When I started writing this blog over 4 years ago, I knew I needed a singular purpose, something that I could grab and live with every day. Call it a personal mission statement, my brand promise, or call it what I do, my mantra.
First, let me explain what I DON’T want: I don’t want something plain vanilla that doesn’t mean anything to me. I DON’T want to “have a nice day.” In fact, my first logo was a circle with a slash and the words “Have a nice day” which many folks saw as “Don’t have a nice day” and ended my mantra there.
I wanted something powerful and overarching that I could visualize and think about everytime I needed to get back to my basics.
If you’ve been reading for a while, you know my mantra is Make it Great! Everything I do, and everyone I encounter, I try to Make It Great! But if you’re a new reader, or if you think that’s just a phrase, or you want to know how I came up with this, I’m going to break it apart piece by piece for you.
Start with an action verb – Make is an action verb. Make implies creation, and that you have to DO something. I grew up in a small town with little hope for anything being given to me. I didn’t have much growing up, and what I did have, I made for myselfe. So MAKE fit the bill quite well for me.
End with a powerful adjective – Great is powerful. Great is better than good. Great is outstanding, though not perfect. Jim Collins’ book Good to Great was what I was entrenched in reading and listening to at the time. I wanted to be a great manager, a great writer, and a great person. Great was the word that worked for me.
Figure out what’s in the middle – I asked myself what I wanted to Make Great, and I came up with It. It is everything to me. You may argue it’s is little too broad, but it is IT for me. IT is EVERYTHING I do, everything I say, every picture I take, every article I write. It is truly IT.
Make It Great works. But there was something missing. Some energy I missed, some passion that’s missing.
What’s missing?
!
! was missing. The ! was missing. Tom Peters‘ logo is a big red exclamation point. It’s energy infused greatness, from the guy who brought us In Search of Excellence.
Make It Great!
That’s it, and that’s my mantra.
Action
Energy
Passion
Make It Great!
That’s all there is for me.
Questions for you:
- Do you have a mantra? How did you create it?
- Do you want a mantra? Does this formular work for you?
- Do you have a better formula for creating a mantra?
Please leave your feedback and suggestions below.
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Love this one : )
I know you are “Making It Great” every time I read your blog. I have been encouraged, reminded and kindly educated with every post. I love that your “Big Hairy Goal” was “everything!” If you fall short of everything and end up with a lot…not too bad.
I am going to be bringing your Mantra concept to my business partners and non-profit group. We actively live our Mantra but have never sat down and defined as you did. I think this is well worth our time to do. I really appreciate the way you broke it down into simple easy steps.
Thanks for all the info and insight. I always look forward to your post.
Bryn
Hey Phil, great to read your post, I was thinking about this very thing this morning when I saw your post in FF. I am working on mine now…
Thanks Greg. I hope this help you find your purpose and unlock your passion.
Thanks for writing this piece, will get working on mine as it really is so powerful.
Thanks Allison. I look forward to reading yours when it’s all done.
I have been reading up on mantras- I favor yours because its simplistic. iam teaching Domestic Violence awareness to victim survivors. Part of this class to to create or recreate self worth, i am a huge fan of mantras and affirmation! So thank you!
You’re welcome Megan! I am very glad it was helpful for you!
Thanks for teaching too! You are making a HUGE difference in the world!