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.