Mantra. What is that, you ask and why do I need one to write a business book?

For those who know what a mantra is you can skip the definition below.

According to Wikipedia a mantra is:

A “mantra” (/ˈmæntrə, ˈmɑːn-, ˈmʌn-/ (Sanskrit: मन्त्र);^[2]) is a sacred utterance, a numinous sound, a syllable, word or phonemes, or group of words in Sanskrit believed by practitioners to have psychological and spiritual powers.^[3][4] Mantra meditation helps to induce an altered state of consciousness.^[5] A mantra may or may not have a syntactic structure or literal meaning.^[3][6]

For our purpose let us adopt a loose interpretation of the meaning. In other words, what words do you often say about yourself, regardless of your state of mind or meditation. For me, I don’t see words I see images. So my images are usual of flowers and plants. This makes me think of myself as ‘earthy’, ‘foundational’ and ‘sunlit’.

These words assist with a mantra of “leave a place better than when I arrived”. On a daily basis this reminds me that I am but a short-term visitor in this world and when I leave a mark it must be preserving what has gone before me and will help to nurture what goes on beyond me.

This helps me to ask the question “Is what I am doing in this moment making a better place?” My interpretation of this question will be different to yours and that is one of the wonderful elements of being human. We don’t always agree and we see the world very differently. However, there will be times when our mantras may cross a similar path and then we have a wonderful synergy for that time (however long that may last).

How about your mantra?

Do you have a mantra?

Think about these questions.

What do people often say about you? What do you hear when people say ‘that is so you’? What things are you drawn to?

If you don’t have a mantra already perhaps these can assist you to shape one.

What do people often say about you?

Sometimes it is really hard to look inward and see what wonderful things people say about you. To assist with finding those beautiful words of wisdom listen to what others say about you.

Do you hear people say:

So kind

That is wonderful

I love what you have done here

You make it look so simple

How long have you been doing this

So savvy

Amazing

Always on time

Organised like a soldier

You always make me laugh

Listen for the great things that others say about you and remind yourself of them.

What do you hear when people say ‘that is so you’?

Have you been out with friends or colleagues and someone pipes up ‘that is so you.’

What were the words or characteristics that were used to describe this other person that you seem to remind your friend of?

Again listen for words that are going to lift you up and make you a better person.

What things are you drawn to?

Perhaps there are particular things that you were drawn to, a particular type of music or a genre of book.

Distil these thoughts and come out with a few words.

Nike did it well with ‘Just Do It’, Apple does it well with ‘Think Different’.

Two, three or four words help to drive focus and better understand why we are on this journey and, more importantly, why you want to write your book. For me ‘Get it done.’ are the three words that remind me to keep going.

Stay focused on the outcome

Knowing the destination (or your outcome) provides a great focus point, the journey in between is never simple, nor straight, however that is part of the enjoyment as well. You will learn and grow as you find your way towards your destination.

Regardless of what happens along the way, remain focused on the destination (the outcome of you writing and publishing a book) and you will absolutely enjoy your journey along the way. Use your mantra to get you there.

If you are still struggling, reach out and let me know, perhaps I can help you get focused and to reach your book publishing destination sooner, so that you can do more and better things with your business and your life.

Send me a note. Let’s talk. Email dyan@dyanburgess.com

You may be interested in watching a 25 minute video about Creating Your Book in Less than 60 Minutes. This helps those who are not sure how to ideate a business book. This process assists you to check in with where you are at with your writing and what could be your next step. Find more details here.

The video reveals:

• How to create a book in less than 60 minutes
• The impact writing a book will have on your business
• How to use a book to build greater customer relationships