THE STYLISH STUFF: POSITIVE WORDS

20th March 2017

From a very early age I’ve enjoyed a love affair with the written word. Books were my obsession and every birthday or every time I’d achieved at school, my Mum would take me to a labyrinthine bookshop in a tiny nearby town, where I was allowed to choose one book. I can still recall the smell of this rickety old place with bulging shelves of poetry, adventure packed fiction and bright tomes of nature photography. One of my other major loves? Jewellery of course, not much of a secret to regular readers of The Stylish Stuff. So you can imagine my joy at discovering Mantra Jewellery, brainchild of founder Jo Stroud, this is a gorgeous boutique brand that uses the power of words to motivate and inspire on bijou discs of gold and silver. The definition of a mantra is: ‘a commonly repeated word or phrase’, or for the more spiritually minded: a’ sacred utterance’ that is believed to give focus and uplift you. Basically a wonderful way of bringing a little positivity into your life. The jewellery is inexpensive, prettily packaged and the perfect, thoughtful gift for friends or loved ones. I chatted to Jo about her love of the written word and asked her which were the key mantras by which she lives her life.

(Explore, Dream, Discover £35; direction & dreams mantra.)

“I believe that the power of words to inspire us in undeniable” says Jo, “an uplifting word or phrase caught sight of or remembered through a busy day or during tough times, is enough to remind us to stay strong, be positive, and believe in the best. I have always been a keen collector of inspirational quotes, stemming from my school days and studying English at university. Quotes and sayings from Oscar Wilde and Baudelaire, to Coco Chanel and Audrey Hepburn, peppered my walls and filled my notepads. But it’s only as I’ve become older that I have grasped how to use this habit of collecting great phrases as a guide for living my life. I now have a number of go-tos that I use for inspiration, focus and guidance. Sometimes, to remind me to think differently; sometimes, to keep me motivated when things are tough; and sometimes, to kick my butt into activity.”

Here are the 7 mantras that I live by:

1. ‘Change my thoughts and I change my world’ – This is the single most important one for me, because it reminds me that I am in control of how I experience life. I have a tendency to think negatively sometimes, so this reminds me to change my outlook and stop expecting the worst to happen. It’s adapted from something Norman Vincent Peale wrote in ‘The Power of Positive Thinking’, a brilliant and inspiring book; and I have it engraved on my ‘myMantra’ pendant.

(Believe necklace £45; Lotus necklace £20, and Lotus earrings £20: inspiration & self belief mantra.)

2.‘Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined’ – This is based on a line from Henry David Thoreau, the great American essayist and naturalist. I love this quote, and find the instruction to ‘live the life you have imagined’ a powerful reminder that we have control over how we live our lives. Only we know our dreams, and only we can create that life.

(lace top/ River Island)

(Life is Beautiful £55: happiness & optimism mantra.)

3.If it doesn’t challenge you, it doesn’t change you –I came across this phrase when I trained for the marathon, and it really resonated with me. I find that achieving something that really pushes me, and that I find hard to do, has a powerful and lasting impact on me, as I am fully engaged and can’t do it on autopilot.

(Necklaces and earrings as above, Lotus bracelet, £40. Blouse, The Shop at Bluebird.)

4.Tomorrow is created by what you do today –This is a mantra I use a lot in business, but it also applies to life generally. It’s a reminder that you will only achieve the future you want, if you start working for it today. Don’t just react to circumstances and get bogged down in what is immediately in front of you: take time every day to do something which builds your future.

5.Just move –A simple mantra to remind me to build activity into my daily life. Walk up the escalator; take the stairs over the lift; jump on the treadmill for 20 minutes when I get home, rather than turning on the tv; do a country walk at the weekend, finishing with a pub lunch – rather than going straight to the pub!

(Moon and star necklace £50; moon and star earrings £15: inspiration & self belief mantra. Embellished tee, No 21 from The Shop at Bluebird.)

6.Bring your own sunshine – My mum isn’t very well at the moment, so there are lots of trips to hospital, doctors’ appointments, and challenges to deal with. But I decided several months ago that the best thing I can do is to keep Mum positive and upbeat, and meet the challenges with a light touch and a sense of humour. We laugh when we can, take joy in the moments, and look for the funny side of things. So, in my head, when I am with Mum, is the mantra to ‘bring sunshine’, which is an easy reminder.

(Linked hearts necklace £25: love mantra. Arrow necklace £30: inspiration & self belief mantra. Hamsa necklace £20; Angel earrings £15, both protection & faith mantra. Sequin top / River Island.)

7.She who is brave is free – Lastly, but very importantly, is this mantra. I love this sentiment, and find it genuinely inspiring. It is easy to be afraid of things in life, but if you let your fears conquer you, your life will be narrower, flatter, less colourful. Courage to live your life how you want, and courage to push through your fears, brings you genuine freedom and happiness.

(Love £40, simply the Love mantra.)