We all know what a slogan is, of course, but what I didn’t know until I checked is that the word slogan comes to us by way of Scottish Gaelic sluagh-ghairm, meaning “a war cry.”
It won’t surprise you that I love any English word with a Celtic history, but I also love thinking that a slogan is what warriors cry as they rush into battle. A slogan gives them courage, focuses their aim, and reminds them of what matters.
Now, for myself, I’d like to jettison the war-imagery and instead seize hold of the slogan as a focusing shout for myself as I step through the (relatively peaceful) days of my life. And it seems to me we can really choose any slogan that suits us. The main thing is to choose consciously, rather than to smear into some sad slogan you don’t really want or one which you inherit. Here are some examples of that kind: Life is hard. Struggle is noble. The most overworked/unhappy one wins.
Yuck! Who’d rush into adventure under such a banner? Not me!
Last summer, my mother gave me a pair of Crocs to wear when I’m kayaking, as well as a kit for painting on them. Early this spring, I spent a blissful evening thinking ahead to the freedom and pleasure I experience in my kayak, and painting my Crocs:
When I am in my kayak, I am truly myself – and true to myself, too. So my Crocs are hopeful, buoyant, and emblazoned with words that matter to me.
On the left foot are three things I love:
POETRY
MUSIC
STORY
And on the right foot is my slogan:
JOY
BEAUTY
FLOW
I’ve decided that right now, these are the things that matter most to me. Seeing them on my feet as I step into my kayak reminds me of life’s possibility and excitement, and also of my own power to choose what matters.
How about you? What’s your slogan?
