Change your thoughts, change your world

Norman Vincent Peale, Author of The Power of Positive Thinking

Our self-talk is a powerful persuader.  Self-talk can convince you to reach for the stars or reach for the snooze button!  When you’ve set your goals, what is going to get you up out of bed, motivated and pumped to dive headfirst into the actions you need to take to achieve them? 

A mantra is a powerful statement that reminds you of your goals, where you want to go and who you want to be.  It can be the circuit breaker, the friendly reminder or the kick up the backside (!) that youneed to keep on-track.  

Let’s break down the 5-steps to developing your mantra:   

Step 1:  

What is your mantra for?  Which goals?  

You can have as many mantras as you like but the more you want to achieve a goal, the more powerful the mantra should be.  Why not start with one for the biggest and most important goal you want to achieve right now?

Step 2:  

Thinking about your values and strengths is a great place to start. 

In the work you’ve done previously, there will be key words and phrases that describe who you are at your best (strengths) and what’s most important to you (values).  These will be indicators of intrinsic motivation (motivation within you, not from outside) so will no doubt be helpful when creating your mantra.

Step 3:  

They’re short.  One or two short sentences. 

They should be powerful words that mean something to you on your path to achieving your goal.  Try starting with “I am …”, “I have …”, “I can ..” or “I will …” and weave in words from Step Two.  

Step 4:

Write them in positive, actionable language versus action-avoidance language.  

You will have identified your derailers and watch-outs already – great!  But you don’t need reminding of them.  What’s the positive and actionable mantra that flips those derailers on their heads! Here’s what we mean by that:

I won’t procrastinate                                         I won’t get distracted by XYZ 

I will do one task at a time                               I choose to focus on what’s important for me.

I won’t be a perfectionist                                  I won’t be too hard on myself

Progress over perfection                                 I treat myself with kindness.  

Each step is taking me to where I want to be    My mistakes show me I’m growing & learning

Step 5:  

Write it down, find an image or make a vision board for your mantra (or goal).  

We have a network of neurons extending from the top of our spinal cord into our brain that helps us focus.  It’s called the RAS – reticular activating system.  Watch these quick videos to learn how powerful our RAS is. 

RAS Video 1

RAS Video 2

Now you can see why mantras, combined with creating images that remind you of your goals, are a lethal combination to get you where you want to be!

Your next email will introduce you to a technique that really starts to bring everything together – the letter from the future! 

See you then!

The ZipCode Wellness team.

Further inspiration: 

For fitness mantras, check out THIS ARTICLE  

For success mantras, check out THIS ARTICLE