I think life mantras are interesting. Words to live by. Sayings you tell yourself when you don’t know what else to say. They typically appear during the tough times but can also appear during the good times too. In moments where I am overwhelmed or left alone with my thoughts they tend to surface.
I was talking to Mom today about different frustrations Husband and I are dealing with and she responded by saying, just remember “good things come to those who wait.” It was a nice response but what I appreciated more was connecting with Mom over this moment and this mantra. This mantra is one that makes me think of Mom. One that she has applied to her own life and one I have seen played out in my own life up until this point as well. It was also special because I have recently been struggling to sometimes connect with Mom on the phone for various reasons, most of which I think stem from MS. Sometimes our conversations leave me feeling frustrated by my own expectations. Today though it was nice to get some old fashioned advice from Mom.
The conversation got me thinking about life mantras and my own personal ones. The phrases I repeat to myself or others if they were in need of a short tidbit of advice.
One of my favorites:
“Just breathe” -I stole this from the movie Ever After
One Husband and I learned from our sponsor couple during marriage counseling:
“Nothing is ever as bad as it seems and nothing is ever as good as it seems.”
One I started using to find humor in an annoying situation…it is now also one Mom likes to throw around now when describing her MS symptoms:
“Are you kidding me??”
One that is tough and can cause you to reflect forwards and backwards:
“Everything happens for a reason.”
I know these are all over the place but they are the first ones that come to mind. I am curious if you have any life mantras you live by? Where did they come from? How do you use them?
MS recess 
“Nana korobi ya oki.” Its Japanese and means get knocked down seven times get up eight.
I really like this. It helps you to visualize with a specific number the importance of the perseverance it takes to continue on by constantly getting right back up again when life knocks you down. Thank you for sharing! I am going to look up how to pronounce it becuase the Japanese version sounds prettier 🙂
Hmmm… I have a lot! One of my favorite’s is “No one is perfect.” it helps me allow myself to make mistakes, as well as to focus on the good in others.
That’s a classic but a so important one. Easy to forget but important to remember whenever I make mistakes. I tend to be really hard on myself but everyone makes mistakes. Good to remember!
Since I was never one with much patience, my grandmother and my father would always say “The best things happen to those who wait.” I still say that to myself, even though I still don’t have as much patience as I would like!
This is a great one and one that my Mom reminds me of often…I also don’t have as much patience with life as I would like. You think if we say it enough we may someday absorb it permanently??
Joy, praise, gratitude, and compassion. I repeat this to myself often throughout the day as a reminder of how I want to live.
Those are all really great words to live by. They sum up the best parts of being a good person. I am going to start thinking of those same words when I am thinking about the qualities I want to have and show to others.