Everybody needs inspiration and words to live by from time to time.
Perhaps you’re having a difficult day, or perhaps you simply feel as like you’ve been in a funk for a while without knowing why.
Knowing when those times may occur and being able to rapidly pull yourself out of them are both important skills. However, how is that possible?
That’s how: using personal mottos. A motto may energize you and lift your spirits, much like a fast caffeine boost.
What is a Personal Motto?
The phrase “when life offers you lemons, make lemonade” is an example of a personal motto. It is a motivating expression that serves as a gentle reminder to keep your outlook upbeat.
Mottos are all about pushing yourself to achieve goals or go above your own expectations. They encourage you to reflect on the world around you and to challenge the status quo when it conflicts with your moral principles.
Why do I Need a Personal Motto?
It can be all too simple to overlook the positive aspects of life.
The real reason you should put a personal motto, or what we’ll call your life motto, at the top of your priority list is because this one sentence is all you really need to either change your life or re-motivate you to define yourself, set (and help you reach) goals, decide what’s next in your life, etc.
Utilizing mottos as a method of thinking can be beneficial. You might avoid making unconventional modifications all too frequently. They can inspire you to take risks, attempt new things, and plunge headfirst into a variety of novel experiences and challenges.
Reasons You Need a Personal Motto
Nothing keeps you moving in the right direction more than a catchy catchphrase.
Here are 12 justifications for why you should have a life motto.
1. A motto helps you stay focused on your goals.
It’s far too simple to get caught up in the daily routine of life and work that we forget why we wake up in the morning. To constantly remind yourself that life is what you make of it, adopt your personal slogan.
By all means, strive to become the top-earning attorney in New York City. Find a slogan that will inspire you, motivate you to strive for excellence, and serve as a continual reminder that YOU can achieve everything you set your mind to.
- “If at first, you don’t succeed, try, try again.”
- “Be yourself. Everyone else is already taken.”
2. Serves as a subdued reminder to “go for the gold” and stick to your principles.
Nobody gains anything from knowing exactly who or what they want to be in life unless they pursue it.
Really. Who cares if you say you want to own your own business and work from home but never actually follow through with it?
You admit that despite knowing you need a change, you have been a little hesitant to make it. What if it doesn’t end well? What if you have to return to your previous position with your tail between your legs and concede defeat?
What if you succeed in making it happen, though?
If there is one small saying that we should all live by, it is this:
- no regrets.
Don’t wait for things to happen while living your life. Keep telling yourself that you have dreams and that you’ll do everything in your power to make them come true.
3. It serves as both an inspirational and calming factor.
The world can sometimes seem as though it’s completely on fire because of how twisted things can turn out to be. A fantastic life motto can quiet a panic attack much like a movie can inspire you to make changes in your life.
Here are a few instances:
Inspiration:
- “One person can make a difference.” (Get out there and start enacting change, in other words. For something to matter, only one person needed to be concerned.)
Calming Force:
- “Tomorrow is another day.” (To put it another way, remember to take a deep breath and to give yourself a break since it’s entirely normal to experience failure and disappointment.)
4. It can substitute negative thoughts with a constructive self-talk.
If you find yourself thinking, “I’ll never finish this,” replace that thought with a mantra like:
- “Don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good.”
- “I’ve done it before and I can do it again.”
- “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”
You could use the following as your slogan if you tell yourself: “I should always put others before myself”:
- “Put your own oxygen mask on first.”
5. You can break a habit by using a motto.
The capacity to recall your long-term objective is a crucial component of willpower. A motto can clearly express your motivation for changing a habit, which will strengthen your willpower. These sayings can help you stay on track when you try to improve your habits:
- “Health first.”
- “Exercise — stay stronger longer.”
- “Where there’s a will, there’s a way.”
- “He who has a why can endure any how.”
- “Make the right thing to do the easy thing to do.”
- “Smoke-free — a healthy me.”
6. You can be reminded of who you are and what you stand for by using a personal motto.
A son recalled his mother’s personal mantra at a burial service: “Be kind. Tell the reality. Give it your all.” There are no shorter or finer words to live by.
And a lot of us could certainly live by Gandhi’s famous quote, “Be the change you wish to see in the world.”
7. A motto has the power to awaken your senses, remind you of your convictions, and even impart moral virtues.
These sayings might serve as a reminder of your values:
- “It’s not about you right now.”
- “That which is hateful to you, do not do to others.”
- “First things first.”
- “Live and let live.”
- “Think before you speak.”
- “Justice delayed is justice denied.”
- “If the problem can be solved with money, it’s not that important.”
- “Time and tide wait for no man.” (Some things you can’t control.)
8. A motto can give you a jolting boost of motivation.
Here are some inspirational sayings that apply to everyone, even if each person has their own unique muse.
- “We may encounter many defeats but we must not be defeated.” (Maya Angelou)
- “One person can make a difference.”
- “Keep your eyes on the prize.”
- “Every day is a second chance.”
- “Tomorrow is another day.”
9. A motto can relax your mind.
There are several beneficial self-soothing methods that everyone can employ. Take a walk and write one of these maxims in your “thinking bubble” rather of reverting to overeating or drinking.
- “One day at a time.”
- “Keep calm and carry on.”
- “This too shall pass.”
- “Just this.”
- “Easy does it.”
- “How important is it?”
10. Your productivity may rise with a motto.
You may think properly and act right at work by keeping in mind reminders like the ones in the following list:
- “Lack of planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part.”
- “Slow and steady wins the race.”
- “Keep on keeping on.”
- “No pain, no gain.”
- “Take a break, take a breath.”
11. You can persist if you have motivation from your motto.
Having a mantra like one of these will help you stay positive during difficult times:
- “There’s always tomorrow.”
- “Every cloud has a silver lining.”
- “There’s no failure, only feedback.”
12. A motto makes life more enjoyable, entertaining, and humorous.
Even politically inappropriate, commercial, and frivolous mottos can be amusing:
- “The bigger they are, the harder they fall.”
- “There’s no fool like an old fool.”
- “Klement’s…the sausage that links people together.”
How to Make Your Personal Motto
You can come up with your own mottos or modify others. It only needs to serve as a strong reminder of your value or objective; it need not be clever:
- Make it succinct and simple to remember.
Even just one word will do: Compassion. Calm. Listen.
- Make it sensitive to emotions.
This merely implies that it will connect with you on an emotional level.
- Increase the impact of your motto by using rhyme or alliteration.
If you make a rhyme, it will always stick. Or, to be more precise, rhymes increase “processing fluency.”
Pick one or two maxims to include in your “thinking bubble” right now. Try them out periodically to determine whether they inspire you or calm you. If not, try once more while using a different motto.