Tag Archives: questions

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. 

Question #4 (of 5) for you. You could brighten someone’s day.

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Thank you once again for your awesome comments and for sharing my posts on your social media sites. Today we have the 4th question in our series. Let’s review the first three questions.

  1. If you could make a 30 second speech to the entire world, what would you say?
  2. If you were at heaven’s gates, and God asked you, “Why should I let you in?”, what would you say?
  3. If your life was a novel, what genre would it fit into, what would be the title and how would your story end?

Another great series of comments on yesterday’s question. I encourage more comments on the previous questions, as well. Today’s question is simple. After giving it some thought and sharing your ideas, I urge you to act on it.

4. What small thing could you do to make someone’s day better?

Let’s make someone’s day better!

Jennifer Mott

My 5 Questions for you… 1 at a time.

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I have 5 questions for you, but will ask one a day for 5 days. They are designed to make you take 5 minutes (maybe more) out of your business, crazy day to think, reflect and share. Some questions you may like and some you may not. It’s okay if you don’t like one of my questions, I can handle it. If you have a question for everyone, please feel free to include it in your comment on this topic.

I look forward to reading your comments. So, I will get right to the first question.

  1. If you could make a 30 second speech to the entire world, what would you say?

So? What say you?

Jennifer Mott

Here’s a cactus. Tell me about it.

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Image An applicant to the Biological Sciences program at Oxford University sits down in front of the Tutor (interviewer) and is given a cactus in a pot and a close-up photo of its surface. The Tutor states, “Here’s a cactus. Tell me about it.” What would you say? Would you talk about the large sharp spines, surrounded by lots of small hair-like spines? Would you address the problems faced by plants and animals in dry habitats? When I first saw the question, it made me think about how we see things. What do we really see when we take a hard look at something?

It’s no big secret to those who know me that I have a 6 year old black lab that is my absolute best friend and my world revolves around her. Last night, as she was asleep, I watched and wondered. What was she dreaming about? Why was her back left foot twitching? How do I explain the whimpering sounds she makes when she is asleep? What does it all mean? I’m sure I can read up on all the dog psychology and come up with an educated explanation. However, I would rather use my imagination and come up with my own story. But, what about other things? What about the bubble that surrounds our lives?

I challenge you to take a hard look at something in your presence that is simple and describe it; explain it. We all have a junk drawer. Open it up, pick out something, and take a good look at it. Give some deep thought to what it is, why do you have it, what is it’s purpose? Think about the child that keeps asking why over and over and over again. The child is forcing you to give it more thought and to keep coming up with another answer to satisfy their curiosity. Be that child and keep asking yourself why over and over and over again. With the warmer, nicer weather approaching, take some time to sit outside and observe your surroundings. REALLY look at everything. Close your eyes, take a deep breath, listen, then open your eyes. What do you hear, smell, feel? Can your explanation of all of it satisfy a child enough so they stop asking why?

Tell me about the cactus.

Finding the Humor in Stressful Situations

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(The following is a true story I experienced over a year ago and wrote about on one of my other blogs)

I was asked to help a friend who is having a colonoscopy today. She needed a driver and I am free to help. So, here I sit waiting for the doctor to come out and tell me about the procedure. Before my friend (who will remain anonymous) was called back for her procedure, I noticed a sign in the waiting room that reads, “Please be respectful of our patients. No food is permitted in the waiting room.” I read it out loud to my friend and started to giggle. She hasn’t consumed anything for two days other than a very high powered laxative.

The entrance door opens and two people come through it. I am noticing that every person who comes through the door to check in immediately asks for the rest room. Anyone who is sitting in this room right now who does not have someone sitting next to them is affectionately referred to as “the driver”. We are not allowed to leave the room no matter what. We are here to get all the details of the procedure once it has been completed. We are here to make sure they get home OK. We are the ones who are supposed to remember all of the instructions from the doctor. Well, I am observing a particular “driver” in the room who keeps asking questions to others. Questions like: “Is today Thursday?” ”Why are you here?” And, so far my personal favorite, “Are you having a tooth pulled?” I am so very nervous for his family member or friend who is in the back having this oh-so-lovely procedure done and is entrusting their care and well-being to this not-so-lucid individual. Everyone is trying to be so polite with this man, but can’t seem to keep themselves from laughing at his questions.

My friend said earlier she hopes medical advances enough by the time her children are old enough to go through this test that there will be a better, less invasive way to observe the colon. Shoot, I hope by the time I’m old enough to go through this test the advances have happened already. They have 10 years to make it better!!

So, as uncomfortable as the patients are in this room and as bored as the “drivers” may be in this room, I am going to sit here and find the humor. No sense in getting upset that my afternoon is being spent sitting in an endoscopy office. I am happy to help friends when I can as I know they would do the same for me.