Do you have a mantra? Mantras are ancient chants meant to focus your mind. They are also known as “words of power,” or repeated chants that can bring you more endurance, strength, or power. Have you ever tried a meditation on gratitude?
Now watch Louie Schwartzberg’s short film, “Gratitude.” It contains some simple but powerful mantras that you can repeat as you go about your day: “Open your eyes.” “Open your heart to all these blessings.” “Let the gratefulness overflow into blessing all around you.”
The Power of Gratitude
That simple meditation has inspired millions of viewers to think about their lives in new ways. Repeating these simple phrases as you walk through your day can bring the gift of gratitude into your life.
The word “mantra” originates in Sanskrit, and it means “instrument of thought.” While the word mantra began as a religious concept, it can help people in all parts of life.
The short film contains these beautiful “instruments of thought” that can guide you through daily life. These inspirational quotes come from the great David Steindl-Rast, a Catholic Benedictine monk who focused his work on the interaction between spirituality and science.
Just repeat these life-changing ideas quietly as you go about your day:
“Open your heart to the incredible gifts that civilization gives to us.”
“Do you think this is just another day in your life? It’s not just another day. It’s the one day that is given to you: today.”
“Everyone whom you will meet on this day will be blessed by you, just by your eyes, by your smile, by your touch, just by your presence.”
Mantras for Strength
Mantras can give you strength as you go through these transformative times.
For instance, many marathon runners recite a mantra over and over again while they run. The writer Haruki Murakami explained:
“If you don’t keep repeating a mantra of some sort to yourself, you’ll never survive … Here is one: Pain is inevitable. Suffering is optional. Say you’re running and you start to think, Man this hurts, I can’t take it anymore. The hurt part is an unavoidable reality, but whether or not you can stand anymore is up to the runner himself.”
Many artists and writers also have creative mantras they recite while working. The great author Cheryl Strayed always told herself “Who is tougher than me?” while writing Wild. Here’s a scene from her book that became the award-winning movie, Wild.
“I made it the mantra of those days; when I paused before yet another series of switchbacks or skidded down knee-jarring slopes, when patches of flesh peeled off my feet along with my socks, when I lay alone and lonely in my tent at night I asked, often out loud: Who is tougher than me?”
Let us know what you think a great meditation on gratitude might be for our next article!