You need a new motto

Feeling tired, bored, cranky? 

You need a motto.

Mottos help us actively re-write the negative scripts in our heads and change our futures. Saying something repeatedly re-wires our brains and pushes us out of our ruts.

Mottos are magic. 

Mottos are especially amazing if you make your own. Really. Check it out when you hear yourself repeating something you’ve said before or when you are challenged and responding in the same way you’ve always done. Then choose a motto that will help set you on your new, better path. Say it like a mantra. Write it on your mirror. Put it on your phone. Make it your password for your computer that you have to enter every 15 minutes.

My mother used to say “(I’m) moving on!” Instead of getting stuck, dwelling over what she couldn’t change, she’d say this and consciously choose to let things go.


If you aren’t sure about making your own motto, you can experiment with the ones below. Try them out; say them out loud and see how it feels in your gut. Consider a place where you may be stuck and try out the opposite. 

Anything positive can work, and the shorter the better.

You may be familiar with:

“Faster, higher, stronger” - Olympics

“Just do it” - Nike

“Don't be evil” - Google 

Or

“Do the right thing” - Google’s new parent company Alphabet


“Do... or do not. There is no try.” - Yoda

But some others you may know (and some of my favorites):

YOLO - you only live once

Family first

Carpe diem - Seize the Day

Close the loop [why I use this motto]

Maximum effort

Don’t worry, be happy

Get shit done

No surrender

Rome wasn’t built in a day

Light the fire. Be the spark.

Vision without action is a daydream - Japanese proverb

It’s better to light a candle than curse the darkness

Act or accept

Progress, not perfection

Do no harm

Simplify

Pain today is strength tomorrow

Begun is only half done - Restatement of Horace quote

Life is short, buy the shoes

I’m moving on 

Life is what you make it

No excuses

You don’t ask, you don’t get

Don’t live your fears, live your dreams

Start with what you know

Failure teaches

My work matters

Come too far to quit

Never say die

Everyday I grind

In it to win it

Teamwork makes the dream work

No obstacles, only challenges 

And finally, my mom’s favorite:

“Life is uncertain. Eat dessert first.”


Words have power. When you use words in a powerful way, you can alter the way you see the world. And you can change everything. 

So what’s your motto? Email me and let me know your mottos so I can add it to the list!