Inspiring Life Mantras To Live By

Between our busy schedules of raising children, bringing home the bacon, working on that degree and cleaning up the home for a visit from the in-laws, there are plenty of moments when our focus, purpose and thoughts may get derailed. You might find yourself less than enthusiastic to complete that to-do list, or even feel a little blue about a less-than-stellar remark from a boss or acquaintance. Mantras are those little words with big meanings. Using these words of wisdom throughout the day is a great way to stay on track, see the real deal, and rev up your spirit. You can even categorize the mantras into groups of what you think may lift your spirits during the day, such as humour and love. Keep these inspirational affirmations on your desktop, in a drawer or hang them on the wall. Most of all, be sure to use them. 

Get Perspective and a Good Laugh with a Mantra

Whether it’s a backhanded comment, rude remark or a direct insult, we’ve all experienced words from others than can cut like a knife. Embarrassment, hurt feelings, anger and plots of revenge are just a few of the results that can take the wind out of your sail. However, you can turn all of these negatives into a positive emotion of happiness with a good laugh. Here’s two mantras that will get you seeing humour in a negative remark:

• “Before you diagnose yourself with depression or low self-esteem, first make sure that you are not, in fact, just surrounded by assholes.”
  – Steven Winterburn
• “No intelligent idea can gain general acceptance unless some stupidity is mixed in with it.”
  – Fernando Pessoa

I’ll be Happy When…

Too often, we put a hold on happiness based on conditions of what we want to achieve. For example, you may think, “I’ll be happy when I find true love” or “I’ll be happy when I can afford that beach home in Malibu.” It may be a long time before you achieve your goals, and in the meantime, you’re wasting days and years basing happiness on a physical condition. Happiness is a mental condition and not a physical one. With the right paradigm, you can enjoy working on a goal and feeling happy every day. Keep these two mantras in mind when you think you’re not happy. They will keep you focused on what real happiness is.

• “True happiness is to enjoy the present, without anxious dependence upon the future, not to amuse ourselves with either hopes or fears but to rest satisfied with what we have, which is sufficient, for he that is so wants nothing. The greatest blessings of mankind are within us and within our reach. A wise man is content with his lot, whatever it may be, without wishing for what he has not.”
  – Lucius Annaeus Seneca
• “The greater part of our happiness or misery depends upon our dispositions, and not upon our circumstances.”
  – Martha Washington

Living Means Dying

Death is an inescapable reality of life for all of us. Perhaps, not knowing when it will come is a blessing. Death is like a thief in the night, and that’s why it’s best to be prepared with the right life insurance. No one can be certain when it will happen. After all, you want your loved ones well taken care of, especially if you’re a woman planning a family. Be sure to check for the best rates on life insurance and purchase a plan. When it comes to your own death, you can face it with humour, dignity or wisdom. It’s really pointless to fear it. Read these mantras on death, and choose one that serves you best:

• “Life is pleasant. Death is peaceful. It’s the transition that’s troublesome.”
  – Isaac Asimov
• “Every man’s life ends the same way. It is only the details of how he lived and how he died that distinguish one man from another.”
  – Ernest Hemingway

(Image is from Shutterstock and doesn’t need to be sourced)