Joanna Gaines Just Shared the Best Two Word Mantra for Staying Present
Joanna Gaines seems to have a lot of stuff figured out. The 41-year-old mother of five somehow manages to balance work and home life perfectly, making it all look easy. While she admits to struggling just like everyone else, Gaines has found enormous success just by being herself. And that’s so admirable.
A big reason why America became so obsessed with the HGTV show Fixer Upper and the co-hosts, Chip and Joanna Gaines, is because they were so down-to-earth and relatable. Their authenticity shined through and stood in stark contrast to so many other reality show celebrities.
Now Joanna Gaines is getting real and sharing some important advice about being grateful and staying present. It’s an important lesson that so many of us need to hear.
Joanna Gaines doesn’t have it all figured out
One of the best things about hearing advice from Joanna Gaines is she doesn’t ever act like a know-it-all while dispensing little pearls of wisdom. Instead, Gaines shares her best ideas in a very honest and humble way, making her fans feel like she’s a best friend sharing a secret. No wonder so many people want to hear what she has to say.
Gaines’ latest advice comes from the fall issue of Magnolia Journal magazine. In this issue, she describes a new mantra she adopted for 2019 and how it changed her entire outlook.
She said two simple words have changed everything
The new mantra was part of a New Year’s resolution that Gaines made at the beginning of 2019. This year, she simply wanted to be more present in her life, even though she’s being pulled in a million different directions at any given moment.
“I challenged myself to spend this year living in the present,” Gaines wrote in the intro letter. “To quiet the voice inside my head that tells me the good ol’ days have passed me by or that the best is yet to come. To choose instead only the moment that’s unfolding right in front of me.”
She continued, saying her new motto is, “Look up.”
The mantra can be applied to any situation
The beauty of “look up” is it fits any lifestyle and can help any busy person realize how much they have to be grateful for.
“I came up with this mantra of sorts that I’d whisper to myself or repeat in my head whenever I felt that invariable tug to disengage from the present,” Gaines explained.
“And because I believe there is power in asking our body to act on our heart’s behalf, no matter where I was or what task may have been in front of me, if I sensed myself drifting, I’d do my best to pause and look up.”
Gaines has been benefitting from looking up all year
The results of this easy resolution are working. “Here’s what I’m finding when I do choose to look up,” she wrote. “This way of living is so sweet, so full, and so beautiful, and now that I’ve experienced it, I never want to live any other way.”
“Of course, not every moment has been worthy of the attention — but for the most part, the ones I’ve caught, I wouldn’t have wanted to miss. And it’s made me wonder how many quiet miracles are happening all around us on a daily basis, and how many of them we fail to experience when we’re busy looking down.”
“Who we become is shaped more in the mundane than by the milestones,” she mused.
Sounds like Joanna Gaines might really have it all figured out!
