Never stop focusing on how to grow and evolve into the best version of yourself. By identifying your weaknesses, you can learn to overcome – turning your biggest flaws into your greatest strengths.

It’s arguably one of the hardest things that you will do in life, and yet so important at the same time. Self-reflection calls on you to look at the situations you have experienced in your life, how you handled them, the choices you made and the actions you took. Did you move forward, or were you holding yourself back at that moment? Each of these moments will reveal both our strengths and our weaknesses, providing us with a better understanding of who we are as a person.

From here, you can start to take the steps necessary for true self-growth, identifying areas for improvement in your life and making a plan to overcome them. This is where life mantras can be put in place to help move you forward. Your life mantra highlights a specific line of thinking, allowing you to remind yourself of this outlook on life each day as you recite it out loud.

Discover your perfect life mantra, according to your zodiac sign:

Aries (Mar 21 – Apr 19): “Sometimes letting things go is an act of far greater power than defending or hanging on.”

You’re a bit of a control freak, determined that you can call the shots in any situation that you face in life. Unfortunately, that approach to the world just isn’t realistic! Life is messy, disorganized and out of our control on so many levels. The sooner that you are able to accept this, the sooner you can figure out how to excel in the face of adversity. You’ve got this!

Taurus (Apr 20 – May 20): “There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work, and learning from failure.”

You aren’t afraid of a little hard work, in fact, your friends and family recognize you as a regular workhorse! The secret to success, however, is that there is more to it than just getting your hands dirty. You need to find a goal or dream, something you can focus on in order to determine your life path. Arguably more important, you also need to be open to the idea that you are going to fail, and willing to learn from these moments. This means letting go of your stubbornness for just a moment!

Gemini (May 21 – Jun 20): “To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.”

Your natural desire to bring happiness to the people around you is both your greatest strength and your biggest weakness. Be careful that you don’t prioritize others so much that you cross the line, becoming a people pleaser, sacrificing your own happiness to make it happen. The key to real joy is to find a balance between the two. This is going to require you to step back and consider what makes you happy, and what defines you as an individual.

Cancer (Jun 21 – Jul 22): “Emotions can either get in the way or get you on the way.”

There is no doubting the fact that you are in tune with your emotions, living your life with your heart on your sleeve. You have to be careful, however, that you don’t allow these emotions to lead you down the wrong path. Before you make any decisions, take a moment to take a deep breath and consider your options. Will this decision move you towards your goals, or are you acting blindly on your emotions? Your emotions can provide you with the motivation and drive to do great things but be cautious.

Leo (Jul 23 – Aug 22): “It’s good to be selfish, but not so self-centered that you never listen to other people.”

Making yourself a priority in your own life is important and shouldn’t be avoided. However, at the same time, you need to remember that there are other people in the world. Don’t disregard the thoughts, emotions, and feelings of your friends, family, co-workers, and neighbors just to move forward. Take time in your day to show admiration for those you love.

Virgo (Aug 23 – Sept 22): “You are enough. You are so enough. It is unbelievable how enough you are.”

As a complete perfectionist, you often set incredibly high expectations. In fact, your expectations may, sometimes, cross the line into the impossible. This means that you are setting yourself up for failure. Rather than falling victim to this way of thinking, you need to learn to recognize and appreciate the strengths that you do have. Find something to make you smile every day.

Libra (Sept 23 – Oct 22): “Sometimes you make the right decision, sometimes you make the decision right.”

While you always have the best of intentions, you often fail to make important decisions in a timely manner because you find yourself so overwhelmed by the options available to you. The more you think about it, the more confused you become… Rather than focusing on making the perfect choice every time, try to make the best decisions with the information you have. This may not always work out; however, you can always make course corrections down the road.

Scorpio (Oct 23 – Nov 21): “Smile, it is the key that fits the lock of everybody’s heart.”

Your intensity and passion in life can be intimidating to those around you, often coming across as harsh or overly serious. This can cause people to be distant, avoiding getting too close to you, which will, in turn, rob you of your opportunity for true connection. There is one solution, and that is to remember the importance of a smile! A simple smile or word of kindness can help to tear down even the greatest barriers.

Sagittarius (Nov 22 – Dec 21): “Be open to other people’s opinions, ideas, and try new things. One of the best ways to learn is to feed off other people’s experiences.”

Your desire for freedom and adventure can lead you to keep others at a distance, trying to avoid feeling tied down or trapped. Unfortunately, this is also robbing you of establishing true connections and learning from those around you. Try to step outside of your comfort zone, lowering your walls and welcoming people into your life. This doesn’t mean that you have to give up your love for adventure but consider inviting someone else along for the ride.

Capricorn (Dec 22 – Jan 19): “Stop worrying about what can go wrong and get excited about what can go right.”

Highly focused on the facts and details in life, you often find yourself overly concerned about everything that can go wrong in your life. This pessimistic way of thinking robs you of true happiness, as you are so focused on the ‘what ifs’ that you are blind to the reasons to celebrate in life. It’s time to take a step back and reassess your life. Start focusing on gratitude, discovering the joy and happiness in your day to day life.

Aquarius (Jan 20 – Feb 18): “Keeping an open heart sustains unconditional love in a conditional world.”

When someone first meets you, your incredibly unique and individual style and personality will lead them to believe that you approach life with an open mind. Unfortunately, in time they will come to realize that you are actually a little stubborn in your ways and even standoffish if someone should choose to question your decisions in life. If you want to find love and happiness, you need to start opening your mind and heart to the fact that your way isn’t the only way.

Pisces (Feb 19 – Mar 20): “Stop overthinking, you’re only creating problems that aren’t there.”

You have a talent for considering the possibilities for the future, looking into your future. The problem is that you often forget about today entirely, focusing all of your time and energy worrying about what is yet to come. This may leave you prepared, but you’ve missed out on the fun and joy along the way. Try to take some time every day where you let go of what may be, and enjoy what is at the moment.