Talane’s Blog of the Week, May 21, 2007

Pick a Positive Mantra

In the past few weeks I’ve been struck by the powerful effect of having an empowering, positive mantra. My in-laws moved in with us while looking for a home in the area. I worked hard to convince them to make this big move to be closer to the grandchildren and spend more time with us.

What we didn’t realize was that they weren’t able to help out as much as we had hoped. In fact, they now need looking after. We discovered that my mother-in-law has Alzheimer’s. Having a new baby, finding and purchasing a home and looking after them, as well, quickly became more than we had bargained for. To make things worse, the baby isn’t sleeping through the night although she is now five months old and should be capable of it. I’ve been back at work and am exhausted. Then, when my two year old started waking up in the middle of the night, I was completely shattered. I called my mom to commiserate. She, in her great wisdom, said, “It will get better. Paul’s folks will find a house, move out, you’ll move the baby out of your bedroom and you’ll all get a better night’s sleep.”

I grabbed onto this phrase, “it will get better” like a life raft and it has been my personal mantra for the past month. Whenever I feel at my wits end, I say to myself, “it will get better.” This one little phrase has kept me calm and positive under challenging personal circumstances. And you know what? It has gotten better. They found an amazing apartment right on the marina within walking distance to the town center and seafront and are moving out tomorrow. The baby is starting to sleep through the night, and her big sister has settled down.

A week ago I was watching a home renovation program about an English couple restoring an ancient castle in Tuscany. They bumped into one bureaucratic hassle after another. The couple had a mantra, “We will get through this.” Whenever another setback occurred, they said to each other, “we will get through this.” And they have. Now they live in an incredible castle with spectacular country views.

Yesterday, my daughter handed me a book to read—Thomas the Tank Engine, the little train that said, “I think I can, I think I can.” That’s the little train that made it up the hill. As Henry Ford said, “If you think you can do a thing or think you can’t do a thing, you’re right.”

What’s your mantra? Make it a good one.

Warmest,
Talane