Mantra? What’s a mantra? Or maybe you are thinking, “Wait just a minute. Stop right there! This sounds like we’re heading off into some eastern mysticism or religious thing.” Mantras do have their roots in that sort of thing, but I’m not taking it there. I think of mantras as short, powerful phrases (or even just a couple of words) that we play in our heads that define what we stand for, that focus us and give us the inner motivation we need to push through challenges and get the best out of ourselves. I like to think of them as a way bring out my inner superhero.
We can use mantras to move toward our goals or to get through a tough time when our minds or bodies are screaming at us “Just give up!” In the area of exercise, most of us don’t bonk (or feel totally depleted) because of some physical issue, but because our minds just plain quit on us.
I’ve often heard that 95% of everything we do (in exercise or in the rest of life) is mental. If you let your head go all negative during a tough run or workout, just watch, it’ll suck the life right out of you. You’ll feel like you’re running through jello. Everything gets harder and harder, almost unbearable. Weights get heavier, sets get longer, and time just fights against you. Quitting sounds better and better. On the other hand, if you control your mind and start thinking and talking positive, you”ll feel stronger, more energetic, and totally able to reach that finish line, lift that weight, or complete the next set of reps. Those positive thoughts become your shovel to dig deep to resources inside of you.
Mantras can boost your tolerance and give you that extra mental energy and inner strength to reach your goal. So create mantras. Your challenge is to come up with at least one mantra for your exercise and workout life and at least one for your overall life. Here are some good guidelines to follow while creating your mantras:
- Keep it short. Two words or a very short phrase. Keep it as simple as possible.
- Make it match your personality. It has to inspire you and work for you, not someone else. Easy going people have more easy going mantras. Intense people have more intense mantras.
- Find one anywhere – from music, or an article, or a conversation, or you can even just use the name of an event or activity you are training/planning for. (I used “LA Marathon” for months in 2010.)
- Pick an area that you like to see improved and pick a phrase or couple of words that define that improvement. Maybe something like “daring and brave”; “young and fun”, “dreaming and doing.”
Now, you can come up with as many mantras as you want in as many areas of your life as you need them. Don’t settle for less than two – one that captures what you want from yourself in the area of your fitness and exercise and one for your overall life. That’s not too much to ask.
When you get good at using them, you’ll see that mantras can help you tap into stores of hidden energy and strength. You are capable of so much more than you think!
Picking mantra is great. Unless you put it into action, it won’t do you a damn bit of good. Here’s how to put mantras to work for you. Write them out and put them up somewhere you’ll see them often – tape them to the refrigerator, the dashboard of your car, on the bathroom mirror, or on your coffee cup. Make them the background on your computer or the greeting on your phone screen. Just get them out there where you will see them everyday. You can do what I did and etch your mantra into a small rock, or write it on a small card that will fit in your pocket. Then what? Having mantras out where you can read them is a great place to start, but it doesn’t end there.
- Begin by saying your mantra when you first wake up each day, before you ever get out of bed. Say it again while you are getting all beautiful for your day. You might as well end your day saying it as well.
- The next step is to say your mantras every time you grab that rock or card in your pocket, or see the notes you’ve taped in random places. Say your mantra out loud or just under your breath.
- Use your mantras in the tough times. This could be during a workout or anytime the negative, self-defeating thoughts start to hit. When the voice of doubt or weakness hits, that’s the most important time to put your mantra to work.
- Whisper it if you must at first. Then start saying it with confidence and power. I’ve even been known to shout mine out loud in public. Yell one out while you are working out, or driving, or be a bit of a nut and let one rip whenever you feel inspired or in need of strength, wherever you may be (grocery store, DMV, etc).
Still need some help coming up with ideas. Okay. Here are a few ideas to help you get started.
- Think about how you feel during a great run or workout. Put those feelings into words. It might be something like “Light and easy,” “Unstoppable,“ or “All day long.” Use those words to stir up those same good feelings during the hard times.
- Think of a couple of words (adjectives in particular) that capture your strengths or maybe strengths you are developing (or wishing for).
- Here are some that I’ve used. Maybe they’ll give you some inspiration.
- Never Settle
- Yes I Can – Yes, I Will
- Strong
- Just breathe
- This moment
- Destroy “can’t”
- No regrets
- I’ve got this
- All day long
- Feeling good, feeling strong
- 46 and going strong
- From the inside
If you really put this to work, you’ll be amazed at what mantras can do for you. Just remember to change up and update your mantras as needed. We change, so what motivates us will also change.
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