
what’s your mantra?
Many of us have a tradition of setting new year's resolutions right about now. Last year I decided to try something different.
Instead of setting specific goals for the year, I chose a word to focus on — a one-word mantra that encapsulated my vision for the year.
The word was CONSISTENCY.
Maybe you can relate — I have always been really good at starting something new, dreaming big. But following through for the long term is HARD, and I frequently gave up before I reached my goal.
Let’s face it — Goals get boring after a while. Even when you are initially motivated, at some point, you just don’t want to follow through.
So CONSISTENCY became my mantra.
A simple word that brought purpose, vision, and value to my actions each day. A word that anchored me to the person I am striving to become.
Smaller, more specific goals naturally sprang from my mantra.
One example was exercise — I wanted to consistently move my body every day. The previous year I had herniated disc in my back, so exercise was challenging. The doctors said that walking was the best possible exercise for me, so I was committed to walking as much as possible to keep myself in shape while working to heal my back.
In keeping with my mantra, I decided that even if I could only walk to the end of the driveway and back, I was going to try and walk every day CONSISTENTLY.
So even with two back surgeries this last year, I walked over 340 miles in a 9-month period. Short distances really do add up over time!
It’s those small steps consistently taken every day that make the biggest difference in our lives — both literally and figuratively.

For 2018 I have expanded my focus to three words: CONSISTENCY, COMMITMENT, and LOVE.
- I want to continue to build my CONSISTENCY in the small & simple things.
- I want to better keep COMMITMENTS to myself, the same way I already keep commitments to others. If I say I’m going to do, then it’s as good as done.
- And I want everything I do to be motivated by LOVE.
Consistency, Commitment, and Love.
I repeat these words to myself multiple times a day. When I making decisions, large & small, and I'm not sure what to do, I repeat these words to give me direction and keep me on track.
(Remember that a mantra is an IDEAL. And though perfection is not feasible or even desirable in some cases, a mantra gives you an ideal to shoot for — a vision of who you can become.)
So take a few minutes this week to create in your mind a vision of your ideal future self.
What word or phrase comes forward for you as you envision that person?
What is your mantra for 2018?