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Bad days happen.

And sometimes they happen when we least expect it.

Most of the time, I start my day off right: I play with the dogs, I have breakfast, I have coffee, I contemplate my garden, I meditate, and I express my gratitude for this day that obviously looks beautiful and promising.

And then one tiny thing happens and I wonder who was that woman in the morning who was happy and grateful. One conversation, one phone call, one news, one anything unusual could catch us off guard and ruin our entire day.

To be honest, I’m no longer taken by surprise. There’s absolutely nothing—no matter how bad it sounds—that could shock me enough to break me. Because life is so full of surprises and ups and downs, I start my day knowing that it might not go as expected.

When something good happens, I rejoice.

When something bad happens, I breathe and repeat one of these three mantras:

1. “This, too, shall pass.”

I tattooed this mantra on my left arm around eight years ago. I first read it in The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle, and to be honest, it has tremendously changed my outlook on life. Usually, when we are faced with stress or confusion or difficult situations, we subconsciously think it might never pass. The more we get involved emotionally and mentally in stressful situations, the more we lose sight of what truly matters: our inner peace. Whenever you feel that this challenging moment might never end, remind yourself that this, too, shall pass.

2. “I shall judge nothing that occurs today.”

I read this beautiful (and life-saving) mantra in Deepak Chopra’s book The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success around 10 years ago. I wrote it down on a piece of paper and kept it in my wallet for many years later. To refrain ourselves from judging what’s happening in our life is genuinely spiritual and comforting. Because even if something appears to be bad on the outside, it might be a blessing in disguise or it could teach us an important lesson. The point is, open yourself up for all different kinds of experiences and remember to never judge whatever occurs.

3. “Fall seven times, stand up eight.”

Someday, I will also tattoo this deep and motivating Buddhist saying. How many times do we fall in our daily lives? How many times do we fail? How many times do we look around and feel utterly helpless and powerless? Whenever you find yourself stuck or unable to move forward, remind yourself that you can get back up again.

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