It's here. January 1st and all those New Year's resolutions are upon us yet again.
If you feel like me, every New Year's Day you find yourself tired of the same old cycle, creating resolutions you never stick with and annoyed you are repeating your goals without ever getting anywhere. Maybe you're ready to try something different this New Year.
The beauty of the first day of the year, is it gives us a chance to start again or try a different approach towards being a better version of ourselves. If you are looking for a better way to work towards your goals this year, perhaps creating a personal mantra will help you see yourself in a new light and put you in the right state of mind to take action.
To get started, brainstorm and write a short list of phrases or single action words that can encompass steps you would like to start taking this year, or over the next few years.
Once you have your list, try to narrow down to your top 3 most important goals for this year. If you have some larger goals you are working toward that might need more time, put this into consideration (if your goals will take a few years or more, create a separate list for these and revisit them every few months to make sure you are still on the same path).
With your top 3 goals for this year, take the words or phrases and make them into a personal statement. For example, if one of your personal goals is "to be a better listener" than adjusting your wording to create your mantra as a statement you can recite to yourself, "I am a good listener." Take action to see yourself as already being the person you want to become and making the necessary changes on a regular basis. Take time to think about what it means to be this better version of yourself. If your goal is to be a better listener, what are the steps you need to take to improve this ability? How will you be a better listener in every action you take moving forward? Find a time that works for you each and every day to recite your mantra to yourself or quietly reflect on your mantra during meditation. As you continue to repeat your mantra you will instill this value in your nature more and more with time.
Don't overdo it, start with just one mantra that means the most to you. Recite to yourself this mantra regularly. Bring yourself back to personal reflection if you become overwhelmed or feel like you've trailed off-course from your intentions. Believe you can be the best version of you.