I’m not one to use cliché when I can help it.  But sometimes  you hear a saying and it’s just…perfect.  These tend to stick with me, and if a friend or family member comes to me with an issue and it’s just perfect for them, I’ll share it.  I’m not sure they find it to be as helpful, but at least I said it. The rest is up to them.

Here are some that I live by:

• Golden Rule- Old as dirt, but still one of the best  around.  Don’t do something to someone that you wouldn’t want done to you. Simple genius, really. If only it was ingrained in everyone I have to deal with in any way, my world would be a much nicer place.  Drivers on the roads (I drive a thousand miles a month during the school year), retail sales people in the stores (I do have to shop sometimes),  some colleagues,  students’ parents,  family members (you know who you are- oh wait, maybe you don’t), take note: this means you.  Play nice!
• “What comes around goes around”- sweet sweet words to comfort me when I (or people I love) have been slighted or injured in some emotional way.  In the past, I have been able to see this play out, and there is sometimes a bit of guilt but hey, karma can be a bitch.  Why some people think they are better than others, or should be disrespectful to others, is beyond me.  Clients who treat their amazing, professional, honest, hard-working, full-of-integrity general contractor (A.K.A. my husband) like he is their servant and complain constantly and make him beg for his money that he earned, shame on them!  I can only hope this one is true for all of us.  But just in case, there is this:
• “The best revenge is a life well-lived” –  You can be rude, you can be mean, you can walk around with a scowl on your face.  Your choice, your life.  Me? I’m looking for fun and adventure everywhere I go.  I plan to be the crazy old lady in the rocking chair who is chuckling to herself about all the fun she had in her life.  I don’t have time or energy or desire to be negative, no matter what someone else thinks of me.  To quote my kindergarteners: “They are not the boss of me.”  I don’t give other people that much power over me. I’m not giving in to the haters out there.
• Serenity Prayer- probably the number one chant in my life for many years.   When something is just driving me crazy I ask myself: “is this something I can control and change or not?”  If not, then accept it and move on (easy to say, maybe not easy to do, but completely necessary).  If so, then quit complaining and get started.  There is an emotional maturity needed to truly embrace this one. I believe many adults lack such a thing, and speaking for myself, I’m still trying to grow up in this area.  This one is a healthy reminder, and  I have applied it to small disappointments as well as huge, draining anxieties.

These are all mantras that help me stay even and grounded…please feel free to share some of yours! Here is a nice website to learn about the power of positive thinking:
Vital Affirmations