What is your 2013 mantra? (by Stacey Holmes)
Mantra. You have probably heard the term before. You might be saying to yourself, Oh, that's a buzz word used by those “spiritual people”. You know — people who believe in past lives, spirit guides, and daily meditation. Well, I invite you to consider that anyone, including you, can benefit from having a mantra. To help us get on the same page I thought it would be useful to define the term. I recently looked it up the definition and found this: A mantra is a sound, syllable, word, or group of words that is considered capable of creating transformation… Wow! That’s powerful. I have been using mantras for many years now and I didn’t know they were that potent.Even if they don’t accomplish all they are supposed to; i.e., creating transformation, isn’t it worth a try? I mean even a partial transformation is pretty darn good, isn’t it?
Here’s what I do. Each year I try to come up with one or two mantras that help support my goals. For instance, in 2012 my mantras have been “boundaries” and “breathe”. It has been the year of slowing down and taking on less. Not that I would grade myself an “A”, or even a “B”, but I did have the intention. The times I did invoke these concepts they helped guide and ground me. The “breathe” mantra being mostly applicable to situations involving my kids. Heck, I even have my five year old taking a deep breath when she loses it.
So as we begin 2013, my mind is percolating with possible mantras. So far my ideas are: “possibilities” and ”expansion". Even if you haven’t set, or don’t plan to, 2013 goals, try to think of a word or words that resonate for you. What speaks to you?
Once you have the word(s), the next steps are to:
- Say them to yourself, daily
- Write them down, over and over
- Put them on a post-it and stick them on your bathroom mirror
- Tell them to your friends
So, next time you are in your car, sitting at stoplight, take a moment and try some mantras on for size. Say them out loud! Make them real!
