You’re in the business of pushing your clients to their limits, to helping them unearth their passion for wellness, for showing them how to feel better than they ever have before—which means you know better than anyone that it’s about more than just techniques, fitness schedules, and goal setting.

It’s about support and motivation, too. A huge part of your job is to help your clients uncover a healthy, motivated mindset that will help them push themselves, reach their goals, and get through the hard times. It’s probably no surprise that how you speak to your clients, and how you train them to speak to themselves, plays an enormous role in how they continue on their wellness journey.

Personally, we believe mantras are a big part of that journey, and even further, we believe that establishing positive, motivating mantras for your clients is a huge part of how clients can achieve the success they’re looking for.

We’ve compiled ten of our favorite inspiring, motivational mantras below. We’re not saying you need to use these word for word or anything crazy like that, but we do think it’s vital to read through them, understand them, and then adapt them to your individual clients’ personalities to help better motivate them, inspire them, and push them on their journey.

1. It’s Not About Being the Best, It’s About Being a Better You Than You Were Yesterday

Too often, people fall victim to the idea that fitness is a competition. Clients get stuck comparing themselves to other people, and when they feel like they can’t measure up, their fitness journey is basically sabotaged from the start. But that’s why you’re here to remind your clients that they’re not in competition with anybody else—they’re just here to be better than they were the day before. Everyone’s journey is different, everyone’s level of success is different, everyone’s goals and downfalls and strengths are different—so why would you train your clients to compete with anyone else? It’s all about putting one foot in front of the other.

2. Failure Isn’t Falling Down, It’s Staying Down

Oftentimes, clients will think that some kind of “failure” is the result of not doing something well enough—maybe they can’t finish a set, maybe they totally went awry on their diet, maybe they just stopped devoting time to being healthy. This is where you remind them that taking a brief detour on their journey to health and wellness doesn’t mean they’ve failed—failure only happens when you stay down and stay defeated.

3. One Slip Up Doesn’t Derail Everything You’ve Worked For

We think this works in conjunction with the last little mantra we mentioned. One tiny slip up—one missed workout, one cheat meal you weren’t supposed to have, etc.—doesn’t change the fact that you’re here and dedicated to making your life happen.

4. Rome Wasn’t Built in a Day

Good things take time. Good things take hard work. Good things take patience. Rome wasn’t built in a day, and you can’t reach your goals in one day, either. Be patient, stay dedicated, and work hard—you’ll get there.

5. Everyone Starts Somewhere

Tell your clients to stop looking around the gym or studio or park and comparing themselves to that bodybuilder or that marathon runner. Everyone, no matter how accomplished and perfect they seem now, started somewhere—no one woke up and existed as an expert or the pinnacle of health. If anything, you should take their accomplishments as encouragement. If they can do it, why can’t you?

6. Perfection Doesn’t Exist, but a Happier, Healthier You Does

Nobody is perfect—we say it all the time, but actually understanding this and believing it is going to be key in your development and journey. Your entire journey is about being a happier, healthier, and better you—don’t even let perfection enter your list of goals.

7. You Won’t Always Feel Motivated, But You Can Still Make the Choice to Keep Going

You’re going to have days where no one can stop you (just let them try), and those days are going to be really, really easy—you wake up, you’re ready to conquer the gym, and you make fitness a huge priority. But then, there are going to be days where you don’t want to step foot into your gym, your fitness routine seems daunting, and you can’t imagine meal prepping. But, you have the power to make the choice to keep going. You can keep on keeping on, even when motivation fails you—there’s a huge amount of empowerment in knowing you’re not a slave to motivation.

8. You Know You Want It—Only You Can Make it Happen

This might sound like a contradiction but bear with us—only your clients can motivate themselves.  Sure, it’s your job to be a support system for them, but part of that means showing them how to set themselves up to be their own source of motivation. Teach them that they’re powerful because they have the fortitude to make decisions about their health, their goals, and their desires. If they want something, only they can make it happen.

9. You’re Not Just Here for Fitness, You’re Here for Wellness—This Affects Every Part of Your Life

This is a hugely important mantra to teach clients—especially on the days when physical wellness just isn’t motivating enough. Remind your clients that fitness isn’t just about bicep muscles and PRs, it’s about mental health, overall wellness, and a mind-body connection. That’s hugely important for everyone.

10. You Can Either Have Results or Excuses—At the End of the Day, the Choice is Yours

Right off the bat, this might sound harsh, but we promise it’s actually motivating. Reminding your clients that their fate is in their hands doesn’t have to be overwhelming, it can be supremely empowering. It can make a huge difference in the way they see themselves, in how they approach every day, and in how they chase down their goals.