradigm that the responses broke was that most of you, who are constantly jostling for more empowerment and elbow-room at the workplace, openly admit to democratic, collective and non-traditional decision making techniques ! While Shalu Salwan discusses it with those she trusts and respects, Prabhu Ambrose has an effortless mantra to go for the one that your heart desires and Ganapathi Devappa sums it up by saying ‘go with your heart and let the mind figure out the way’.

Suresh’s approach is priceless – he allows his mom to make all his decisions !(Mama’s boy, eh? Chuckle).

Post several comments on prioritization, weighing of options and many rounds of negotiations, I stumbled across the third paradigm – the subtle need to get our hands on both options! Cognitively, we all admit to consequences, but subconsciously we continue to desire both the big screen TV as well as well-rounded savings! The dichotomy is apparent in VG’s comment – ‘always think of what it would have been if you had decided in favor of the other’ and Santosh’s reinforces it by saying ‘always aim to get both, this and that ….it will take creating work arounds’.

Rather than take a judgment call, I looked closer to home and reaslised that this dichotomy was inherent in me too. Whenever I found myself not wanting both options, I figured that there really was no choice to begin with ! Isnt that what you meant Balamurugan V when u said that ‘we always have solution…never forget, once decided don’t worry about the choice you eliminated’.? As Robin Sharma states in The Greatness Guide – Burn your boats, so post crossing the river there is no looking back.

What I didn’t hear too much about were the tradeoffs that come with these decisions – a tight monthly budget will but obviously follow a 50 inch flat screen TV and potential cracks in relationships are a given due to the distance. Do we have a limited view of the consequences or is that built into the decision – come what may, this is the path I’m going to tread on and will deal with whatever comes my way?

More likely the latter, cause here is what Mr Cant-Decide, Ms So-In-Love and the Young Couple finally decided – remember, these were not fictional characters :

• Mr Cant-Decide bought just the TV and parked the Home Theater System for the next bonus cycle
• Ms So-In-Love took the fancy onsite posting cause her boyfriend didn’t want her to regret the decision 10 years later and neither did she
• The Young Couple decided to give the consulting offer a pass as he was confident of his capabilities and bet with me that many others would come his way 

Looks like most of us clearly understand priorities , are willing to make the trade offs and are strong enough to face the consequences.