Mantras

When I was out running last week, I knew I was coming to a hill.  Me and hills… sigh… will I ever like them?  When I first started running, I did everything possible to avoid running up a hill – I told myself I couldn’t run hills.  Now, I don’t avoid hills anymore but, I still don’t particularly care to run them.   So when I have a hill in my chosen run course I start telling myself how hard it’s going to be, and basically have very negative thoughts.  Last week I knew this hill was coming up and try as I might, I couldn’t get rid of the negative thoughts but, something happened when I actually got to the hill.  I told myself I was strong, I was powerful and confident.  Before I knew it, I was repeating “I am strong, I am confident, I am powerful” all the way up the hill.  And I made it!  AND now I have a new mantra!! :)

Mantras were never something that worked for me until just a couple years ago.  Until then, I would try a mantra that someone told me, or that I read but, it never did anything for me so I just figured I wasn’t a ‘mantra person’. 

Then a year ago someone close to me was preparing for a difficult college exam.   I told her to stay calm, be positive and do awesome.  After I told her that I realized that those words were very powerful and maybe I finally had a mantra that could work for me!

These words “STAY calm, BE positive, DO awesome” have been my mantra for races and workouts whenever I find myself starting to panic about something.  They work for me. 

So for me mantras a very personal thing and have to be words/phrases that I come up with and now I have two that I can turn to when things get tough!

STAY CALM, BE POSITIVE, DO AWESOME 

I AM STRONG, I AM CONFIDENT, I AM POWERFUL

Do you use mantras? 
What are your mantras?