3 Things Worth Saying Every Day

Just 3

Are you into affirmations or mantras? Even if you're not, keep reading!

A hundred years ago, the French pharmacist and psychologist Émile Coué developed an autosuggestion technique based on reprogramming the subconscious mind through repetition. He came up with a now famous mantra:

People were advised to repeat it many times a day, like 20 times upon waking up and another 20 times before going to sleep.

I recall my father talking about this idea as we sat around the dinner table, adding that it was recommended that one said it aloud while looking into a mirror, which, as a child, I thought was a funny thing to do.

But, funny or not, that’s what we all do a lot of throughout the day.

We talk to ourselves.

We mostly do it silently, in our head, as we go about our tasks, and occasionally, while looking into a steamed-up bathroom mirror at our blurry but familiar face, we may say aloud something like, What did you do that for? Or, Why did you say that? Or, What were you thinking? Or, just simply, What an idiot!

Of course, Every day, in every way, I am becoming better and better! has a more positive ring to it, but we’re creatures of habit and invariably fall back on negative self-talk.

To counter this habit, I’ve found three short, sweet, three-word mantras to say to myself when situations arise that have the potential to ruin my day.

I’ll share them here.

The first mantra is:

Who am I?

When I ask this of myself, it’s natural to quickly answer with life roles, like mother, mender, weeder, writer. But this deeply probing question doesn’t have a tangible, practical, human answer. Asking this question while letting go of multiple self-concepts allows me to sense my soul, my unchanging, conscious core, which is not mine, as such. It’s my link to the source of all-that-is.

When I feel torn in several directions at once, this deeply probing question is calming. Instead of being a whirlwind of activity, I become a still pond within which is wisdom, and I am shown what to do.

The second mantra is:

Let it be.

According to one version, this line from the Beatles song is a quote from Paul McCartney’s mother, Mary. She died of cancer when Paul was fourteen, but she came to him in a dream years later and said, It will be all right, just let it be. 

I say these words when I sense I’m getting involved in things that are nothing to do with me or that I can do nothing effective about. When my ego bustles forward to interfere, I stop the momentum with this mantra and just let things be. Life sorts out life without me sticking my foot or tongue into something that my suddenly alert consciousness has made me aware is not my business. So, I let it be.

The third mantra is:

All is well.

This is attributed to the 14^th century English mystic, Julian of Norwich. In her book, Revelations of Divine Love, she wrote: All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of thing[s] shall be well. 

I prefer to eliminate the word shall be and replace it with is, because welcoming whatever is arising at this moment and working with it is more useful than reacting negatively to what is currently happening and looking forward to an imaginary, hopefully better future. (I suppose the religious oppression of females in the 14^th century made Julian hope that things would be better in the future, so that’s what she encouraged other women to focus on.)

Saying, All is well (rather than All shall be well) brings me to the most powerful human state, which is one of awareness, acceptance, presence.

Whether I face personal illness, a wily weed, a meteor homing in on my current geographic coordinates, or burnt fruit toast, I say, All is well.

Saying this opens a doorway to universal wisdom and I know what to do next. Perhaps change my diet, do some weeding, run as fast as I can from the point of meteor impact, or put another piece of bread in the toaster and pay attention to it this time, will probably pop into my mind.

So, there you have it: three short, sweet, simple three-word mantras.

Who am I?

Let it be.

All is well.

These beat You’re an idiot! every time.

With love, Marlane