So, today, I’d like to do something a bit different. I’d like to offer you a tip that I learned (and I’ve alluded to before) that helps squash the resistance. 

 

It’s called, developing your mantra. Here we go….

I stared bleary-eyed at the mile marker 10 as Lake Seneca glistened in the periphery. My legs felt like bricks and sweat stung my eyes like battery acid.
 
Energy depleted. Exhausted. Spent.

I whispered my race mantra, “This is Water....ebb and flow,” over and over as my legs continued to somehow pump up and run and maintain proper running form.

Three miles later I crossed the finish line for my first Half-Ironman race, beating my race goal by ten minutes with a smooth time of 4:50:26 and quickly found my way to the nearby ice bath.

For my athlete friends out there, you know what I’m talking about here. We’ve all had moments when our bodies said, “Nope, You’re Done. Stop Moving.” But, when our bodies tells our minds that we’re done, it’s possible to breakthrough to a whole new level.

When I use to coach triathlon, I had my all of my athletes share their mantra with me before a race. I’d either have the mantra on a sign or yell it at them when they would pass by.

When they saw it, it was like a match sparked new fire in their eyes.

You don’t need to race an Ironman to benefit from a mantra. A mantra is meant to help whenever you’re going through a mentally or physically challenging time. Take it figuratively and I’m sure we all feel like we’re racing an Ironman at some point during our day.

Three Tips to Develop a Mantra

1. Keep it Simple

A mantra is a quick and meaningful saying that motivates the soul to push the body. Mine was “This is water...ebb and flow” because I knew that the pain I was feeling at that difficult moment in the race would subside and wash away like water on a beach.

 

Now, my mantra is “you’re getting better every day.”

2.  It Could Spark a Memory

One of my friends used to say a phrase his old military friend used to same to him when they fought in war together. That phrase would spark all the training he had put in in the military and remind him that he would persevere again.

3.  The Power of a Name

The mantra could be as simple as a name of a child or loved one. Sometimes just the name of someone you hold close to your heart can help give you the strength you need to push through.

Now, what’s your mantra? 

 

I mentioned that my new mantra is “I am getting better every day.” It’s more of an affirmation, but it still works the same. 

 

The reason I like this one is because I caught myself saying during a particularly difficult day, “I’m doing the best I can.” My wife and I had taken yet another emergency trip to the hospital and her Lyme Disease had hit one of it’s worse points. My checking account was getting closer to zero and we had already spent the majority of our what was supposed to be the downpayment for our first home. 

 

It was a really difficult time in my life. And, honestly, my wife and I are not in the clear by any means. We still struggle every day. We were actually just in the hospital last week for an emergency endoscopy. But, what’s changed is my mindset.

 

My mantra, I am getting better every day, helped me continue to move forward in my entrepreneurial goals, my writing, and, of course, creating this podcast. 

 

So, I hope the mantra helps you too stay on your path and live your life on purpose.