11 Mantra Examples to Help You Improve Your Outlook

It’s not easy to stay upbeat and continue moving forward when life rattles you. That’s when a mantra can help. It serves as an anchor, connecting you to your higher self, reminding you of who you are and that you got this. Designing your personal mantra can seem daunting, but it’s easy with a little inspiration. Here are 11 mantra examples to help you improve your outlook and spark your creativity for writing one of your own. 

1. Breathing in, I Send Myself Love. Breathing Out, I Send Love to Someone Who Needs It

One of the simplest mantra examples was inspired by the great spiritual teacher Thich Nhat Hanh, who Dr. Martin Luther King nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize because of his work to end hostilities in Vietnam. It sparkles because it includes a gentle reminder to practice mindfulness. 

At its very basic, breathing is life. This mantra brings you back to your awareness of what it is to simply be. From there, you can decide how you want that existence to look — if it’s peaceful and giving, offer love. 

2. My Potential Is Limitless, and I Choose Where to Spend My Energy

Does it sometimes feel like your life is in the hands of capricious fate? Here’s a mantra example that reminds you the person ultimately behind the controls is you. You decide how to direct your energy. You may not be able to change the world, but you can always control how you react to the forces surrounding you, which is the ultimate freedom — how will you spend yours today?  

3. My Inner Being Is Untouched by the Outside World 

The world isn’t always kind. In fact, it can be downright cruel, and when you hear some variation of the “I’m not good enough,” message every day, it’s natural to internalize the sentiment. 

However, you are not what the world has done to you. Use this mantra to remind yourself that your soul remains beautiful and unsullied no matter how much mud others sling your way. 

4. I Have Power Over My Thoughts, and I Do Not Let Them Control or Define Me 

Your thoughts aren’t necessarily reality. However, rumination can manifest the very things you don’t want to see, if only because those ideas drive your behaviors. You don’t apply for that job if you think, “I don’t have a chance at getting hired, anyway,” leaving you in a position you dislike for a salary insufficient to support life. This mantra example reminds you to keep your thoughts from becoming your truth. 

5. I Didn’t Come This Far Only to Come This Far 

Do you need a break? Hey, it’s okay to take a rest. What’s not alright is dropping out of the race. Turn to this mantra example when you feel stalled on a momentous task, like finishing a novel. 

6. Everyday Is a Second Chance

Did you make a mistake with the capital “M”? You might feel as if there is no hope, as if what has occurred has rendered all chance of redemption futile. That’s the perfect time to turn to this mantra example — it reminds you that hope still exists. 

7. I Surrender to the Flow and Have Faith in the Ultimate Good 

Modern minds could learn a lot from the study of ancient Taoism. One of the principles in this religious philosophy is wu-wei, which translates to effortless doing, moving in accordance with human and mother nature instead of trying to swim upstream. 

You can turn to these mantra examples to remind you to go with the flow. Even things that seem difficult or adverse can have within them meaning and lessons — can you find them? When faced with a daunting task, can you discern the easiest path to completion? 

8. I Give Myself Permission to Be Happy Right Here, Right Now 

How do you maintain a positive mindset in a world that can seem, well, downright negative at times? It’s easy for advice columnists to say, “turn off the news.” It’s quite another thing when you are one of the people living the harsh realities reporters warn about — or when the media surrounds you so completely you can’t escape messages of doom.

You might be one of many people who hang their happiness on an elusive “someday.” You’ll celebrate being alive when you have a better job or save enough money to buy a house. 

This mantra example reminds you that the joy is in the journey. When you permit yourself to be happy in the moment, even temporary hardships seem less burdensome. 

9. I Release Stress About Things I Cannot Change or Control 

You can recycle all day long, and it won’t singlehandedly stop the climate crisis — what can you do? It’s time to practice radical acceptance, the psychological equivalent of making peace with what you cannot change. This mantra example gently reminds you that it isn’t a productive use of your energy to focus on issues you ultimately cannot influence, to do what you can with a joyous heart and move on. 

10. At the Deepest Level of Being, I Am One With All That Is

Loneliness is a modern plague. It’s ironic, but the very devices meant to connect us often leave us feeling anything but. Even losing your job often boils down to an impersonal shutoff of your account access instead of an in-person “We’re sorry to let you go.” 

This mantra example reminds you that all this modern mechanical and technological coldness is an illusion. You are a living being, capable of growing and evolving in a way no human-made machine or AI will ever match. Furthermore, you are connected to all other living beings through an existential mystery that even the world’s top engineers cannot replicate. 

11. My Energy Is Eternal 

Do you, like the poet John Keats, ever have fears that you may cease to be? Death is the ultimate equalizer, but the threat of annihilation is also the root cause of nearly all human anxiety. This mantra example reminds you that the soul within you goes on long after the fragile flesh passes back into the earth. 

Mantra Examples — Now It’s Your Turn

A personal mantra might seem steeped in ancient wisdom, but it’s a practical necessity in the modern world. It anchors you to your higher self and reminds you of who you are when life knocks you for a loop. 

Now that you’ve explored the mantra examples above, it’s your turn to create one that works for you. What will your mantra for this year be?