Most of us have a favorite inspirational quote, proverb, spiritual truth or religious saying that hits home with us and speaks to our soul. You can use that phrase as a personal mantra to provide motivation and encouragement when you need to focus your mind to achieve a goal.

Having a personal mantra expands upon the idea of having a “word for the year”. Choosing a word that can symbolize what you are working toward, such as patience, trust, confidence or commitment brings your true desires into sharp focus. It can spread across all facets of your life such as your relationships, your work and your health and fitness routines. Adding a personal mantra to your toolbox can give you a daily dose of affirmation and a gentle reminder of who you are, what you want to be and why you deserve to be your best self!

Oprah is a fan of mantras. She suggests that “there are no right or wrong mantras. Rather, your mantra is based on personal experience, and holds power as an individual and unique expression of what you most desire”.

http://www.oprah.com/inspiration/how-to-create-your-own-personal-mantra#ixzz5watO32Uy

Choose something that speaks to you. Then choose a quiet time such as early morning with a cup of coffee and repeat it out loud multiple times. Write it down in your journal and then reflect on how that speaks to you today in your current season of life.

For Episode 32, here are 32 sayings, quotes, proverbs or spiritual truths to jump start your investigation into finding your own mantra. They are not my original writings. Most of them have been handed down so many times over many years that they are different from the original phrase. I attempted to give credit where it could be found.

1. Direction Not Perfection - Lindsey House

2. Progress Over Perfection

3. Little by little, a little becomes a lot - Tanzanian Proverb

4. Slow progress is better than no progress

5. Change your thoughts and you’ll change your life (world) - Norman Vincent Peal

6. You can’t pour from an empty cup

7. You cannot pass on what you quit

8. One day at a time

9. Don’t just survive – THRIVE

10. You always become what you believe

11. Exercise is a celebration of what you can do, not a punishment for what you ate

12. You are only one workout away from a good mood

13. Ask yourself if what you are doing today, is getting you closer to tomorrow

14. Whatever is good for your soul, do that

15. You never know who needs you, good energy is contagious

16. Everyone can be great because everyone can serve

17. Do things you ought to do, to do things you want to do

18. Success is nothing more than a few simple disciplines practiced every day - Jim Rohn

19. Success consists of going from failure to failure without a loss of enthusiasm - Winston Churchill

20. Don’t allow a bad start to be the only start that you make

21. No matter how slow you go, you are still lapping everyone on the couch

22. Imagine if we obsessed about the things we loved about ourselves

23. Perfection is the thief of progress - Sommer Tucker

24. Life isn’t about finding yourself; it’s about creating yourself - George Bernard Shaw

25. Eat better, not less

26. Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase - Martin Luther King Jr.

27. Don’t just be good to others, be good to you

28. If the devil can’t make you bad, he’ll make you busy - Corrie Ten boom

29. If you have breath today, God is not finished with you - Lonnie Snell

30. Miracles start to happen when you give as much energy to your dreams as you do to your fears - Richard Wilkens

31. She began to measure herself in contentment and laughter rather than inches and pounds

32. The enemy of contentment is comparison

Journal questions

1) Do you have a word for 2019 that is keeping you focused on your ultimate priorities? If not, take the time to define what you are fighting for this year!

2) How do you feel about mantras? Are you good about using self-talk throughout your day?

3) Write down 5 quotes, proverbs or spiritual truths that you find motivating.