Do you have a word of the year?
I don’t.
I’m far too indecisive for that sort of specificity.
What I love are mantras.
For the past few years, I’ve chosen a mantra of the year instead of a word.
I like a mantra of the year because it gives me a little more room-to-grow than a single word.
The word “mantra” in sanskrit literally means “a machine for your mind.” It’s a way for you to take in ideas or thoughts and run them through a filter so you can make more sense of them or make better informed decisions.
Mantras are like the beginning of a conversation that never really ends.
A good mantra can also help you redirect if your actions aren’t aligning with your values or your intentions.
In the best circumstances, a good mantra can be the question you ask yourself to make sure that you’re still on the right path.
In the worst circumstances, a good mantra does nothing.
That’s also true of a “word of the year,” right?
A mantra can help you shape your year ahead, which is a powerful thing.
If you’ve never created a mantra of the year, I can show you how to do it in a few simple steps.
How to Create a Mantra of the Year
Word Dump
Write down all of the words that come up for you when you think about the past year. Not experiences, just words. These words can be positive or negative or neutral. Just write them all down.
Place stars next to the words that stand out. Again, it doesn’t matter if these are positive or negative. Just give them a little twinkle, ok?
Write down all of the words that you want to take with you into the new year. Some of these words might be on your first list; some might not. Just write them all down.
Take a look at the 2 lists and see where there is crossover — the same or similar words. Or words that evoke ideas.
Amplify
Next thing to do is to look at these lists and ask yourself, “what do I want to amplify this year?” Where do I want to turn up the volume
A Few Questions
You can also ask yourself these questions:
“what am I missing?”
“what do I need in this season of life?”
“what would help me align to my values, my goals, my top priorities?”
Priorities and Values
Speaking of top priorities, write out your top 3.
What are your top priorities for the year ahead?
Another good question is, “what are the values that guide my life?”
***Honestly, this question really needs more in-depth attention, but it’s worthwhile to add to your mantra creation because your values will help determine what actions are meaningful to you.
Phraseology
Once you’ve established all of these things, then you can start forming it into a cohesive sentence or phrase.
The first one that I created was “Share joyful moments to create magic.”
It’s still the screensaver on my computer because I love it so much.
And while it’s not the mantra I am creating this year, it still resonates.
Did you find this helpful? Once you create your mantra of the year, I’d love to hear it! Please share it with me in the comments below!
