Mantras Vs. Resolutions
With a new year comes a fresh start. Many people feel inspired and motivated to make bold changes in their lives and this is a beautiful thing. Seeing people striving to better themselves is wonderful however a lot of people go about it the wrong way. Because they approach improving themselves the wrong way, a lot of goals are left in the dust with a few weeks. My solution? Pick a new years mantra, not a list of new years resolutions.
What is a Resolution?
A resolution, specifically a New Year’s resolution is traditionally when someone resolves or decides, to change an undesired trait about them. Typically New Years’s resolutions go along the lines of losing weight or changing dietary habits.
They tend to be very specific, which is important when setting goals. While they are specific, they don’t do much else to set you up for success. A lot of people let go of their resolutions within 30-90 days of setting them.
This when setting a New Year’s mantra comes in.
What is a Mantra?
Mantra means “Man” = Mind and “Tra” = instrument so in total = Mind Instrument.
This is exactly what you want in order to set yourself up for success in the new year. A mantra can help you get in the right mindset to approach your goals. After all, the concept of mindset and goal success is not a new thing. To set your self up to easily achieve your goals, you need to be in the right headspace.
Ultimately, a mantra can help keep you aligned with your goals easily.
Some Mantra Ideas:
Last year I made the switch from Resolutions to Mantras and I loved it. My mantra was “Let happiness be your compass” and I reminded myself of this every day. It was a gentle nudge to make sure I was allowing myself to pursue my dreams and not forcing myself to do things that I was suffering through.
Some other mantra ideas include:
- Make your own luck
- Follow your bliss – or – Follow your happiness
- Honor your body
- Sometimes you win, sometimes you learn
- Be present
- Don’t give up what you want the most for what you want now
- _______ is a choice (think busy is a choice, stress is a choice, happiness is a choice, motivation is a choice, etc.)
How to Stick to your Mantra:
So you have your mantra picked out, how are you going to stick to it?
- Make a cute phone background with your mantra on it
- Place sticky notes around the house with your mantra
- Paint a beautiful piece of art with your mantra on it and hang it up
- Share your mantras with others so they can hold you accountable
- Start a daily or weekly mantra journal where you brain dump how you’ve honored your mantra and how you can continue to honor it in the future
I hope this post inspired you to start the New Year off right. If this post didn’t convince you to pick a mantra and you want to stick to New Year’s resolutions, check out these posts that are all about setting no-fail goals, achieving your goals with gratitude, and resolutions that nourish the mind and body.
Comment below what your mantras or resolutions are.