It’s no secret that good sleep, regular exercise, and a positive attitude create the landing pad for feeling like a million bucks. When you realize you may be in need of raising your state, it’s likely because something has suffered or fallen off your regimen. So how can we get it all back on the wagon?

At this point in the new year routine, it’s common for people to feel frustrated or disappointed. It could be that you haven’t hit the gym as often as you intended to, or you feel like you’re working your butt off but your weight won’t budge, or you realize we’re now in March and the first 2 months of the year completely eluded you and your best intentions…

These conditions can very easily lend to negative self-talk and inevitably self loathing. Our thoughts are super powerful and fueled by the things we tell ourselves. Also, motivation doesn’t happen on its own… it requires action to kick in. 

Adjusting your inner dialogue is one of the most effective ways to keep you motivated and turning things around. Even the simple things like ‘I’m always tired’, or even ‘I just don’t feel like it…’ although they are not self loathing, they can still be incredibly debilitating. On the other side of that ‘lethargy’ is a great workout that will kick your state into gear. 

We’re not exactly born with everything needed to build a happy and healthy life. It’s up to us to adopt the tools that will help keep our state elevated. Our moods will always ebb and flow, but our approach to health and happiness is our life’s work. It certainly deserves our commitment and focus.

We’ll start with a simple daily checklist for health and happiness:

Tagline, positive affirmations, positive self-talk, mantra…

Whatever you want to call it, it’s SUPER important and we are sticklers about it for very good reason.

Most of us have very busy minds – talking to ourselves all day, every day. The truth is that the quality of this self talk is a major factor in our health and happiness. I may even go as far as to say it’s the most important factor. The things we say influences the way we feel about ourselves, the people we choose to be in our lives, and our surroundings. It shapes our self esteem, affects how we act, how we make decisions, and generally how we respond to life.

Negative self-talk like ‘I look so fat’ or ‘I will never be able to do that’ are self fulfilling and will sabotage you… The same is true for the positive – they are self fulfilling. The first step in all great accomplishments and to a great life in general is a fundamental belief that we can.

The truly amazing part is that we control this. Granted, some of us need to work at a positive disposition more than others, but positive thinking is a habit that we can fine tune and master. It just might take a little practice.

Your tagline is that practice. It’s a simple and clear statement that you can repeat to yourself, especially in those moments of struggle. It gives you immediate strength to embrace challenges and triumph. Over time, repetition will literally pave neural grooves in our brains and continuously shape us into the people we tell ourselves we are. So repeating something like ‘I’m strong and sexy’ may very well be your biggest weapon.

Attitude is everything.

A positive attitude is a positive state; The state you’re in dictates outcomes; A positive state leads to positive outcomes.

Consider these brain joggers for your next favorite tagline (be bold and positive!):

I am … 

Each day I …

I can …

Today is …

I am not afraid to …

I choose …

My life is …

… is my anchor

My focus is on …

I embrace my …

**Keep it by your bedside**

Get yourself a cute little frame and use a white sheet of paper under the glass. Then take a dry erase marker and write your tagline on the glass. Keep it by your bedside so it’s the first thing you read in the morning and the last thing you see at night. Check out the video above.

One of my favorite taglines: Check your state and make it mighty.

What will yours be?

xo