"I Think I Can"
We've reached that point in our collective marathon when everything is beginning to hurt and we are ready to just be done - "stop-right-where-we-are-without-moving-another-muscle" done. Here's how I find motivation at this point to dig deep and stay in the race, to finish strong. At least to finish. It's time for mantras.
Sometimes it's all I can do to repeatedly count 1-2-3-4-1-2-3-4. But, if I catch myself before reaching that level of depletion, I like to use a short phrase to help power me through. Find tips to construct your own, read some inspirational quotes, or find out what mantras others use. Some favorites:
- "As it gets harder, I get stronger."
- "The body achieves what the mind believes."
- "Ketchup. Mustard. Relish." – from Anne Lamott's Facebook post about being tired
- "Try again. Fail again. Fail better." – Samuel Beckett
- "Believe you can and you're halfway there." – Theodore Roosevelt
- "ZOMBIES!!!"