# Who's got a mantra? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 25, 2007, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-got-a-mantra/427721 "2007-11-25T19:12:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Santo\_Rugger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e95f7d/32.png) [@Santo\_Rugger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Santo_Rugger)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2007, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-got-a-mantra/427721/41 "2007-11-26T22:03:16Z")
“Wallet, keys, phone, badge, (sun)glasses.” Maybe not a mantra, per se, but it sure helps me make sure I have everything I need before I head out to face the day. ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2007, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-got-a-mantra/427721/42 "2007-11-26T22:06:56Z")
**Just make it up as you go along.** ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2007, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-got-a-mantra/427721/43 "2007-11-26T22:45:15Z")
When driving: “I am not in a hurry to get myself killed.” ---
**Author:** ![RedRosesForMe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/91b2a8/32.png) [@RedRosesForMe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RedRosesForMe)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2007, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-got-a-mantra/427721/44 "2007-11-26T22:52:26Z")
[QUOTE=Santo Rugger] “Wallet, keys, phone, badge, (sun)glasses.” Maybe not a mantra, per se, but it sure helps me make sure I have everything I need before I head out to face the day. [/QUOTE] That reminds me of “Spectacles, testicles, wallet and watch.” Assuming you have testicles, of course. Hmmm… after reading **SpazCat** ’s post, it makes me wonder if I should adopt “Be the cicada” as my mantra… ---
**Author:** ![Scuba\_Ben](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/278dde/32.png) [@Scuba\_Ben](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scuba_Ben)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2007, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-got-a-mantra/427721/45 "2007-11-27T00:10:55Z")
Currently I’m using _“Al tira’u!”_ (“Don’t fear!” eg. break out of obsessive fear.) My back-up mantras are SUMM, BEH, CAH, OM, etc. ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2007, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-got-a-mantra/427721/46 "2007-11-27T00:21:54Z")
[ul][li]Never sit with your back to the door.[/li][li]Never enter a room with only one exit. [/li][li]Never go out the same way you went in.[/ul][/li]Well, it’s my mantra anyway. Stranger ---
**Author:** ![Bearflag70](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Bearflag70](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bearflag70)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2007, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-got-a-mantra/427721/47 "2007-11-27T00:30:39Z")
[ham](http://youtube.com/watch?v=MzOpjBOzMqA) ---
**Author:** ![Mahna\_Mahna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e47c2d/32.png) [@Mahna\_Mahna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahna_Mahna)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2007, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-got-a-mantra/427721/48 "2007-11-27T00:33:15Z")
Shamelessly borrowed from a friend who used to calmly respond to all my gripes in the same zen-like fashion: “If this is the worst thing that happens today, then oday was still a good day.” ---
**Author:** ![SandyHook](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dec6dc/32.png) [@SandyHook](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SandyHook)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2007, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-got-a-mantra/427721/49 "2007-11-27T01:06:19Z")
“It’s only money and life is short.” ---
**Author:** ![Skara\_Brae](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f0a364/32.png) [@Skara\_Brae](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skara_Brae)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2007, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-got-a-mantra/427721/50 "2007-11-27T19:53:16Z")
“You gotta have fun…” ---
**Author:** ![nikonikosuru](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5f8ce5/32.png) [@nikonikosuru](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nikonikosuru)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2007, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-got-a-mantra/427721/51 "2007-12-05T16:20:38Z")
After 4 years of being in a college where I’m always surrounded by a bunch of “Special Little Snowflakes”, I find that the bragging/complaining/one-uppance is getting very, very tiring to hear. So whenever I hear one of the Special Little Snowflakes begin a Special Little Tirade, I just block them out with one of my favorite lyrics: “My sweet, there’s nothing larger than life”. It just reminds me to look at life on the bigger whole, and appreciate the life I have. I nor any of the SLS are better or above each other in any other way (even if they are more vocal about it). ---
**Author:** ![Zedfoil](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/8edcca/32.png) [@Zedfoil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zedfoil)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2007, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-got-a-mantra/427721/52 "2007-12-05T17:06:47Z")
[QUOTE=RedRosesForMe] I want one. I’d like something to focus on while I do yoga, and something to calm me down when I get anxious or upset. But I also don’t want to feel like an idiot (like rubbing my earlobes and repeating “Woosah” a la **Bad Boys II** ). So, if you’ve got a mantra, let’s hear it. [/QUOTE] This isn’t Yoga, it’s from a Korean martial art phonetically called “Char-Ryok.” Count. Keep the cadence regular and count as fast as you can without error. You have to count accurately but you can take shortcuts. I “say” 123456789,10,123456789,20, etc. and keep track of hundreds with my fingers. Again, cadence is important. In the martial art you are told to count to fifteen hundred, six times a day. If you do this for two months without missing a single day, you will see something, and I don’t mean anything mystical or allegorical. This one involves a lot of concentration but the learning curve is steeper than in TM. Most people don’t complete the two months, because they think they see where it’s going, or they are frightened by the vivid daydreams they get when they wander off and forget to actually count. If you are daydreaming, you are not counting. For the purpose of your Hatha Yoga, just go easy. Count, but don’t worry about the two months. ---
**Author:** ![ThatDuckIsEvil](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f08c70/32.png) [@ThatDuckIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThatDuckIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2007, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-got-a-mantra/427721/53 "2007-12-05T17:22:16Z")
at work, while driving, or watching the news: “The masses are asses” My old boss used to say it every day. My buddy always answers his phone with this phrase: “Livin the Dream!” 🙂 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-got-a-mantra/427721.md?page=2)