Our “What’s Next” advisor Cindy explains why a mantra may be even more important to your life than a password. Hmmm? I keep confusing my password with my mantra….
June is over. It was a whirlwind of a month. I celebrated one son’s graduation from high school; one son’s graduation from college. I laughed, cried, hugged, and marveled. I also worried that grandparents were comfortable, obsessed over whether I was giving my sons enough space to be with their friends, spent more time than was required organizing meals. I have fond memories, for sure. But I am also more drained than I need be. I could have been more in the moment. I kept confusing my password with my mantra….
Passwords. First, you have to remember them. Then, when you do, all they seem to do is provide access to the “have-to-do’s”- work, online purchases, banking transactions, unhelpful customer service reps…. To me, passwords represent the daily grind; the static of life; being reactive vs. proactive. Passwords make me cranky, like emptying the dish washer. Passwords make me feel out of control, like my environment is dictating my priorities.
Being neither a student nor practitioner of Eastern religions, my notion of a mantra is no doubt parochial. To me, a mantra is an inherent truth which has a better chance of being realized if you concentrate on it than if you don’t. It is an instrument of thought which helps focus one’s mind on a personal truth. A mantra suggests a deliberate state of being where one strives for balance and to be in the moment. It is the antithesis of a password.
Some time back, I came across a self-actualization exercise to create a personal mantra. I dismissed it at the time but the suggestion stuck and sometime later the following words came to me: “Purpose. Courage. Harmony.” They have served me well ever since.
Purpose reminds me to listen to myself; to be in touch with MY sense of purpose; to own my life. (I am getting better and better at this). Courage requires action. It means being brave enough to pursue my purpose; advocating for myself; navigating the obstacle course of passwords and the static of life. ( I’m not great at this but I’m working on it). Harmony is the feeling of balance – dare I call it happiness – which results when purpose and, then, courage happen.
“Purpose. Courage. Harmony.”
My mantra is my home base. It is helping me transition from my crazy month of June back to a more focused, deliberate, purposeful place. Repeating, remembering, internalizing these three words are what keeps me facing in the general direction of greater contentment. And this seems a worthy goal at this point in life.
“Purpose. Courage. Harmony.”
Said simply, when I know what I want and act to achieve it, I feel really good.
Do you think a mantra could help you? What might it be? Will you share your thinking with us?
Cindy
