The beginning of a new year conjures up a multitude of optimistic images: gyms bustling with activity, people scribbling down their goals on sticky notes, and friends gathered together to celebrate possibility and hope for the coming twelve months. As the year wears on, the excitement of January seems to dim. It’s easy to become overwhelmed by schedules, constant notifications, and an endless news cycle. When moments of discouragement or self-doubt hit, it can be helpful to have a mantra or saying to reflect on. Here are eight potential mantras for 2018, taken straight from literature:
For when you consider giving up a dream in favor of an “easier” choice:
1. “The secret of life, though, is to fall seven times and to get up eight times.” – Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist
For the moments when you feel like your worth is based on your accomplishments (or lack thereof):
2. “It is our choices, Harry, that show us what we truly are, far more than our abilities.” – J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
For when you’ve been holding on to anger towards yourself or someone else for too long:
3. “The only way out of the labyrinth of suffering is to forgive.” – John Green, Looking for Alaska
For when you’ve been putting off chasing a dream in favor of remaining in your comfort zone:
4. “If we wait until we’re ready, we’ll be waiting for the rest of our lives.” – Lemony Snicket, The Ersatz Elevator
For the moments you experience setbacks so large that you think you’ll never recover:
5. “if you were born with
the weakness to fall
you were born with
the strength to rise” – Rupi Kaur, milk and honey
For the times you need a new perspective on your relationships:
6. “Love all, trust a few, do wrong to none.” – Shakespeare, All’s Well That Ends Well
For when you need a boost of confidence to apply for that fantastic job or move to that city you’ve been dreaming of:
7. “Stop acting so small. You are the universe in ecstatic motion.” – Rumi
For when you’re stuck in a rut of inaction:
8. “It isn’t what we say or think that defines us, but what we do.” – Jane Austen, Sense and Sensibility
Featured image by Tessa Pesicka
