Mantras, Meditations, and Self-Fulfilling Prophecies

Excuses are silly creatures — always there when you need them. We rehearse them when we fail to plan. We parrot them when we hear other people justify their wrongs. We recycle thought patterns that normalize sleepwalking through life. We use excuses to avoid changing. 

We cannot justify habits or patterns that consistently lead to our unhappiness. 

So what happens when we’re living a life of excuses? Of holding onto past rights, past wrongs, past relationships, and continuing to absorb contaminated energy? 

The short answer: we’re unable and unwilling to grow.

Words: Unintended Consequences

We live in a sleepwalking world. Where looped routines and the failure to assess our behaviors are the norms. A world that is quick to reward conformity but punishes its effect on how we show up to connect with others. 

When you’re depriving yourself of the possibilities in your life, of reaching your potential, you wake up day to day a little more drowsy, a little less connected. 

Excuses take hold, and the justification settles in. “I’m stressed at work,” “I don’t have time to cook,” “I’m too old for play,” “I don’t feel like doing that.”

Slowly, our perception warps about what it means to connect with our higher purpose. 

The excuses we replay in our minds and out loud materialize over and over, and suddenly — we’ve formed a mantra. 

“I can’t do that.”

“That won’t work for me.”

“I’m embarrassed to do that.”

“That’s just how I am.”

“I’m not good enough.”

“I’m not worthy of love.”

“I always fail.”

“No.”

Subconsciously and subliminally, this begins to shape our lives.

The World We Create

The word "mantra" is derived from Sanskrit, with "man" meaning "mind" and "tra" meaning "instrument" or "tool." A mantra can be a word, phrase, or sound that is repetitive. It’s usually used as a form of meditation or concentration practice. 

But mantras can be unintentionally formed when we repeatedly vocalize or internalize certain messages or energies. 

The repetitious messages we tell ourselves clearly communicates within ourselves and to the universe that “this is who I am. This is what I’m seeking. This is what I deserve.”

Mantras: Self-Fulfilling Prophecies

“Watch your thoughts, they become your words; watch your words, they become your actions; watch your actions, they become your habits; watch your habits, they become your character; watch your character, it becomes your destiny.”

― Lao Tzu

A self-fulfilling prophecy is the manifestation of our beliefs, thoughts, and intentions in the physical realm. Our inner world and the energy we emit shape our external reality.

Watch how you speak to yourself.

When you make a mistake, how do you forgive yourself? Do you forgive yourself? Or do you recirculate it over and over? Is your inner critic unkind?

When you misspeak, are you patient with yourself and rephrase your message? Or do you collapse under imagined pressure?

When you interpret another’s behavior or thoughts, are you choosing to see the good in it? Are you trusting their words?

The stories we tell ourselves are powerful.

Tread carefully. Be intentional. What we repeatedly think, say, and do, we become. 

When we hold positive and empowering beliefs about ourselves and our lives, we attract positive circumstances and opportunities. 

When we harbor negative or limiting beliefs, we may unknowingly create obstacles or self-sabotaging patterns.

Each time you speak negatively about yourself or about another person is a vote of confidence toward that fact.

Each time you replay the excuses, the self-limiting beliefs, the absorbed energies of the skeptics and the naysayers — you slowly tailor your reality. You normalize that negativity within yourself, creating that self-fulfilling prophecy. 

Mantras: Meditation

We often think of meditation as a focused and positive way of slowing down and reflecting. 

Meditation gives us the opportunity to shed the energies of the day, reframe limiting beliefs, and reset our karmic contracts. Mantras are introduced in meditation to strengthen our perception of ourselves and make changes in our lives.

When we don’t take the time to do these things, it becomes more difficult to rechannel negative thoughts and beliefs when needed most. When in meditation, we capture opportunities to acknowledge feelings without becoming weighed down by them. They pass, and we heal. 

When we consistently set aside time to meditate, our lives become more wholesome. When you repeat affirmations rather than negative declarations, you shift your world. 

Recognizing When You Need Spiritual Support

At times it’s harder to commit to a meditation practice. Life happens. We’ve all been there. 

But this is your life. Your future. Your destiny. Think about the mantras you might be reverting to in your life. Are you proud of the stories you tell yourself? About who you are? About who others are? Are you creating a life of experiences that bring you closer to your higher purpose or falling into the trap of self-limiting beliefs?

The energy we radiate into the universe interacts with the energy of the cosmos, creating a resonance that attracts similar vibrations. 

Breaking cycles of thought is a challenging and vigorous process. At Leela, we welcome students from all walks of life and within their spiritual journeys. We offer weekly support via our newsletters and blogs. 

For the more curious and serious seekers, we offer more intensive and intentional programs to help dive deeper into who you are and who you are meant to be. 

Check out our Conscious Meditation Program.