Sarah Michelle Gellar on How She Keeps Herself Motivated Every Day  

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.

Sarah Michelle Gellar knows what it means to be motivated. The actress become a household name in the 1990s when she landed a starring role in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and she’s continued to steadily work in TV and film since.

With a busy career and parenting duties to handle, it’s no surprise that she relies on a killer mantra to keep her going. Gellar tells Health why her mantra works for her (check out the video above!), and why she continues to harness its power.

“There was a quote from the musical Chess, the original production, that always stuck with me: ‘You taught me baby, how the few who win acquire, it ain’t practice, it ain’t skill, they’ll help, but not as much as wanting will.’ And I think for me, it encompasses everything, which is that you have to really want something in life to make it happen,” explains Gellar, who recently partnered with Colgate Optic White.

“It’s not about waiting for something to come to you,” she continues. “That if there is something you’re looking to do, something you’re looking to experience, those are moments you need to make happen for yourself.”

Honestly, I think I probably use it every day, I remind myself I want to be better. To accomplish different things. To want to be more patient. Whatever those moments are, for me it’s about just keep it at the back of my head,” she adds.

This is the first time Gellar has touched on her personal life. In 2017, the actress opened up about her battle with postpartum depression in an emotional Instagram post, explaining how the disease impacted her daily life.

“Having kids is wonderful, and life changing, and rarely what you’re prepared for,” Gellar wrote at the time. “I love my children more than anything in the world. But like a lot of women, I too struggled with postpartum depression after my first baby was born.”

“I got help, and made it through, and every day since has been the best gift I could ever have asked for,” she wrote. “To those of you going through this, know that you’re not alone and that it really does get better.”

To get our top stories delivered to your inbox, sign up for the Healthy Living newsletter