Tag Archives: mantra

Writing With Your Marker

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Did you draw on your mom’s walls and in inappropriate places with markers when you were a child?  I bet you were in a ton of trouble when you did so.  I know you were because, let’s face it, we all did it.  I am now 40 years old and can tell you I often write on my bathroom mirror or on myself with a marker… a dry-erase marker.  What do I write?  Well…

I believe everyone should have a mantra; a saying; a quote that inspires them each day.  I actually have all three. Your mantra should be something you can lean on during the toughest of times.  When you are faced with adversity, your mantra is something that should have the ability to give you the kick in the butt you need.  My mantra comes from my marathon training team, Pink Nation.  It is “All Go No Quit Cowboy Up”. It means suck it up and finish what you started.  My saying is one that I use absolutely every day for every aspect of my life: work, home, fitness & health, personal, volunteer work, etc… My saying is “Be > Yesterday” (Be Greater Than Yesterday).  I don’t think I need to explain that one. Your selected quote should be the one that inspires you to get through tough times, gears you up to get ready to face adversity head on or is a quote you can rely on to put things in perspective, stay positive and get through the ugly. My quote is “Spes et Fortitudo” (hope and strength).

So, what do I write on my mirror with my trusty marker?  Sometimes I write things I need to add to the grocery list as they appear in my mind while brushing my teeth. Sometimes I write work thoughts or presentation ideas.  But, everyday I see two things on my mirror written with my trusty marker: “Be > Yesterday” and “Spes et Fortitudo”.  To me, these two statements keep me pushing forward.  They keep me thinking about being better every day.  But, they also remind me of the positive.  There’s so much “yuck” in our every day lives that being reminded of the positive in so important.

I also write on myself.  Yes, I am a grown adult and write on myself.  I am a runner.  Any race I run, whether it’s a 5K up to a marathon, I pick a person or persons to dedicate the race to and write the names on the top of my left hand right next to my watch.  Every time I look at my watch to check my pace, distance or time, I see the name(s), the reason I am running the race.  It is my motivation.  But, I also write “I Am My Hero” on my fingers.  I believe there are times in your life that you need to stop relying on others and become your own hero.  You need to do “it”, whatever “it” is, for you.  I use my trusty marker for these writings as well.

So, what are you going to write with your marker?  Where will you write it?  What is the meaning behind what you will write?

Your Mantra

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Mantra is a mind projection created in either a spoken or mental manner. Mantras can be a word, phrase, syllable or sound. They can be recited, sung or repeated silently in the mind. It is a technique for regulating the mind. There are many mantras each one having its own quality, rhythm, and effect. For thousands of years, mystics, meditators and yogis have used mantras for mental and spiritual transformation.  If you search the web you will find web site on top of web site full of inspirational and motivating quotes; mantras, if you will.  Well… here begins the story of Pink Nation and our mantra.

“In rodeo, to ‘cowboy up’ means to suck it up in times of adversity and carry on when you are injured or down and the prospect of doing whatever you’re about to try is so bleak that the best you can hope for is to live through it.” ~ Tuff Hedeman, World Champion Bull Rider

Mantra: any sacred word or syllable used as an object of concentration and embodying some aspect of spiritual power.  I am a proud card-carrying member of the Pink Nation Marathon Training Team.  We begin our “family reunion” each year in June.  We hold “church” each Sunday morning to get our sweat on and push ourselves towards a goal in November that most would never even consider attempting… start and finish 26.2 miles.  We have a phrase we use when faced with adversity when we head out for training runs, during our lives and especially on race day when we set out to conquer 26.2 miles. Our mantra is “All Go, No Quit, COWBOY UP“. 

You see, Pink Nation is not just a running training team; it’s a family.  We take care of each other and look out for each other.  We welcome new members into our family every year in June.  When one of us has a tough road ahead in any aspect of our life, team members shout our mantra from the roof tops (well comment on social media and other forms of communication, but you get the point).  Throughout the year many members of Pink Nation take part in other races around the stated and even throughout the country; races of varying distances.  No matter the length of the race team members are always there with a rousing “All Go, No Quit, COWBOY UP“.  It sticks in your head.  It becomes your “wingman” never leaving your side during a race.  When you are feeling beat up it is comforting knowing there are people out there who know just what to say to make you suck it up and keep pushing ahead. They know what to say that makes you not quit.

We all need a kick in the butt every now and then to keep us pushing forward in life, in work, and in reaching goals of all kinds.  What is your mantra?  Do you have a phrase that keeps you going? What gives you the kick in the butt you sometimes need to “get through it”, to make it across whatever finish line lies ahead of you?  If you do not have a mantra, I think it would be okay with my fellow Pink Nation family members if you borrowed ours.  But, be careful as it is a powerful phrase.  There’s no telling what you might accomplish once you use it.  “All Go, No Quit, COWBOY UP“, my friends. 

What makes you not quit?

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It’s 4:59AM and you are sound asleep. Your head is positioned just right on the pillow and your blankets are wrapped perfectly around your body. You’re having sweet dreams when all of a sudden… BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP! You alarm clock clicks to 5:00AM and blasts that obnoxious sound in your ear. The very first question you will ask yourself today is “Do I hit the snooze button and go back to sleep or do I get up and go for my training run I have scheduled for today?”. You think to yourself for a minute that you could probably squeeze it in after work, but then again you know that will probably not happen. So, reluctantly, you get out of bed and turn the alarm clock off, get your gear on and stretch a bit before hitting the road. Sound familiar? So what was it that made you get out of bed and go for your run? Why did you chose to not go back to sleep even though you know you really wanted to?

‘Tis the season for running races. Are you just getting into running? Are you someone who runs the annual 5K or 10K? Or, are you the running warrior who schedules your vacations around races? No matter which runner you are there will come a time during your training that you are going to want to quit. It may happen during a run or in the early morning when you need to get out of bed to go for your run. So, what makes you not quit?

There are hundreds of reasons why people become runners. Some people start at a young age and may have been successful runners on the High School Track Team. Some do it because their doctor informed them they need to exercise more and change their diet because their health has diminished to the point where the doctor has to prescribe cholesterol medication. Did you turn 50 this year and make it a goal to finish a 5K or 10K? Then again, maybe you are someone who was motivated by a friend and their accomplishments to start running. I have talked with many people over the past few years who have one of the above reasons to start running. Then again, there are bigger reasons, as well.

I have had the unfortunate displeasure of having the ultimate battle with Cancer… a few times. Each time my determination and stubbornness (and my amazing medical team) have helped me win the battle with brilliant colors. I had tried to run a couple of races during my first couple of battles, but my body just would not allow it. Last year I started my third battle (and hopefully last) with Cancer two weeks into training for the Richmond Marathon. I was devastated to say the least. So treatments began… Let’s skip all the bad stuff and jump ahead to October 8th. I was sitting across from my doctors, they informed me I was finished with treatments, my tests were perfect, my levels looked great, and I could begin to get back to my normal routine. Then, I looked at my watch…

My doctors, who have been through every battle with me, knew exactly what I was looking at and what I was thinking. They knew I was doing the math in my head. They knew I was figuring out how many weeks remained until the Richmond Marathon. They were the ones who told me I had to stop running during my treatments and knew how devastated I was. This was to be my year for the marathon. I was crushed! They were right. I was doing the math. I had 1 month, almost to the day, to train for the marathon. I was not about to let Cancer and the battle I had been through stop me from running this race, even if I did have to crawl to the finish line.

Long story short, I trained, I ran, and I finished. I had two coaches by my side for the last mile and a half and we were running, not crawling as I thought I may have to do. But, what was it that kept me going? Part of me wants to say it’s because half way through the race I was down by the river with no city bus going by to pick me up and take me home. It wasn’t. I don’t like losing. I don’t like it when people tell me I am not capable of doing something. And, I certainly do not like it when someone tells me I am not physically strong enough to do something. I will prove them wrong!

I had a lot of people on my mind during my training and the race. I have lost many friends and family to Cancer. Some were young people in their 20’s, some were much older and some in between. All of them at one time were capable of running whether it was a mile or 26.2 miles. Now they couldn’t because Cancer took their lives. I thought of each and every one of them when I wanted to quit or not get out of bed in the early morning to run. Then, I thought of all those who told me I shouldn’t or couldn’t run. I ran for those who no longer could and ran for those who doubted me for one reason or another. So, why did I tell you all of this?

My very long point is, what is your motivation? What is your reason? What makes you not quit? Some times it’s very clear and some times we need to dig deep to figure it out. I saw a picture one time on line of a persons fist that had 4 words written on it; one word on each finger. It said “Be Your Own Hero”. I immediately fell in love the phrase and picture and adopted it for myself. I wrote on my hand “I Am My Hero” for the Richmond Marathon. When the doubts started popping into my head, I looked at my hand and thought of all those who could not do what all of us were doing that day. That is, and always will be, my reason why I will not quit.

What will make you not quit?