“Hey, don’t let anyone tell you you can’t do something. Not even me, alright? You got a dream, you got to protect it! People can’t do something themselves, they wanna tell you can’t do it. You want something, go get it. Period!”—Pursuit of Happyness
Even if you’re one of the lucky ones that landed a job of your choice, there are days when your job seems overwhelming. There are days when laziness seeps in like water, quietly, and bolts you down.
For these situations, many successful people have a work mantra – a few words of wisdom that remind them of the bigger picture: their goals, beliefs, values [some of which may be forgotten in the grind of daily activity].
I roamed the glacial streets of London to engage strangers in conversation to bring you some warm mantras to brighten your workday:
1. An incredibly fit fitness instructor in London:“There’s nothing more exciting than fear because it gives me the chance to overcome it.”
2. A mother of two: “I find that if you take just one day at a time, even the hardest periods of your life tend to seem less lethal.”
3. A cheerful shopkeeper: “Always be happy, if you are sad, you are all alone in that so there’s no use.”
4. A Tube Ticket Officer: “If you take the moment to look around you, you tend to notice the little things that make your day.”
5. A Psychology student: “You are not alone in anything in this world.”
6. A Salesman: “Don’t look back.”
7. Zahra Hasan [Me]: “My mantra is essentially coffee.”
Let’s end with a bit of a cliché, shall we? [Maybe imagine it read in Morgan Freeman’s voice and it’ll make you want to tear your shirt off or do something productive]
When you’re a carpenter making a beautiful chest of drawers, you’re not going to use a piece of plywood on the back, even though it faces the wall and nobody will see it. You’ll know it’s there, so you’re going to use a beautiful piece of wood on the back. For you to sleep well at night, the aesthetic, the quality, has to be carried all the way through.”
– Steve Jobs
[box]What’s your work mantra? What do you tell yourself to keep going on a tough day? Tell us in the comments below:[/box]
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