Mantras are mesmeric. They take you down paths hitherto untrodden. But what is a mantra, anyway? Actually it is a word borrowed by the English Dictionary from a Sanskrit word "mantra" meaning "invocation" or "chant." So a mantra is a chant. However, I am definitely not suggesting that you turn your hectic work days or even weekends into chanting binges. What I mean is, treating the mantra as a philosophy that you can live, by chanting it silently to yourself in every act of yours. In short, mantra is a creed you can live by.

Tom Peters the firebrand speaker and thought leader says you are the CEO of your own life. If that be the case a mantra would be appropriate for yourself.

Why should you have a mantra? What is the big deal about it? Mantras play a phenomenal part  in their designated role as philosophical beacons. Mantras are what you stand for. They are part of your inner sanctum of thoughts, motivations, initiatives, crusades and finally action. They are embedded in your psyche. You may not even know it or knowing it acknowledge it but everything that you do in life is actually a manifestation of that mantra - you could say it is the voice of your sub-conscious or even the soul.

To test this out, analyze any action that you take and in particular the ones where you seem to do it almost mechanically and look for a motive or reason. Why did you act this way? What made you take this action? Why not something else or even no action? If you dig deep enough you will find buried a link to your motivations. Take for example a public demonstration by animal activists against indiscriminate killing of whales. Why do some of us join the demonstration while others watch it like any other show on television and some others do not have time for these kind of things. This is not being judgmental about anybody rather it is a reflection of how your psyche works. Some of you feel strongly about it while others do not.

For those who feel strongly about it, there is a match between their own motivation and philosophy and the activists. It resonated with some of you. It is like turning on the television and finding your favorite program or show on. Your mind is alert now, you are paying attention, in a manner of speaking you are in sync with it. Similarly a mantra or a philosophy acts as your conscience keeper. It guides you towards things you want to be part of and away from what you would like to avoid. I could very well stick my neck out and say that passion is the core ingredient in a mantra or philosophy. This is why a mantra is a creed, something which you would put your precious signature on.

Mantras or philosophies are thought to be only belonging to companies and businesses. But that is as far away from the truth as the thought that a mantra is a gimmick. It sounds good to have a mantra or a philosophy. But the soul of a mantra is in living it, breathing it and epitomizing it. It is not some superficial trick to look good.

Mantras are rudders that guide your thought processes. Imagine a ship whose engines are turned on and let loose at sea. There is no navigation. How far do you think it will go? It will probably be found wrecked on some nondescript shore or sink in anonymity. And why? It simply has no direction. Contrast that to a ship which has a destination charted out in its navigation and the rudder controlling that. It will not only reach its port of destination but do so with panache and a clear cut strategy.

Mantras similarly guide you in your journey of life. It is perfectly well to go through life without a mantra. But it would be akin to that of a rudderless ship. Mantras serve to solidify your inner thoughts. They grant a soul to that body. They actually represent you in all your thoughts and actions.

Finding a mantra

Having laid out that argument for a personal mantra how do you go about it? You start with a bit of introspection. Yes, not too much of it. Without a bit of dialogue with your own self you are never going to be able to unearth your inner most thoughts. I promise it will not take too long and will be worth it.

1. Pick one person past or present who you greatly admire. It can be your spouse, parent, uncle, friend, teacher, student, or even somebody you do not know personally.
2. Write 3 qualities you admire in him or her. Write one sentence each why. For example: I admire my Teacher Tom for his passion, humility and knowledge. I admire his passion for teaching where he seems to be transported to a world of his own, enjoying himself so much. And so on.
3. Now pick one out of the 3 qualities that resonates with you MOST. Describe in one sentence Why?
Reduce to 8 words or less. There you go. Done.

All of us have role models who we admire and yes emulate. It is one of the most natural of human instincts. Imitation is the best form of praise. We wish to be like them, do things they do, follow their sayings and quotes. They have already laid out a path or direction in which they were successful. You do not need to reinvent the wheel. Just use the principles. Mind you I am not asking you to copy them. Ex Apple Evangelist Guy Kawasaki (Read his phenomenal book: Enchantment) once said: "Whatever any one may say about the convenience of copying, there is still a difference between an original and a xerox copy."

Don't copy. Just use the principles you admire and give it your own personal, unique flavor. It will be an offering all on its own. An original which is inspired. From that perspective, almost no one is original. There is always an amalgam of idea inspirations that finally produces that output.

My 8 word Mantra (which I have been following for many years now) is:
"Lifelong Learning and Sharing Knowledge to benefit others."
Remember the words in the mantra need only matter from one criterion - they reflect your philosophy, something which you can live each day.