How often have you set daily mantras only to find yourself wondering what’s the point of repeating these affirmations? Nothing seems to change even though you’re determinedly quoting your mantras on a daily basis. You have them written on pieces of paper and stuck them up on your bathroom mirror, the refrigerator, and above your laptop.
But, still, nothing shifts for you.
If you’ve been working hard on your mindpower, one of the tools you’ve been taught about is setting daily mantras. These powerful statements are made up of empowering words and repeated as often as possible.
The purpose of these daily mantras is to constantly remind yourself of your own strength, confidence, and ability to achieve anything you want when you put your mind to it.
What many of us don’t realize is that there’s a trick (or two!) to using daily mantras so they’re actually empowering you while improving your mindset. If you’re not aware of these secrets to setting empowering mantras, then read on for tips on how to effectively use daily mantras for a better mind and great results.
What is a Daily Mantra?
In simple jargon, a mantra is a powerful, short statement using positive words. This statement is repeated daily and is intended to shift your mindset so you’re thinking positively. Mantras are useful when facing stressful times, challenging goals, or running a long-distance marathon!
Athletes, tennis players, and racing car drivers are all known to recite their own mantras when they want to win at their game.
Mantras are deeply personal and resonate with the person quoting them, either out loud or quietly in their own minds. Anyone can have a daily mantra and when used correctly, will produce powerful results.
Why Do You Use Daily Mantras?
When you’re looking for ways to empower yourself emotionally, mentally, and spiritually, you may find using daily mantras a useful tool. It’s a form of self-help that equips you to use powerful words to build your confidence and sense of self-worth. By repeating these words to yourself as often as possible, you’re telling your mind what you want to believe.
Daily mantras take your attention or focus away from negative thoughts and perceived lack of abilities to be successful. Instead, you’re telling your mind that you’re “successful”, “confident”, “doing your best”, or “I am abundant.”
When you perform a daily mantra, you’re directing your focus where you want it to be – on building up your positive traits and skills. Affirmations work to a certain extent. But, many people using this tool soon become disillusioned when nothing in their external world shifts for them. And, you’re still dealing with low self-esteem, ill health, and no money in the bank.
Daily mantras equate to positive self-talk as this young Olympian figure skater explains so well in this video.
How to Use Daily Mantras for Self-Empowerment
One of the biggest mistakes we make when using daily mantras is believing they're THE change. However, what you may not realize is that action is still required and the only person who can implement it is YOU.
While you may believe quoting your affirmation every day is action (and it is), you still need to take proactive steps to create the change. The other key factor influencing the impact of your daily mantra is feeling. If there’s no emotion in your mantra then it’s not going to happen. It’s as simple as that!
Visualization is also key to a successful daily mantra. Repeating your daily mantras mindlessly while eating your toast for breakfast doesn’t cut it here. You can affirm all you like, but if you’re not doing it mindfully and visualizing the change, then you’re wasting your time.
How you write your daily mantra is essential for success and change. Living in the moment is another key when it comes to writing a successful daily mantra that produces empowering results. Writing an affirmation is your first step to change. How you write it will get the right energies flowing.
Use these tips to turn your daily mantras from an “I have to do the task because I’m told it works” to “Wow! Change is happening whenever I say my daily mantras.”
1. Write As If It’s Already Happening
Our brain is wired in such a way that when you tell it something often enough it can begin to believe it even if it’s not actually happening! The most effective way to tap into this ability is to say your mantra as if something is happening right now, in the present.
Writing your daily mantra in the present taps into the theory behind neuroplasticity, referring to your brain’s capacity to transform while adapting to changing circumstances. By repeating an affirmation written in the present, you’re telling yourself (and your mind) what you already have.
An example of this would be “I am confident” compared to “I want to be confident.”
2. Write Your Own Mantras
It’s very easy to Google a number of affirmations but to make your mantra highly effective, it’s good to come up with your own words that resonate with your core values. This way, your daily mantras have a deeper, personal meaning and are more likely to make a difference when you start implementing change.
When writing affirmations that connect with your core values you’re also more inclined to see the bigger picture. A good example of this kind of affirmation would be similar to this one written by Gay Hendricks, author of 'The Big Leap: Conquer Your Hidden Fear and Take Life to the Next Level":
“I expand in success, abundance, and love every day as I inspire those around me to do the same” talks to core values such as love, service (to others), abundance, and success. The impact of the words used in this mantra is both powerful and empowering.
3. Be Realistic
If you don’t believe what you’re repeating to yourself every day, nothing is going to change. It’s better to focus your mantras on positive traits you know you own while setting realistic expectations of the outcome. This doesn’t mean going “small” but rather implementing change in small steps by increasing your beliefs in manageable and believable ways.
Identifying strengths and skills that you do have and can build on makes changes possible when you include your uniqueness in your affirmations. If you aspire to write a book but you've never written one before, a daily mantra such as ‘I am a brilliant writer” may not be realistic.
Choose to say something such as “Every day, in every way, I am improving on my skills as a writer.” This way, you’re reminding yourself of what action needs to be taken in order to start writing a book.
It’s also more empowering to keep your affirmations neutral when being realistic. Forcing yourself to believe you’re a brilliant writer when you know you have so much to learn about writing won’t be effective.
5. Put Feeling Into It and Visualize
If your daily mantras are dull with no emotion in them, they’re not going to be effective. Emotion gives you the energy to take action. So, including inspiring words that are emotional will turn your affirmation into an energetic, feeling thought. Compare this daily mantra, “I am successful and abundant” with the affirmation written by Gay Hendriks above.
Note words such as “expand”, “love”, and “inspire” will create feelings when you repeat this mantra every day. I teach my clients to write goals to include inspiring words that trigger feelings or emotions in them. This method is more likely to result in them achieving their goal than one that is bland and uninspiring.
It helps to visualize your intentions as you say your mantra. Visualization can increase feelings, making the statement more emotional and impactful. Affirmations only work when you’re inspired by them. Otherwise, they just become words parroted simply for the sake of saying them.
6. Take Action
One of the biggest reasons most daily mantras fail is because we think the only action we have to take is sprouting the words every day until the change has happened. You’re still responsible for making the change happen and that requires taking proactive steps.
Take the example of the person wanting to write a book. By affirming he would learn new writing skills every day, in every way, the person knows he must take action to become a brilliant writer.
Action steps could include signing up for an online writing course, reading books written by other writers, and more. This person’s daily mantra encourages him to focus on his goal to write a book and becoming a brilliant writer by giving him a starting point from which to work with.
7. Repeat Your Mantras Daily
Saying your mantra once or twice isn’t going to result in the changes you’re hoping to see. You need to commit to repeating your mantras on a daily basis to make them empowering. Create a routine every morning and evening which includes sitting quietly and focusing on your affirmations. You normally only need up to five minutes to practice your mantras.
Remember, one of the keys to a successful mantra is feeling the outcome. And, if you’re not focusing on your statements while you’re saying them, you’re not going to be experiencing any feelings. Take three deep breaths before starting your mantra. Listen fully to each word you’re saying and repeat each mantra at least 10 times.
Believe what you’re saying, visualize how and what you feel, and be present. Make sure you fully embrace each affirmation as your own and give thanks at the end of each mantra. I always repeat, ‘Thank you” three times after finishing a mantra (a tip I learned from John Kehoe, author of “Mind Power into the 21st Century.”
Be patient. Take action. And, remember, it takes time for transformation to take place so keep up your daily practice.
Final Thoughts
Daily mantras are powerful self-empowerment tools if done properly. It takes dedication and an acceptance that anything is possible as long as you start at the beginning and slowly build yourself up. Empowering affirmations are those that you truly believe in, connect with your personal core values, and include inspiring words.
By incorporating daily mantras into your quest for change, you’re giving yourself a step towards taking action. A well-written mantra, repeated at set times in a day, will motivate you to pursue the change for better through self-empowerment. Alone they won’t make a huge difference but as part of your self-empowerment toolkit, they contribute in a big way to your journey of transformation.
This post was originally published on August 11th, 2021, and updated on September 28th, 2022.