With it currently being midterm season, I believe that how we speak to ourselves matters more than anything right now. Our thoughts affect our energy and our energy affects how we choose to fight through life’s obstacles. With a negative mindset, we won’t do as great as we possibly could in the challenges that life throws at us. As a university student going through midterm season right now, I can tell you that it’s quite easy to be hard on yourself or feel down just because you didn’t get a mark you wanted or feel like you didn’t study enough. One of the best ways to get out of that bad habit is reprogramming the way you think in your mind. The way I do that is I like to look at positive affirmations or positive life mantras. You can think about these certain phrases in your head before you write your midterm or just in the morning when you wake up to have the most fulfilling day you possibly could have. I have chosen four life mantras that have always helped me when I am going through a tough time and need a little positive energy, so I hope they help you, dear readers, as well!
1. “I will figure it out”
Having a mindset that shows there WILL be a way you overcome the obstacles you’re being thrown is a good way to start training your mind for positive thinking. Successful people don’t believe they’ll fail, instead they plan for said obstacles. Like the old saying goes, “when there is a will, there is a way.” It may take some baby steps to get there, but telling yourself in the morning that you WILL figure out whatever life throws at you is the perfect way to give yourself motivation. Master the skill and plan on finding solutions to problems because at the end of the day, life isn’t perfect for anyone and it takes hard work and perseverance to get through hard moments. Just believe that you can and will get yourself through tough times, no matter how many baby steps you have to take!
2. “Forget your competition”
Understand that in the world that we live in there will always be people that will be more accomplished. We’ll try and compare ourselves to measure up to them and we start losing ourselves when we do that. Yes, competition is important but as soon as we view everyone as competition, we lose ourselves and then it becomes a race, when in reality we’ll get to where we want to be in our divine timing. At the end of the day, no one is the same person, no one is living exactly our life, no one knows exactly what we’ve been through in our past and in our present and no one knows what the future holds, so as soon as you start hyper fixating on other people’s direction then you start losing the direction that you’re supposed to be going in. You don’t want to be distracted on your competition because you end up making decisions based on someone else’s life rather than questioning what’s best for you and wanting what is best for you. Wake up, and focus on just YOU. At the end of the day, this is your life, no one else’s. It shouldn’t matter what everyone else is doing, just focus on you and accomplishing the goals in your life.
3. “Never forget why you started”
Nowadays it’s so easy to overlook why you started a project or why you set out a certain goal because you get discouraged when you can’t reach said expectations you’ve set for yourself. However, you should never forget why you started because there was a reason why you made this goal, there was a reason you have worked so hard over the years to put yourself to where you are now, there was a reason why you have sacrificed and have dedicated blood, sweat and tears towards your goals. There’s a reason that you have persevered, so never forget why you started. True motivation comes from a love for growth, not necessarily the achievement of the certain end goal that you have. I’ve come to realize through the past year that it might not necessarily be the end goal that I’m chasing, it might just be because I have a love for self growth. I want to see myself do better and become the best version of myself possible. I remind myself why I started every morning when I start doubting myself because it is crucial to my mindset if I want to maintain long term success.
4. “Don’t stop until you’re proud”
Although this life mantra can sometimes get misconstrued, this doesn’t mean work hard because you aren’t proud of yourself just yet, this means don’t just give up if something is tough, don’t just give up and stop because it’s taking too long. Would you be proud of the fact that you gave up because it was taking too long? No. So, don’t stop until you’re proud. With that being said, I must remind you that you should be proud of even the small little accomplishments throughout your day. If you’re like me and you struggle with mental health, sometimes just waking up in the mornings and eating breakfast is an accomplishment and that you should be proud of. There are so many things to be proud of and there are so many reasons to not stop yet and to keep fighting for your goals and to keep fighting for yourself.
Using these four life mantras or any other life affirmations that you can think of and that work for you is one of the best ways to keep yourself focused and to keep yourself fighting for you. Whether you’re in university right now or you’re in the real world working for your career, never forget who you are and never forget the power of a healthy mindset and positive thinking. Even if you say to yourself one positive thing every day, your mindset will slowly be more positive and healthier. You’ll be more inclined to watch yourself succeed. The key is to be patient, positive and understand the process. If you create a good relationship with yourself, you’ll be ready to take on the world and take on anything that you are thrown. Stay positive, stay healthy and remember you’re doing well; you should be proud of how far you’ve come already and be excited to see what’s in store for you in the future!