Do you have a personal mantra?

A personal mantra is a positive phrase or affirmative statement that you say to yourself for the purpose of motivation or encouragement.

This could be your favorite quote, proverb, spiritual truth, or religious saying that motivates and inspires you to be your best self.

Today I wanted to share a few mantras that will uplift and support you in your personal growth. Here are some of my favorites that have helped me become a better person every day.

Personal Mantra To Help You Be Your Best Self

1. “It’s never too late to be who you might have been.” – George Eliot 

This quote always reassures me that no matter how old you are, or how many mistakes you’ve made along the way, you can always take the steps necessary to rediscover your true purpose in life.

2. “The path emerges as you walk it. So simply walk it.” – Natasha Allrich

This personal mantra encourages me to stop making everything so complicated and simply take the first step.

When we walk the path that is in front of us, we can avoid overwhelm and accomplish more of our goals in a much faster time frame.

3. “People are capable, at any time in their lives, of doing what they dream of.” — Paulo Coelho

This is a beautiful reminder that you have the capacity to do whatever you want with your life. Right now, actually. No need to wait for the “right time.”

4. “It is not wrong to go back to that which you have forgotten.”— West African proverb

Some people feel like once they’ve chosen a particular path, they can never turn back. Not true!

Once you realize that you’re not where you’re supposed to be, you can go back to that homeplace, that starting point that feels right to you.

5. “Action is the antidote to despair.” – Joan Baez  

Becoming a better person requires you to take consistent action on your goals until you accomplish them. No matter what area of your life you’re working on, the key to success is not getting overwhelmed, but choosing to move forward in spite of how difficult it may be.

Keep improving yourself with these personal mantras

6. “The first step towards getting somewhere is to decide you’re not going to stay where you are.” — John Pierpont Morgan

It doesn’t take this big, grand display of courage to make a change in your life. Sometimes, all you need to do is make the decision that you WILL begin exploring a new path.

7. “Ask for what you want and be prepared to get it.” – Maya Angelou

This personal mantra is what manifestation is all about in a nutshell. It reminds us that once we express our desires, it’s important to believe that they will be given to us.

Everyone makes mistakes and has to start over sometimes

8. “The past has no power over the present moment” — Eckhart Tolle

This personal mantra reminds me that the present moment is a means to an end and a stepping-stone to the future. Therefore, whatever I experience, feel, think and do, affects the future.  In other words, if I dislike what is happening now, or try getting away from it, I miss the essence of life and remain stuck in a dream world of images, concepts, and judgments.

9. “It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are.” – E.E. Cummings

The personal mantra affirms that personal growth may feel messy, and therefore, one needs the courage to overcome the negative influences.  Typically, the courage to keep practicing the right things leads to freedom, a sense of rootedness, and calm. In that regard, whenever we find ourselves faced with a critical choice, we must meet the challenge head-on. That means uncovering our personal strength, courage, and resilience, so we continue to become.

10. “The purpose of life is a life of purpose.” —Robert Byrne

So long as you go on without an earnest intention, or an intention that does not collect and employ the energies with which you are endowed, your affections and the talents will run into waste. Ideally, your talents and affections will be all in conflict and prey one upon another, leading to mischief. However, once you have a purpose and a resolve, there won’t be hesitancy or doubting.  

Personal mantras need action to back them up

11. “We attain freedom as we let go of whatever does not reflect our magnificence. A bird cannot fly high or far with a stone tied to its back. But release the impediment, and we are free to soar to unprecedented heights.” – Alan Cohen

This quote is an affirmation that nothing can hold you back unless YOU let it. The sky is the limit when you release what’s keeping you from moving forward.

12. “We must be willing to get rid of the life we’ve planned, so as to have the life that is waiting for us. The old skin has to be shed before the new one can come.” – Joseph Campbell

One of the biggest challenges to making progress with something new is not being able to LET GO of the old. This quote is a great reminder that when you try to keep one foot in the familiar as a Plan B, you never give yourself a chance to really succeed at Plan A.

13. “You were born with potential, You were born with goodness and trust, You were born with ideals and dreams, You were born with greatness, You were born with wings, You were not meant for crawling so don’t, You have wings, Learn to use them and fly.” – Rumi  

Everyone has a purpose in life, yet sometimes we forget this fundamental truth when life happens. This quote is a powerful affirmation of your value and what you are capable of achieving in life.

 14. “Progress always involves risks. You can’t steal second base and keep your foot on first base.” – Frederick B. Wilcox                                             

This quote reminds us that change requires you to step outside your comfort zone. It’s not possible to hold onto your old life AND build a better one at the same time.

15. “You can do anything you want with your life and no one can stop you…but you.” – Rosetta Thurman 

This is MY personal mantra that empowers me to live with courage, knowing that there are no limits to what I can do. We all have the power to achieve our big goals, and the only way to fail is by procrastinating or doubting yourself.

Personal Mantras That Will Change Your Life

16. “If you have made mistakes, even serious ones, there is always another chance for you. What we call failure is not the falling down, but the staying down.” — Mary Pickford

Sometimes life gives us a second chance, but we’re too ashamed to take it. Instead of holding on to your past mistakes, accept the truth that there’s something better waiting for you when you let go.

17. “Every one of us is called upon, probably many times, to start a new life. A frightening diagnosis, a marriage, a move, loss of a job. And onward full tilt we go, pitched and wrecked and absurdly resolute, driven in spite of everything to make good on a new shore. To be hopeful, to embrace one possibility after another – that is surely the basic instinct . . . Crying out: High tide! Time to move out into the glorious debris. Time to take this life for what it is.” – Barbara Kingslover

At some point, we all need to take a moment to step back and consider whether the highway we’ve been driving on for years still leads to the ultimate destination we want for our lives. If it doesn’t, it might be time to get off at the next exit and start doing something else!

18. “I wanted a perfect ending. Now I’ve learned, the hard way, that some poems don’t rhyme, and some stories don’t have a clear beginning, middle and end. Life is about not knowing, having to change, taking the moment and making the best of it, without knowing what’s going to happen next.” – Gilda Radner

This quote reminds us that life is not, and never will be, perfect. Instead, we can learn to live with a sense of gratitude for all the good we get to experience along the way.

19. “At the deepest level of being, you are one with all that is.” – Eckhart Tolle

This personal mantra reminds me that I have the power to influence what I experience. Therefore, by believing in myself, I find peace within myself and am able to live life meaningfully and as satisfying as possible.

20. “We write our own destiny; we become what we do.” – Madame Chiang Kai-Shek

This personal mantra means that we must keep our own future firmly by continuing to learn and being the person we have always wanted to become. Regardless of life’s challenges, we write our own destinies by ensuring the right choices and holding on to what is right.

21. “Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.” – Theodore Roosevelt

Always remember this personal mantra whenever you feel limited, and almost lose hope in life. The mantra helps you appreciate all opportunities and never let go, no matter the current challenges. Thus, no matter your position in society or the resources at your disposal, there is always something you can do to improve the current situation.   

22. “The primary cause of unhappiness is never the situation but your thoughts about it.” – Eckhart Tolle

The personal mantra reminds me that my thoughts about current life situations influence the outcome.  By separating the thoughts from the current situations, we create a neutral environment, whereby we can overcome the limits preventing us from taking the right action.

23. Life is a daring adventure or nothing at all. – Helen Keller

This personal mantra by Helen Keller demonstrates the risks involved in our everyday life. With every risk we take in life, there is change. Some of the changes may be internal or external and occur as a gradual or a slow process.  Essentially, a crisis or a problem in life may cause dramatic changes in a person, even when the change is forced.

24. “You must have control of the authorship of your own destiny. The pen that writes your life story must be held in your own hand.” — Irene C. Kassorla

To me, this personal mantra is meaningful in different ways. Fundamentally, the personal mantra reminds me that I have control of my life and that I chart my own course, which means I should not stop until I have reached my final destination. As the captain of your own ship, you must be ready to steer that ship through stormy seas until you complete your journey and reach safe harbors.

25. “Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one’s courage.” — Anais Nin

Remember this personal mantra whenever you feel discouraged or you are losing morale. Essentially, the personal mantra will get you back on track, so you stay focused on your end goal.

26. “Try not to become a person of success, but rather try to become a person of value.” – Albert Einstein.

According to Albert Einstein, honesty, diligence, equality and empathy towards others are key core values that we should abide by at all times. When we do so, we nurture our character and influence the people around us. However, if we focus only on becoming the most successful people without having good values, we do not impact those who are around us.

How about you, what’s YOUR personal mantra in life?

Tell us in the comments below! We look forward to hearing from you.