by Melanie, on 8 Sep 2020
I've been part of an online group for several years called the Female Entrepreneur Association. From a brand perspective, it's probably the girliest thing I've ever joined! However, I love their content. The videos and blogs and masterclasses have been very valuable to me.
One of the things they recommend doing at the end of each year is to pick a word and a mantra for the upcoming year. This is one of my favorite end-of-year planning exercises.
For 2020, I picked "create" for my word and "I'm ready" as my mantra.
However, I was recently watching a video when the phrase "step up" jumped out at me, so I wrote it on a Post-It note that is now sitting on my desk.
I'm sure I'm not the only one who has found a different word or phrase resonating for them partway through 2020!
Then, last week, I attended a session with Rice University's Rice Alumni Entrepreneurs & Innovators Round Tables. After discussing a challenge he was facing, one of the entrepreneurs was asked to say a phrase that he would use as a mantra until the next meeting, while tackling his challenge.
I loved this approach because it reinforced that (a) it's not "girly" to have a mantra, and (b) while you can have an overall or long-term mantra, you can also have micro-mantras for specific periods of time.
I'd love to know if you have a mantra. If so, do you find it helpful? Is it part of your planning process?