How to stir your Moxy.

A brand new newsletter from Rosie Dalling.

So far this morning, I’ve reorganised my pen pot, removing the scratchy nibbed, the out of ink, and the curiously paint brush-eque members of my uni pin fine-liner collection.  I’ve ordered a new recipe book for my pressure cooker, scanned through my calendar in the hope of finding an engagement I’ve missed and must drop everything to attend to.  But nope!  The three hours I’ve put aside to write belongs to us and I must stay here and stare at this blank page until I find what I need to fill it. 

And by the way, it’s not that I don’t want to write to you.  In fact it’s the opposite.  It’s that I want to create something for you that is so magical, so useful, so life-changing that the idea of sitting down to write it now feels… unrealistic.   

I must get over myself!

I realise that simply sharing the idea with you could be just enough to make a difference.

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And if you’re ready, we need to go on an adventure.

We are in Long Island.  It’s a balmy summer evening in 1922 and somebody is having a party.

Everywhere you look people are having the night of their lives. The air is filled with the bravado of live jazz music, a dance floor is shaped by tuxedos and sharp bobs and the bartender is lining up a silver tray with opaline frosted lowballs. 

Into these glasses tumble ice and bourbon, followed by a mysterious, dark syrup and finally a spritz of soda. 

This is ‘The Moxie’. 

Moxie started out as a medicine in 1870s America.  Given to help people ‘hold their nerve’.  It morphed into a cocktail, changed its spelling and the word ‘Moxy’ entered the American lexicon to mean courage, determination and drive. 

I was so enchanted by the word that I knew it had to have its own newsletter. 

I want to be clear that Moxy is not what makes you special: that’s already in the bag.

Rather, it’s the difference between you going after what you want versus not.  It’s what makes you ask for what you deserve versus allowing yourself to be overlooked, it’s what makes you stand up for yourself versus letting things go. 

Moxy helps you live up to your worth.

I’m going to explore the concept of Moxy in this newsletter.  How it shows up, where it comes from, whether we can cultivate it. 

For our version of The Moxy, we’ll put the whiskey to the side (although you’ll need it when it’s time to toast your success) and we’ll focus on what’s already in your allegorical drinks cabinet.

I wonder if you’ve decided that other people have Moxy but you do not. I bet you can name three people right now who radiate, ooze and fizz Moxy.

And maybe you believe that’s their endowment, but not yours.

But just as that mysterious bottle of something forgotten lurks at the back of your drinks trolley, so too is the Moxy inside you ready to add flavour to your life.

Two thought experiments:

First, I know you can think of a time when you surprised yourself with your own courage, determination and gumption. Got it? That’s your Moxy!

Second, I want you to think of the future - something you’d love to make happen, something you’re working on, maybe something you need to ask for.

Don’t wait for inspiration to start. Take your lowball in hand and let your Moxy do the rest.

I love this quote from actress Janet Mcteer, who was giving advice to actors just starting out:

“Put a post it note on your mirror that says:

“Repeat three times before every audition.”

This is Moxy in its’ purest sense: Not allowing your doubts to get in the way of your talent.

Where in your life do you need this post-it note?

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That’s it from me this morning. The tooth is out. It wasn’t so hard after all. I’m delighted to be writing to you again.  My plan is to take it slowly, probably once a month.  And what makes this even more fun is to hear YOUR stories, thoughts, ideas, suggestions, so feel free to reply or use the comment section at the bottom of this newsletter.

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If you think that you or your organisation could benefit from working with me, click on this link to set up a free 30 minute call or you could forward this email to your L&D or Talent leads.

I’ll be running my 2 hr vision writing workshop in January. Please drop me an email here if you’d like to join the waiting list to sign up for it.

Thanks for reading.

Have a wonderful weekend.