Personal Mantras

2015 is approaching fast.  There’s only a few weeks left to finish our goals, wrap our gifts and figure out who we’re going to kiss at the strike of 12.

It’s been another interesting year: filled with growth, inspiration, challenges and triumphs. I’ve learned a lot and through the process I’ve collected a set of mantras that I carry with me on a daily basis; I would like to share those with you, perhaps they too will make a positive difference in your life my dear reader.

“Be the strongest version of yourself”

Although strength is typically associated with physical attributes I’ve expanded this idea to other aspects of my life: be that physical, mental, spiritual, sociological, psychological, professional and even romantic.  Someone asked me recently “what is your goal, your motivation”; being the strongest version of myself would have to be it.

It’s an ongoing process; it’s a journey, a mission, and a lifestyle. Who I am today is not the person I will be tomorrow, or the next day; everything is changing: old ideas are dying, new ones are blooming; I adapt, evolve, and move forward; always progressing in a direction that suits my interests.

The trick is to give it your best and acknowledge the effort throughout the experience.

“Sacrifice the version of yourself today for the one tomorrow”

I often find that this particular mantra helps me through challenging times.  I think the applications are obvious in situations when you want to give up.  However there are also times when we need a break; a rest period to recharge our batteries and reconnect with our inner purpose.  I’ve found that the same idea helps even in those situations; in moments when I feel anxious that I am not performing to my 150%, at the time when the guilt and desire to push forward start thrusting me forward I stop, repeat the phrase and take a step back releasing the tension.

“Find what you love, fill your life with it and remove the components that limit you”

This is a relatively new idea [for me].  It’s a simple yet complicated concept.

The first challenge is to figure out what actually makes you happy, what motivates you, what gives you that spark in your daily routine that puts a smile on your face.  It’s a challenge because we are constantly bombarded with ideas that are supposed to make us happy; how are we to know what really matters?

The second challenge involves removing components that limit our ability to experience happiness.  There are many factors that affect us every day, we’re conditioned to act and behave in certain manners and as a result it is often extremely difficult to break away from those habits, to abandon our assumed comforts, to step away from what we were taught and believe, to decide for ourselves, to stand firm and say “no, that is enough”.

It takes courage, determination and the foresight to embark in to the unknown with hope for the better tomorrow.

All these ideas are relatively simple; but simple has nothing to do with a lot of hard work.

Max