10 Powerful Life Mantras to Be Your Best Self

In this post, learn the meaning of a life mantra and 10 powerful life mantras to be your best self.  Also, understand how to create your own personal mantras and choose from 105 personal mantra examples to use as inspiration.

What is a life mantra?

Sometimes in life, we lose sight of what’s important to us, what we’re working towards, or how we want to show up.  Having a life mantra that we can turn to for guidance helps to remind us of the principles by which we want to live.

Similar to a daily intention, which is how you want to show up that particular day, a life manta is how you want to show up in life overall. In essence, it’s a guiding principle for how you want to live life.  

Your life mantras can guide you when you’re feeling lost, discouraged, insecure, or need to combat negative thoughts in order to continue moving forward toward the vision you have of your best self.

Life mantras may change over time, as you choose mantras that will best serve you in the season you’re in and the life situations you’re currently dealing with.

Either an inspirational quote that has personal meaning to you or a motivational affirmation that you’ve come up with on your own, a life mantra is a statement that profoundly resonates with you. 

One that you can turn to time and time again for encouragement, motivation, comfort, and guidance in life. 

Related:  “What You Need To Know About Setting Daily Intentions”

Origins of Mantras

The earliest mantras originated in India and were composed in Sanskrit.  Dating back thousands of years, a mantra is traditionally a short sound, word, or phrase spoken in Sanskrit and used in the spiritual practice of meditation. 

Daily mantras are meant to be chanted in repetition to help keep the mind and body focused on the present moment, with each Sanskrit phrase meant to bring forth good things for the practitioner, like positive thoughts, inner peace, good health, happiness, wisdom, or fortune.

Traditionally, mantras were made up of sounds with the original and most widely known traditional Sanskrit mantra being “Om”. You may be familiar with it if you’ve ever taken a yoga class.

These days western culture has adapted the use of mantras to be similar to practicing positive affirmations. A positive affirmation is a brief positive phrase that one will speak aloud or recite silently in order to foster positive changes and outcomes in one’s life.  

Many people repeat their personal mantras to themselves in their minds during difficult moments, to express gratitude, or when meditating. Some write their mantras in notes to themselves or as part of a journaling practice, while others wear their favorite phrases as statements on clothing and/or jewelry for a daily reminder of inspiration.

I actually love the jewelry from MantraBand ♥️.

Related:  “50 Powerful Morning Affirmations for a Positive Mindset”

How do life mantras work?

In understanding how mantras work, it can be helpful to look at the translation of the word ‘mantra’.  It is derived from two Sanskrit words—manas (mind) and tra (tool).  Mantra literally means “a tool for the mind” when translated.

Mantras work as a tool for the mind because when repeating a simple mantra to yourself on a regular basis, you allow the belief to take root in your mind and after some time and consistency, a mantra can focus and shift your mindset.  

Your thoughts play a big part in your overall success and happiness so it’s important to find ways to improve your mindset. If you don’t, you risk falling into negative thought patterns that will hold you back and keep you stuck.

What is a good personal mantra?

A good personal mantra for you will depend on many factors such as what you hope to achieve and which area of your life you find difficult at the present time.  

It can really be anything you want it to be, but when coming up with a new mantra for your life, it’s a good idea to make it as specific to you and your current situation as possible and focused on what you want to cultivate in your life.

The right life mantra will have deep meaning to you personally and encourage you from within.  Let it guide you and the way you want to live.

Here are some examples of short mantras that might inspire you when coming up with your own mantra.  Below this, I’ll also share the 10 life mantras that I find most meaningful in my life.

105 Personal Mantra Examples:

1. All I Need Is Within Me
2. All Is Well
3. All You Need Is Love
4. Always In My Heart
5. Anything Is Possible
6. Be Bright, Be Brave, Be Bold
7. Be Fearless, Be Resilient
8. Be Here Now
9. Be Present
10. Be The Change
11. Be The Light
12. Be True. Be You. Be Kind.
13. Be you, love you. All ways, always.
14. Bloom Where You Are Planted
15. Born Ready
16. Carpe Diem
17. Choose Joy
18. Choose Love
19. Do It Anyway
20. Do What Makes You Happy
21. Do What You Love, Love What You Do
22. Dream Believe Achieve
23. Dream Without Fear
24. Enjoy the Journey
25. Enjoy The Little Things
26. Everything Is Possible
27. Everything Will Be Alright
28. Find Your True North
29. Follow Your Bliss
30. Follow Your Heart
31. Grit Grace Gratitude
32. Have Courage and Be Kind
33. Hope Is Within Me
34. I Am Becoming
35. I Am Enough
36. I Am Grateful
37. I Am Powerful
38. I Am Protected
39. I Am Resilient
40. I Am Rising
41. I Am Strong
42. I Am Strong And Powerful
43. I Am Supported And Protected
44. I Am the Master of My Fate, I Am the Captain of My Soul
45. I Am The Storm
46. I Am Whole
47. I Am Worthy
48. I Can and I Will
49. I Can Do Hard Things
50. I Choose Joy
51. I Have Everything I Need
52. I Matter
53. I Trust My Intuition
54. If You Can, You Must. If You Must, You Can.
55. Inhale Exhale
56. It Is What It Is
57. It’s A Hill, Get Over It
58. Just Keep Swimming
59. Keep Moving Forward
60. Kind Heart, Fierce Mind, Brave Spirit
61. Let It Go
62. Let Your Light Shine
63. Life Is Good
64. Listen To Your Heart
65. Live in the Moment
66. Live Inspired
67. Live Laugh Love
68. Live What You Love
69. Love Yourself
70. Make It Happen
71. Make Today Count
72. Mind Over Matter
73. My Body Is My Temple
74. My Future Is Bright
75. My Story Is Not Over Yet
76. Never Give Up
77. Nevertheless, She Persisted
78. No Regrets
79. Not All Who Wander Are Lost
80. One Day At A Time
81. Own Your Power, Know Your Worth
82. Peace Comes From Within
83. Peace Love Happiness
84. Powered By Optimism
85. Powerful, Beautiful, Brilliant, And Brave
86. Remember Who You Are
87. Remember Your Fighting Spirit
88. Self Care Isn’t Selfish
89. Serenity Courage Wisdom
90. She Believed She Could, So She Did
91. Smile Breathe and Go Slowly
92. Start Each Day With A Grateful Heart
93. Stay Strong
94. Stay The Path
95. Still Becoming
96. Strength Hope Courage
97. The Best Is Yet To Come
98. The Future Is Yours
99. This Too Shall Pass
100. Today Is A Gift
101. Trust the Journey
102. We Rise By Lifting Others
103. What Goes Around Comes Around
104. Whatever Will Be Will Be
105. You Got This

10 Powerful Life Mantras to Live By

1.) I can do hard things

When I started this blog, I only had a vague idea of what blogging entailed other than writing articles and somehow posting them online.  

I had no clue how to create a website and once I learned more about the backend aspects of running a blog, I was very overwhelmed at first.  Moreover, as I’ve worked to grow in this business, I’ve continued to face challenges and it hasn’t always been easy.  

However, I adopted the life mantra of “I can do hard things” early on and have repeatedly reminded myself of it throughout this journey. 

This mantra can help you take on challenges in business and in life and provide confidence that you can persevere in difficult moments.

2.)  Focus on progress, not perfection

This is another powerful life mantra that has great meaning to me.  The mindset of focusing on progress over perfection has allowed me the space (and grace) to be a beginner – to learn, grow, evolve, and iterate over time.  I’m able to look back on my early efforts and see how far I’ve come since then and this gives me the confidence to continue my momentum.  

When you focus on your progress and allow yourself the space to improve, rather than holding yourself to the unattainable standard of perfection, it serves as a useful reminder that motivates you to keep moving forward toward your goals, knowing you’ll only get better and better with each step you take.

Related:  “Strive For Progress Not Perfection – If You Want To Succeed In Life”

3.)  Today matters more than yesterday

This life mantra reminds me to not focus on past mistakes I may have made.  What I do today and going forward is what matters.

So whether you lost your patience with your kids, scrolled social media instead of accomplishing the tasks on your to-do list, or lounged around on the couch instead of exercising as you’d intended, it’s important to forgive yesterday’s shortcomings and concentrate your efforts on what you want to do right today.

4.)  There is no failure, only opportunities for growth

When starting a new endeavor, of course it’s normal to be scared of failure, however, one of the most important life lessons I’ve acquired thus far is that with every so-called “failure”, you learn something new. 

It’s often through trial and error and through getting it wrong, that we learn how to get it right. It’s important to adopt a growth mindset and to look at every failure as a learning experience, keeping in mind that whenever we learn something new, we also grow.  

Thus, there is truly no such thing as failure, only opportunities for growth.

Related:  “How Understanding Growth Vs Fixed Mindset Can Transform Your Life”

5.)  Taking action begets confidence

Sometimes we think we need to have a perfectly scripted plan or a blueprint of the best way to do something before we start doing it and this usually holds us back from getting started at all.  We stay stuck in our comfort zones. 

But in reality, the first step in accomplishing anything at all is to simply take some type of action, even if messy and imperfect, in order to gain confidence and then we find that it becomes easier and easier to take more action. 

We also see that the more action we take, the more confident we become, and before long, we have the confidence to do things we never thought possible. 

Related:  “Is Confidence A Skill?  (6 Important Ways To Improve Your Confidence)”

6.)  I’m doing my best and my best is good enough

I’ve adopted this life mantra to remind myself that I don’t have to be or do anything other than my best in order for it to be “enough”.  

We unconsciously question our “enoughness” every day by comparing ourselves to others and questioning whether we are doing enough and if our efforts are good enough. Questioning whether in fact we are enough.

Whenever you find yourself doubting your best efforts, you can use this powerful life mantra to bring you back to yourself and the belief that your best is good enough and that you are enough.

Related:  “When Is Enough Enough?  15 Signs To Know It’s Enough For YOU”

7.)  The journey matters more than the finish line

It is important to have goals in life and to work towards them, but achieving those goals is not the most important part.  This is because there will always be another level you can strive to meet, a higher bar you can set for yourself.

Working to get to that next level shapes you as a person and that’s what is most impactful to your life.  The actual goals matter much less than the person you become as you reach for them.  

You can use this life mantra to remember this and draw your focus back to the person you’re becoming along the way to the finish line.

Related:  “Why You Should NOT Focus On Your Goals (But These 3 Things Instead)”

8.)  Taking care of myself is how I best take care of my people

Much along the lines of “self-care isn’t selfish”, I tell myself often that taking care of myself is how I best take care of my people.

As a mom, it’s so easy to feel guilty when you take time for yourself or prioritize your needs, so this life mantra reinforces the simple truth that you cannot care for your family if you’re not caring for yourself first and foremost.

Related:  “How To Put Yourself First Without Feeling Guilty”

9.)  I control my happiness

I used to look to outside sources for happiness – my job, the people in my life, experiences, etc.  But, as I’ve gotten older, I’ve realized more and more that I have the power to choose how I feel, including choosing to be happy.

This is a concept I’m still working on, and I probably always will be on some level.  That is why the life mantra of “I control my happiness” deeply resonates with me.  It is a positive reminder that my happiness must come from within myself and only I can control that.

Related: “How to Create a ‘What Makes You Happy List’

10.)  Listen to that little voice inside of you, it can matter in a big way

If you’ve been on the homepage of Little Voice Big Matter then you will recognize this statement.  

That little voice inside, otherwise known as your intuition, is usually telling you something meaningful. Pay attention to it and trust your inner voice to guide you.

Keep this personal mantra at the forefront of your mind to stay true to yourself.

Which life mantra will you adopt for yourself?

Having a powerful life mantra guides us in how we want to live life. Which life mantra resonates most with you?

Let us know in the comments below.  Your words may uplift and inspire someone else today…

Did you like this post?  Check out some others along these lines:

How to Reset Your Life – 10 Ideas for a Fresh Start

5 Ways to Kickstart Your Self Love Journey Today

140 Positive Monday Affirmations to Start Your Week Right

5 Legit Reasons You’re Feeling Stuck in Life (+ 25 Affirmations for Motivation)