Does anyone else have a mantra?

[Royalbloo]

As a single parent to one DD, working full time, mine is, "Be your own best friend." I.e. have a wine when you need one, or a lie in, leave a cup out the night before with a teabag ready, lay out DD's clothes.

DD's is, "Be kind, have fun." If you're not being kind then having fun isn't ok. You must be both.

Anyone else? I often thank "yesterday me" for the stuff she did for me today...is that odd?!?

YABU = I'm a weirdo
YANBU = that's ace!

Mine is everything will be ok in the end, if it's not ok then it's not the end.

"Your best is always good enough"

I often have the following phrases going round my head:

“This too will pass” - always true, whether “this” is good or bad.

“Be kind to your future self” - this one is helpful when I’m feeling lazy. I feel that I invented this phrase, but it turns out that I wasn’t the first to think of it.

“Don’t ascribe to malice what can be plainly explained by incompetence” - this has helped me a lot. I work for a large and somewhat dysfunctional organisation.

"Don't be a dick, don't be a doormat".

'Just say yes' - DH & I both use this after realising (years ago) we were in a terrible rut of letting stress (him) and anxiety (me) stop us enjoying ourselves.
Now used for everything from "Will you come food shopping with me" to "not sure I want to go on this girls weekend away" and more recently "should I apply for this job I really want but don't think I'll get"

Not quite a mantra but my way of dealing with the imposter syndrome I suffer with - I remind myself that I'm smart, I can learn things I don't know yet and I deserve to be where I am.

Mine is ''Fuckem''

I wouldn't say it's a mantra exactly, but, (from feel the fear and do it anyway)

I count and I act as if I do.

Happy to share mine, I don't know where it came from - it was like someone whispered it in my ear one day.

'I can do this'

@lazylinguist

I quite like 'If you can't get out of it, get into it'. i.e. there are things in daily life you don't really want to do, but can't get out of doing, so it's better to find ways of enjoying them, or at least making them feel like less of a grind, rather than being grumpy about them.

I needed to hear this one. Thanks.

I have one which I never thought of as a mantra until I read this thread.

'Never go upstairs/downstairs (depending on where I am) empty handed'
I say it to myself when I am cleaning

Mine are:

All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well (Julian of Norwich - a version of 'This too shall pass')

The days are long, but the years are short.

Don't make a drama out of a crisis.

When I am feeling panicky or need to focus on my work

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him and he will make your paths straight".

It calms me right down

Do it today, so it won’t matter when you can’t
Eg when you have 30 mins to do some exercise, do it. So when you have a busy day and don’t get the chance, it doesn’t matter. Same concept applies to just playing with your kids, phoning your Nan, folding the laundry etc etc

If you’re not changing it, you’re choosing it

Has helped me at work when I’ve been whinging about an annoying colleague or a frustrating process and encouraged me to actually try and find a solution.

I really like 'this too will pass' it puts nicely what I always say to the DC when eg it's exam revision time. There will be a day when the exams (or whatever) will be over.

My mantra to them now that they are adults or nearly is 'nothing is so bad that you can't come home'.

I have two

Comparison is the thief of joy

And

No one is better than you and you are better than no one

And my favourite 'you wouldn't worry so much what people thought of you if you realised how seldom they do'

Mine for years was ‘breathe out, breathe in, repeat as necessary’
I then realised it wasn’t a terribly healthy approach as it focussed on just existing, getting through bad time rather than developing and growing.
I’ve returned to it in lockdown though...

I wouldn't call it a mantra, but I seem to tell myself to 'Eat the fucking frog" most days.

I have two. The first is 'this, too, shall pass' which is stuck on a post-it note above my desk and I repeat it to myself when work is dragging me down.

The other is 'I don't mind what happens'; a quote from Jiddu Krishnamurti which really helps me when I'm getting too tied up in 'outcomes'. It's about letting go of expectations and anxieties about things that you have little or no control over, and just letting what happens, happen. I think it can probably be misinterpreted as 'not caring' but for me it's very, very freeing.

I really struggle with perfectionism - then fall into the trap into doing nothing because it won't measure up to my weird expectations. So for me it's "you're OK".

OP I also find it easier to do things when I think of it as doing it for my future self. She always appreciates it!

Infant remember where I heard this but

"I never lose, I win or I learn"

Heard from my dad (he's in his 90s so he should know) and used by me..

Every problem has a solution

Life must carry on (he's been saying that a lot recently!) and he's right.

Great thread op !

Mine are “do it scared.” There was a time in my life where fear consumed me. This little mantra changed my life.

For my kids it’s “just try” and “remember mum loves you.”
My dd 19 said to mr the other day that it’s nice knowing no matter how big she’s messed up knowing that I love her and will come help if needed makes her feel better.

Proceed with kindness

Don't be a dick

Don't be a dick.

Sums up how I want my kids to interact with the world.