Mottoes – Motivation, Inspiration, Transcendence

Recently, at my daughter’s Year 12 Graduation, during the rollcall and the handing out of certificates, each graduating student’s motto was read out. These included, “Start each day as if it’s your birthday,” “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere,” “Smile and be around people who smile back,” and my daughter’s “The best way out is through.”

I got to thinking about my own mottoes; the many. Those quotes and mottoes that inspire me most are those I need most; revealing those life issues I struggle with most.

Our mottoes are the reflection of our struggles.

Mottoes wouldn’t hold us if we didn’t need them. Mottoes don’t represent things we are experts in, but they represent the areas of life we would like to master. Mottoes actually reveal the hypocrite in us. But if we are honest we will know where we want to grow and how far we have to go to get there.

Adopting a Motto or Creating One

Mottoes, and Words of God, direct us on our way.

Whenever we read something inspiring, something that resounds within us as meaningful, we can be assured that both consciously and unconsciously we have a need for it. We know somehow this motto could improve our lives, make us happier, more content, more motivated and inspired, more valued, and more purpose-driven.

We all want the successful life. And this is the sort of life that comes individually wrapped; a life that comes as a mystery for us to unwrap—through getting to know of ourselves, our purpose in life; that for which God has called us to.

So the motto has relevance as far as two things are concerned:

1.      They help us identify the call God has placed on our hearts, and

2.      They help us identify the gap between the vision we have of that call and our present reality.

If we haven’t discerned our life motto or mottoes yet, we could take the opportunity to develop one. Such a self-reflective process is enjoyable because we are getting to know ourselves more.

In getting to know ourselves more we get to know God more.

There is a great deal of drive and satisfaction we can derive from having a motto that motivates and inspires us. The motivational and inspirational value of the motto drives us on toward a place of character where we transcend the present self; a better reality by far than backsliding.

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Our mottoes drive us on toward excellence; toward every vision of the abundant life. Mottoes which are meaningful engage our hearts, inspiring us to transcend our present selves.

© 2012 S. J. Wickham.