Mottos

Intention:

Have you thought about distilling your guiding principles into a word, phrase, or sentence? Have you heard yourself say ‘that's my motto’?

A motto is a word, phrase, or sentence that is adopted to communicate a guiding idea. A motto reflects the character or purpose of what it stands for. Mottos can serve as symbols of what we believe in, reminders of what we stand for, and guides to the next steps to take and decisions to make. In difficult times, mottos can serve as affirmations to help us maintain our focus and direction.

As such, a motto is a way of encapsulating an intent. Therefore, here we are offered the opportunity to discover, reveal, and create mottos with which we identify.

Instruction:

Draft some mottos that hold meaning to you. You may include adopted, modified, and original mottos.

Keep your eyes and ears open for motto inspiration, as they are everywhere. Commercial advertisements show examples, reflecting products or the corporations that produce them. The bumper stickers that attract our attention in traffic also contain mottos.

You may comment on your mottos with illustrations and reflections.

Here we offer some guiding questions.

Inspection:

·       How do your mottos reflect your personal values?

·       How do your mottos represent your philosophical, transcendental, civic/political perspectives?

·       How do your mottos mirror your character and personality?

·       How do your mottos symbolize your life purposes?

·       How do your mottos guide you in your decision making?

·       Do you remember a motto that you identified with in the past, but not in the present?

• How may it help you to put signs or other reminders of your mottos in places you see or visit often?