The ultimate empowerment: You get what you give, how sharing joy and positivity can create a ripple effect for happiness and fulfillment. By MOB Business Mentor and Coach, Francesca Hodgson
Hello Mobsters,
It’s good to be back and have the new year in full swing. For those of you who are new to my Monday Business blog, I am Francesca Hodgson, a fellow MOB member, SEND parent, exited tech founder and a Professional and Personal Coach, Business Mentor at We Are Ambition Ventures
Since October last year I have been a guest blogger and resident Business Coach and Mentor for The Mums Who Build community and I look forward to continuing this into 2025. As always, please feel free to leave comments and ask questions in the comments box below.
There are so many places we could start but after some deep reflection I wanted to set the theme for the year ahead with a mantra I repeat over and over and that mantra is “you get what you give”.
“Erm ok that’s great but I am already a parent and I am giving all the time, I am pretty much all out of energy to give”
As a mother to both neuro-typical and neuro-diverse children, trust me I understand if this was your initial reaction.
I myself almost completely lost the plot on the final day of the school Christmas holidays when the house was full of screaming children and all I wanted was the space to work and to be present with my thoughts. However, just as my husband came back from the office I had 20 minutes of light left in the day to take the dogs out and that’s when I took a deep breath and told myself in this moment I have a choice, I have a choice as to whether I come back in with a face of thunder and start moaning about how challenging the day had been or whether I smile, put the phone down, and tell myself that tomorrow is another day and that being angry and upset right now was only going to make matters worse. Well I am glad I chose the latter (as hard as it was to shift gears and as much as I was somewhat putting on a front) as the energy that night was relaxed, it was calm and that was all I truly wanted in those final few hours of the day.
This year my promise to myself is to remember that ‘you get what you give’ and to consciously be aware of the role my own energy and actions plays in attaining my goals and creating the environment for growth and fulfilment.
Is this mindset easy, not at all, however I have been inspired by the story of a man many of you will know, the story of Mo Gawdat. This story illustrates to me how even in the most challenging of times we can find the energy to give and say no to ourselves when those unwanted ‘spiders of doom’ (as I call them) creep into our everyday thoughts.
THE STORY OF MO GAWDAT
Mo Gawdat, a former Chief Business Officer at Google, experienced a profound personal transformation after the tragic loss of his son, Ali, in 2014. Ali passed away at the age of 21 due to a preventable medical error during a routine surgery. Overwhelmed by grief, Mo channeled his pain into a mission to understand happiness and share his findings with the world.
Before Ali’s death, Mo had spent over a decade studying the science of happiness. Using his engineering mindset, he developed an equation for happiness:
Happiness = Your perception of life’s events - Your expectations of how life should behave.
Ali had embodied joy and wisdom, and after his passing, Mo felt a responsibility to honor his son by spreading the principles of happiness that they had discussed together.
Mo’s mission expanded into a global initiative called "One Billion Happy," aiming to make one billion people happier by encouraging them to adopt and share practices for contentment and emotional well-being. He speaks extensively about challenging the misconceptions around happiness, understanding the brain's role in creating suffering, and cultivating gratitude and mindfulness.
Through his work, Mo Gawdat transformed personal tragedy into a movement, inspiring millions to prioritise happiness as a skill that can be nurtured and shared.
Watch Mo in action here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AL7Cb2O6Lhk
Moral of the Story
Even in the face of true adversity we can find the strength to give, to learn, to smile, to let go.
When we give to others, we tap into our own reserves of strength and positivity. When we live by our own values we create the energy we want to attract.
As we step into this new year, think about what you’re giving to others and what you’re giving to yourself. Are you acting in alignment with your values? Do you know what your values are? Are you creating moments of kindness, honesty, and empowerment that can ripple outwards?
In your personal and professional life, at every interaction, remember to ask yourself, am I acting in a way that aligns with who I truly am.
You might be surprised how small acts, or small changes to daily habits, can set off a chain reaction of positivity. For me the MOB is a great example of a community built on giving value and it's impressive to see the rapid growth of this incredible network in such a short space of time. I look forward to seeing and playing a small part in their growth in 2025.
So, this year, embrace the mantra: You get what you give. If you have read this far thank you, I appreciate your engagement and I hope that this has provided you with value and inspiration. Please let me know your thoughts in the comments.
As a personal and professional coach my mission is the empowerment of others. Whether that is building personal or professional lives, a deep understanding of who we are and what we need to thrive can supercharge our success.
Please do connect with me to via Linkedin and instagram, details below. If Linkedin, please add a note to your connection request to let me know you are a member of the MOB.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/francesca-hodgson/
https://www.instagram.com/we.are.ambition/
Top watch of the week: The Bank of Dave 2: The Loan Ranger on Netflix.
Fitting with the theme of this weeks blog, The Bank of Dave 2 is the ultimate feel good movie. Based on a true (ish) story of Burnley businessman Dave Fishwick who takes down the payday lenders. I highly recommend it.
Thanks for reading.
Have a great week Mobsters, and see you back here next Monday
Francesca
