ManTRa . . La La ! (revisited)

Chloe's Mantra

01.03.12

“The mantra becomes one's staff of life and carries one through every ordeal.

Each repetition has a new meaning, carrying you nearer and nearer to God.”

~Gandhi

Happy "YOU" Year All--

Got maNtrA? Have you ever heard of a mantra, or a special saying that serves to ground you? Kind of like a pErSoNal cOde oF tRuTh? Gandhi calls a mantra a "staff of life"--a personal walking stick that supports us through life's not so super fun challenges. Since it's the New Year, I'd like us to consider creating personal mantras, or codes of truth. Here's a definition of mantra:

man·tra  (mntr, mn-) n.

Hinduism. A sacred verbal formula repeated in prayer, meditation, or incantation, such as an invocation of a god, a magic spell, or a syllable or portion of scripture containing mystical potentialities.

Last summer, some of you may remember me writing about my daughter Chloe creating a candle prayer (with no candles, but whatever!!)--see above picture--this little mini-altar had her special mantras written on sticky notes, taped to this candle holder; this is what they say (going from left to right up to down):

• Dream Big!
• Praise God and you!
• Meditate and think who you are
• Live the life you love, love the life you live!
• Have fun!
• Speak up to them!
• Who cares what they say?
• Love people that don't like you!
• Like and love you so much!

Last summer, I wrote a bit about each one--and especially since they came from a kid they are for sure true 'cuz it's my firm beLiEf that sometimes, 

KiDs kNow a heckuva lOt mOrE

than the ridiculously grown-up gRoWnUps!

• Dream Big!--so like, don't ever limit yourself, and know in your heart that you were born to do amazing things (remember: your life is a miracle!)
• Praise God and You!--I think this means to always remember that there is a You-niverse that is larger than you (like God) and that higher power has your back and your best interests in mind--always! The second part about praising yourself means that there is God and the divine right inside of fabulous You, and you can check in to it anytime 'cuz it's always available to guide You!
• Meditate and think who You are--instead of running around like a crazy person doing a buzzillion activities all the time, make sure you take quiet time to listen to your heart and gut--this quiet time is super important to get to know YourSelf!
• Live the life you love, love the life you live!--do all the stuff you love that fills you up with joy and energy (this includes spending time with peeps who adore and support you!). Loving the life you live means celebrating the stuff that's in front of you and living in the moment--not worrying about the past and freaking out about the future!@#$!
• Have fun!: Like--as in--enjoy life! Too many people are into the drama that life should be so hard and complain about everything that is wrong when there are so many BLEssIngs! Why can't we focus on the positive?
• Speak up to them!: Speak your truth without apology--even if you have made a mistake. You are human and you get to screw up. Knowing that and learning is part of being a hu(wo)man or kid. So, apologize when you need to, own your part, and move on. If others cant move on, it's not about you!
• Who cares what they say? Don't live from the outside in. Your words and actions should come from amazing and powerful YOU and not from what you think others will think or feel about you. YOUR LIFE IS NOT ABOUT OTHERS--IT'S ABOUT YOU--TAKE YOUR PLACE IN THE SUN! YOU DESERVE IT!
• Love people that don't like you! Understand that how others feel about you is not actually about you--they don't like you 'cuz they've seen something in you they don't like about themselves.
• Like and love you so much! You are a human and the most important thing is that you accept and like and love yourself before others. You have to loVe you before U can love others. This may sound weird-- but your first relationship is with yourSelf...and then--you open up space to love others . . .

So that's what my daughter's mantras are--Since it's the beginning of the year, I thought revisiting these mantras would be a great exercise. Last summer, I took the time to write my own personal codes of truth, which I am going to revisit (and possibly revise) in the next couple of days. 

Do you have any mantras that guide you through your daily life? Leave us a comment and share your words to live by with us!

Happy Mantra(LaLa)!

Lots of Love,

Dana