Whether you’re trying to get through a particularly tough workout, psych yourself up for a big moment, or just make it to the end of the work day, a personal mantra can provide the needed mental boost to get you there.

What is 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.” A mantra can be a lot of things: it could be a favorite quote, a power phrase, a proverb, an affirmation – anything that resonates with YOU.

The only rule is that is has to motivate and inspire you to be your best self.

Tips for Creating Your Personal Mantra

My favorite kind of personal mantras are ones that you create yourself. The key to a good personal mantra is having it be 100% unique to you, and the best way to ensure this is by creating it yourself!

This formula by Elizabeth Cohen, PhD, a clinical psychologist in New York City, was shared in an issue of Women’s Health magazine:

According to Cohen’s formula, an ideal personal mantra has four components:

1. Begins with “I” – By using “I,” you call on yourself (and no one else) directly to enact change!
2. Hopeful, open-ended words that remove common anxieties and boundaries. Words like “limitless,” “endless,” “infinite,” “bottomless,” and “unlimited.” I also like to sub in phrases like, “I can do anything” and “Everything is available to me.”
3. Inclusion of the quality you need to manifest – What are you doubting? Your strength? Your willpower? Your bravery? Include it in your mantra since THAT’S the word you need to be reminded of.
4. A specific goal or outcome – Close your personal mantra with a specific event or reason that makes success feel tangible.

So, with these parameters in mind, here are some examples of my personal mantras:

I am responsible for staying accountable to my goals, and launching my online course by the end of the month. 

I will fearlessly push myself outside of my comfort zone and start my new business. 

I have limitless charisma to persuade and sell new prospects.

Those are just a few examples of ones I have used. Yours can be totally different! The important thing is that it’s unique to YOU and your goals.

Why Does Specificity Matter?

I recently watched a video by the lovely Marie Forleo talking all about how to be more persuasive.

Turns out that adding specificity to a request (or a mantra, in this case), is a key factor for success. As Marie explains, “If you give people a small, easy action to take, it can double their chances of saying yes.”

These conclusions were drawn from a study conducted around nonprofits asking donors for money. The nonprofit asked potential donors one of two questions. Either:

“Would you be willing to help by giving a donation?”

or

“Would you be willing to help by giving a donation? Every penny counts!”

And what they found from the study is that people who were asked the first question were 28% likely to donate, while people who were asked the second question (with the “every penny counts” qualifier), were 50% likely to donate! That’s almost twice as much!

This is because adding in this qualifier creates a “minimum viable action” – the smallest possible action someone could take to make a change and to find success.

So, rule of thumb here: If you want to inspire someone (or yourself!) to act, suggest the smallest action possible.

Specificity is a key to success and achievement, so by making your personal mantra specific, you’ll double your OWN chances of making it happen!

How to Use Your Personal Mantra

There’s really no “right answer” for how to use your personal mantra, since everyone has their own style! Some of the ways I’ve found personal mantras to cause maximum impact is by repeating mine (usually out-loud) first thing when I wake up in the morning, before I even start my daily gratitude list!

Here are some other great suggestions for how to use your personal mantra to empower yourself to success:

• Before you even get out of bed in the morning, repeat your personal mantra in your head (or out-loud) 3-5 times. This will set you up for success in the day ahead by starting it off on a positive, motivating note!
• Repeat your personal mantra in your head when you’re gearing yourself up to take on a particularly challenging task.
• If you’re feeling stressed and overwhelmed – take a timeout and head to a quiet place where you can be alone for a few minutes (the bathroom works great!) Revive yourself by repeating your personal mantra out-loud a few times. It will remind you of your goals, your dreams, and re-frame your mindset to be positive.

Do you have a personal mantra? I’d love to hear it! Leave it in the comments, and share with others how YOU create motivation and success in your own life.