What do mantras and mission have in common?
Growing up in an Indian household, mantras were engrained in us. They have been used for thousands of years to maintain health both at conscious and subconscious level. They manifest vibrations—which we call “energy” in modern life—to create a balance in life.
Let's look at this mantra called Shanti Hum from Sanskrit which means, “I radiate peace and calmness and I bring peace to those around me, I am then in control of my emotions and feelings. I emit love and kindness.”
I personally practice this mantra because I was not the calmest person growing up. And I am far out from being the kindest person in the room. But every time I chant Shanti Hum, I become the conduit of this mantra.
This brings order to life when I am the most volatile.
Can this type of thinking also translate into the business world?
I have seen it first-hand while I worked at Morningstar because management deeply cared about empowering investor's success. It directly came from the founder of the company, Joe Mansueto. This was Morningstar's North Star since its founding days. And the same mission statement is still being practiced today after 3 decades. It wasn't perfect, but a great manual on how to operate.
Another example is Amazon. Jeff Bezos first published his shareholder letter in 1997. That letter highlighted the vitality of “Day 1.” Day 1 companies obsess over customers and high velocity decisions. All subsequent letters until 2021 when Bezos retired included the link to his original letter—Day 1. A reminder for himself and for everyone else around him to operate as if it is Day 1. He even named one of the Amazon HQ buildings as Day 1.
This type of thinking is helpful for business leaders to keep their North Star closer to them. It is these consistent missions that help them make progress. There are no buts or compromises when they amplify these messages or run into roadblocks. Mission statement is a contract between the leader and the customers.
The consistency of your endeavors matter both during personal and professional journeys. Let their be a guiding philosophy on how you must operate.
These mantras and mission statements is what gets you out of these heavy storms.