Dear fellow whiners (and yes, that means everyone in the history of ever), I have an announcement to make. Life isn’t terrible, our thought patterns are. Our minds are in this constant duality of negative thought patterns competing with positive ones.

We say we want to be happy, but then sell ourselves thousands of reasons to be unhappy.

“This class is stressful,” “parking is THE WORST,” “the Freshman 15 turned me into that hippo from Fantasia.” The list can go on.

This is where our duality lives. While we say we want happiness, our thoughts are working overtime to create just the opposite.

Now here’s the trick. Your perspective is your reality, and your reality is a mirror of your thought patterns. Change your thought patterns, and you change the reflection in the mirror, aka your reality.

How to do this you ask? Let’s take a gander at mantra meditation.

Mantra repetition is an ancient meditation technique originating out of Tibet and India. It is the use of words or phrases as an object of concentration. Mantra is a Sanskrit word, meaning instrument of thought. You create and shape your life with your thoughts and the words you choose to articulate those thoughts.

In essence, there is power in our words; to heal, to wound, to love, to encourage and to destroy.

A mantra is a word or phrase you can use to unify your thought patterns (bringing them into alignment with your desires) and build concentration during meditation.

Consider the use of static noise, or white noise, when trying to study in quiet areas. The consistency/repetition creates an environment for concentration.

Repeating your mantra out loud, or internally, produces the same environment during meditation. It also refocuses your thought patterns.

As you meditate, speak your mantra out load with conviction. You can contemplate your mantra inwardly but it is much more effective when it is reinforced by the power of your voice.

Now, as you go about your day, pay close attention to what you think and speak. If negative thoughts or words enter your mind or mouth, stop, take a deep breath, and cancel them out by speaking your mantra. This is the secret.

To discover your mantra, here is one method from the, “Ancient Secret of the Fountain of Youth: the Lost Chapter”:

Step 1: Identify Your Desires: Handwrite a list of the things you desire most. Don’t overthink, just write the first things that come to mind. It can be as long or short as you want.

Step 2: Examine Your Rewards: Examine your list and ask yourself what rewards each desire brings you. The rewards are what you’re really after, so write them down. Express each reward in terms of feelings. For example, if you wrote, “I want to loose weight”, what you really want is the rewards of losing weight. Maybe that means feeling comfortable in your own skin, accepted by society, successful in being healthy, in control or your body, or powerful through the strength and muscle you gain.

Step 3: Group These Together: Read over your two lists of desires and rewards from top to bottom and group them together. This may seem hard at first but when you look closely you’ll begin to see groups of seemingly different desires and rewards all aimed at a common goal.

Step 4: Identify Your Fundamental Goals: Once you separate these groups of desires find a word or phrase that encapsulates each one. For example, if you desire to loose weight, a better wardrobe, and a significant other, then the fundamental goal behind all three could be acceptance.

Step 5: Create Your Mantra: Now that you have a clear picture of your fundamental goals, combine them and state them as a brief command. Make it positive, short, and to the point. Use the format of “I demand…right now.” You want to demand them to occur right now. For example my mantra is “I demand happiness, power and peace right now.”

For all my fellow whiners, I hope this will help. Best of luck! Namaste.

Emily Markanich is a journalism senior.

opinions@kykernel.com