Paralympic Games Gold Medalist Mallory Weggemann on the Empowering Phrase She Repeats Before Major Life Events

This video is part of Health's My Mantra series. Follow along with new videos on our Instagram page and share your own words of wisdom using #MantraMonday.

American Paralympic swimmer Mallory Weggemann has always dreamed big: She's competed in three Paralmpic Games and won five medals, three of which are gold. And she credits her personal mantra with helping her stay focused on her dreams.

"My mantra is, 'I am limitless,' and I say that with a smile because it's so fun," Weggemann tells Health. "My husband and I, before any big event in our lives, we literally chant it together."

Her mantra is more than just a sentence she repeats to herself on bad days. Instead, it's a lifestyle, Weggemann explains: "Feeling limitless isn't this fluff statement; it's really a way of being. It's a way of knowing that we have a say and we have the power to write our own ending."

Being limitlessness also reminds Weggemann of her support system and how much the people who are part of it do for her. "It's a way of being and understanding that our circumstances aren't our defining factors, [and] I would say, in a lot of ways, the inspiration behind it came from the support I received from my community," she says.

Weggemann leaned heavily on her mantra while competing in Tokyo over the summer. "I actually had it displayed across the wall in my room in the Village," she says. "While I fought for that dream in that moment, reminding myself I am limitless—I've got this—was such a powerful way to leave the room."