Serena Williams Makes All Her Passwords Positive Affirmations

Serena Williams
Serena Williams Photo: Courtesy of Wired

If there’s anything that Serena Williams can’t do, we don’t know what it is. Her list of accomplishments include being ranked No. 1 in women’s professional tennis, bagging then sidelining Drake, being the envy of every aspiring athlete in the world, and now, guest-editing a magazine. Williams is both the cover star and the guest editor of the November issue of Wired, the theme of which is Race, Gender, and Equality in the Digital Age. Someone better suited to the special issue would be hard to find.

The tennis superstar penned a personal essay for the magazine titled “The Ball Is in Your Court,” joining other contributors like Common, Black Girls Code founder Kimberly Bryant, and Ronda Rousey in writing on the issue of gender and race in the digital age. If you were ever curious as to how Williams keeps such a positive outlook every day, the answer’s behind her hotline bling:

“Back in 2008, when I was competing in the US Open, I would keep little ‘matchbooks,’ where I’d write affirmations to myself and read them during matches. It worked pretty well. But before long I found an even better way to inspire myself: I started using affirmations as the passwords to my phone and my computer. (No, I’m not going to tell you what my current affirmation is!) You should try it. You’ll be surprised how many times a day you log in and have an opportunity to trigger the positivity. I love that I can use technology that way.” 

Don’t tell anyone, but my computer password is now “Be like Serena.”

All Serena Williams’s Passwords Are Affirmations