“It is a law of the universe: Assistance must always be given to
those who request it.”
Oprah Winfrey

Frank Somma is a highly successful salesman, a motivational speaker, and a good friend of my good friend and mentor, Rob Gilbert (check out Rob’s Success Hotline: 973.743.4690). Frank shares inspiring, insights on his site: FrankSomma.com. In a recent post, he talked about a gift that his cousin and valued friend, Steve, gave him in the form of a simple, but powerful idea: He challenged Frank to come up with a motto that captured his goals.

For 2015, Frank chose as his motto one that expressed an intention he wanted to keep foremost in his mind on a daily basis over the next 12 months: “Life is choice. Your very next moment can be different if you choose it to be.”

What a wonderful motivational tool! Reading Frank’s post has inspired me to ponder a personal writing motto for this upcoming year — an intention that I want to keep front and center throughout 2016.

Here’s the touchstone phrase I came up for myself for the coming year: “A Passion for Completion.” This was inspired by a post I wrote a while ago (See Passionate Completion). I’ve said this phrase many times to myself, but now I really want to commit to it because it expresses exactly the mindset I need to finish revising my YA novel. I’m going to write it on a card and keep it in my office so I’ll see it every day.

I’ve found that setting an intention, whether it’s for a meditation session or a writing session, can be very powerful: It’s amazing how a simple tool like this can help focus and galvanize you. And, given the power of words, putting your intention in writing gives it greater strength: To me, it’s a way of asking the universe for assistance.

How about you? Why not come up with a writing motto of your own — one that will inspire and motivate you to achieve your major goal over the next 12 months and put it where you’ll see it every day: on your computer, your desk, your iPhone, in your wallet?

Or here’s a simpler idea: just pick one word that inspires you. Creativity, Abundance, Joy — whatever quality you want to bring to your writing over the next year, sum it up in a single word and use it as your personal touchstone.

If you think of a word or motto and want to share it, I’d love to hear from you. Write on!