Maybe...

Maybe it won't be as easy as I thought to come up with a pitch perfect mantra.

I've found a few contenders. But none of them seem to hit that perfect note of "I'm good and I'm getting better." (Yes, I realize that could be my mantra but it's not quite zen enough for my taste.)

Is it possible that there is no reconciling the dichotomy? Can we accept ourselves the way we are, while challenging ourselves to grow, explore new experiences, improve relationships? Can I?

Here are a some I'm tossing around:

"It's never too late to be what you might have been." George EliotI like this because it means no matter how knee deep I am in a situation, I can stop at the very moment and be the person that I wish I could be.

"If you have good thoughts they will shine out of your face like sunbeams and you will always look lovely.” Roald DahlI mean, this is pretty self explanatory. My head is full of land mines. I'd love nothing more than for my good thoughts to create a beautiful, light filled world around me.

"Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:6-7The peace of God which surpasses all comprehension sounds right up my alley. Because I have plenty of anxiety.

"Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer." Romans 12:12There's a lot of sage advice in all of Romans 12, a virtual prescription for what ails our culture.

"I have never in my life learned anything from any man who agreed with me." Dudley Field MaloneThis one is a good contender. When I'm in a "grip" situation, this perspective can help switch it from an affliction to an opportunity.

"What you do speaks so loudly that I cannot hear what you say." Ralph Waldo Emerson Another contender and a firm belief I've held. Can I apply it to myself in 2013?

Any suggestions for a great mantra? Do you have a philosophy by which you live? Hit me! The suggestion box is open!