If you’re like me (or at least, how I once was,) you might think of mantras as being something of a “woo woo” hippie-type thing that some people do — but you’re definitely not one of them.

I get it. I thought mantras were something people only talked about, and said they did, but probably really didn’t do it. How does saying a phrase over and over change one’s life? And how in the heck do they come up with them anyway?

Well, I don’t know about them being life-changing, but I do know they’re complete day-changers for me. And since life is a series of day after day after day….I guess in way, they do alter my life, for the better.

They help me out, and change my days in the following ways:

• be a better person
• be a better business woman
• be a better trainer
• become more focused
• become more clear
• become more intentional

to name a few.

In the video below, I’m going to share with you a few things:

• how I implement my mantras
• Where Do I Find My Mantras? the three places that I find new and go-to mantras
• how they affect my daily life

To sum it up…

Why?

I use mantras to help solidify and increase the chances of living my life on MY terms, rather than my situation’s and reaction’s terms. Using mantras helps guide me back to the person I want to be or how I want my day to go. Because at the end of the day, our attitude determines how happy we are, not our situations.

Where?

#1 Life situations

First, I look to my life interactions and situations. If I wake up and feel distracted, cluttered, or unfocused, I’ll create a mantra that reflects that antithesis of those words. If I’m feeling anxious about something ahead, or down in the dumps about something that already happened, my mantra will exemplify gratitude, and being in the here and now.

 #2 My Word Board

I keep a whiteboard on my wall of all of the qualities I try to live out in my day to day. Words like gentleness, goodness, love, peace, patience, etc. are all qualities I work on feeling and living. If I’m feeling particularly impulsive or hot tempered, I’ll repeat, “I have self-control, and I am patient” as many times as needed throughout the day.

#3 Books

I’m typically reading some sort of personal or professional development book at any given time. When I come across a real nugget that smacks me in the face, I’ll write it down and meditate on it a bit. Then I’ll often come back to that one phrase when I need to put it to practice more than my natural tendencies have planned.

When?

In the morning, within an hour of waking up. Why wait until the end of the day when you can use its powers the entire day?

Tell me: Do you use mantras? Where do you find yours, and do you have any go-to mantras you’d like to share?