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.
Actress Vivica A. Fox, 57, relies on a simple mantra to get herself through trying times. "My mantra is 'live, love, laugh,'" Fox tells Health. These three words have come in handy as she continues to weather the competitiveness of Hollywood.
"I'm in a very tough business—show business," the Independence Day actress says. "A lot of times, you think you have a hit or you're going to have a hit show that's going to last a long time, and then you get let down and it gets cancelled."
When a role doesn't work out or a show gets the boot, her mantra helps her stay positive. "I remember when I first started out as an actress, I used to take it so personal," she says, adding that she'd cry after being rejected.
But a friend who also works in show business helped her adjust her outlook. "She'd come over and I'd answer the door, and she goes: 'Live, love laugh. You've got to remember to keep on doing that, Vivica. You had a show, you had a wonderful opportunity. We'll go back to the drawing board, and we'll find another.'"
She uses her mantra whenever she prepares to take the stage or step in front of a television camera. She also finds it helpful in a broader sense, given the uncertainty of the past year. "I believe it's so important to use my mantra because our world is shifting daily, dealing with the pandemic," she explains.
Fox hopes the mantra provides hope to her audience: "When things get tough, darlings, remember to keep on living, to keep on loving, and to keep on laughing. We will get through this together."
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