Top 5 Motivational Quotations

It’s easy to know what we should be doing to get our lives on track, but sometimes actually taking action can be a challenge.  Looking to get organized?  Maybe you really want to get in shape.  Is there a project at work that you’ve been putting off?  We all thrive off of a sense of accomplishment.  It’s satisfying to actually achieve one of your goals, especially one that has been in the works for a long time, but how do we take the first step?  Taking action toward a goal can sometimes be the hardest part of the journey.  If you need a gentle push off the ledge, take a look at some of the greatest motivational quotations of all time.  Enjoy!

Michigan Psychics -Top 10 Inspirational Quotes - Lao TzuThis is a great one to start out with.  If you let yourself get overwhelmed by the scope or long timeline of a project or endeavor on which you are about the embark, you might get discouraged and give up on the whole process.  What Lao Tzu puts so eloquently is that once you start to chip away at obstacles on the way to your goal you will be motivated by tangible results, no matter how small.  This will help you prove to yourself that you can succeed and it will make the insurmountable much more manageable.  So take that first step!

Michigan Psychics -Top 10 Inspirational Quotes - Eleanor RooseveltEleanor Roosevelt is probably our best known first lady, and for good reason.  The above tidbit of advice is truly one to live by.  Getting our of your comfort zone is one of the most effective ways to find out what you truly love.  From things as small as discovering your new favorite food to something huge like finding out you were put on the earth to do a job you didn’t even know existed, the first step is usually stepping outside of your regular routine.  By doing something that scares you every day, you will become a more complete person and will stumble upon new things that make life that much richer.

Michigan Psychics -Top 10 Inspirational Quotes - Winston ChurchillThis one is huge!  Any successful person will tell you that they didn’t arrive at success without a bevy of failure along the way.  Stay the course and make sure you learn from your failures and mistakes.  There is always a silver lining.  Churchill would probably agree that as long as you learn something and constantly evolve, failures can be successes.

Michigan Psychics -Top 10 Inspirational Quotes - Teddy RooseveltThe second Roosevelt to make the list, Teddy was a nothing if not a doer.  He believed that taking action was always the best policy. The quotation above is worth reading carefully.  Teddy encourages us to be the “man in the arena” rather than spectators.  It’s easy to play Monday morning quarterback and criticize the attempts of others.  It’s far harder, but far more fulfilling to strive for something, win or lose.

Michigan Psychics -Top 10 Inspirational Quotes - Robert FrostFace your challenges head on!  Robert Frost is one of the greatest American poets of all time and he didn’t get there by resting on his laurels.  “The best way out is always through” can mean something different for every person depending on the obstacles they are facing.  If you take one thing from this quote, it’s that there’s no easy way out of a tough situation.  You have to grit your teeth and attack your problem at the root.

Come back soon for more inspirational content for taking the reigns of your life!

What Does a Spiritual Awakening Look and Feel Like?

The Huffington Post Religion blog recently tried to answer that question by anonymously asking their readers to tell brief stories about their own spiritual experiences using the app Whisper. If you frequent with this blog, you know that we like to talk about spirituality in broad terms. Spirituality means something different for everyone but at the same time helps to unite us as believers in a greater power. Spirituality can mean praying in a church for some or simple meditation to clear one’s head for others. Some people even find spiritual experiences in sports like surfing.

That’s why this HuffPost piece was particularly interesting. Experiences ran the gamut from people who felt that God had spoken directly to them to those who felt a closeness to nature was a spiritual experience and everything in between.

We’ve selected a few of the most interesting responses. To see them all, visit the full piece on the Huffington Post Religion Blog.

When I used to pray it was always like "why don't I get anything good in life" then I  realized I should be thankful for a lot like my health and family so once I started thanking him and trusting his plan for my life things started getting better

To me, god is nature. God is not a personal being or individual. I feel close to god studying biology, doing research, hiking and camping. Nature is amazing and is a higher power on it's own.

Yes because somehow when things are at the worse he always finds a way to encourage me to keep living and to keep faith.

When I was severely depressed this past winter I bought a spiritual book and the first thing I read related directly to my life and situation and I started bawling my eyes out. I looked up and said "thank you". It truly helped me get through.

Mitigating the Tolls of Stress on Your Body

Effects of Stress

There are many ways to mitigate the physical and mental effects of stress on the body.

Between work, family, and relationships, it can be easy to let stress get the best of you. Many people turn to faith or their spiritual guide to help them through difficult times, but it’s important to remember the steps you can take on your own to make sure the stress you’re feeling at work or at home isn’t taking a toll on your body.

Many studies have shown that stress is not only, well, stressful, but can actually have serious physical effects on your body if not manages correctly.  A recent Fox News Health blog post talks about some of the ways you can take care of your body in times of stress.  You can check out the full article here.

A recently concluded study that followed 239 women over the course of a year found that healthy living practices such as eating well, exercising, and getting the proper amount of sleep can help the detrimental effects of stress on the cellular level.

Telomeres, which the article puts into laymans terms as “the protective caps at the end of chromosomes” can be measured for length.  Every time a cell divides, the telomeres shorten slightly which researchers believe is one of the primary causes of aging.  Stressful events like divorce or loss of a job led to a higher rate of telomere shortening, but healthy living was shown to slow the rate of telomere shortening and in theory, slow the aging process somewhat.

Women with similar stress levels but a less healthy lifestyle showed signs of greater reduction in telomere length and more advanced aging tied directly to stress.

So what does this mean for your day-to-day life? It means that staying disciplined even during times of great stress can lead to better health and slower rates of aging.

That can be easier said than done so check out part 2 where we discuss some methods for making this a reality.

Preventing Depression Spiritually

Depression and Spirituality

A new study has shown the spiritual living can lead to a reduced chance of depression.

It’s long been postulated that leading a life of spirituality can lead to actual benefits.  Researchers recently gathered at the New York Academy of Medicine and shared their findings which seem to somewhat validate the idea that incorporating elements of spirituality into your life can help you conquer or prevent both physical and mental ailments.  Yahoo Health has the full story.

Let’s look at some of the compelling evidence presented and discuss the specific ways it might be able to help you improve your own mental and physical health.  In this installment, we’ll talk about how living spiritually can help prevent depression.

The Yahoo piece notes that one of the major risk factors for developing depression is living in isolation.  Those who feel separated from loved ones are much more likely to report feeling depressed.  Human beings are social animals and oftentimes we can self-perpetuate a cycle of loneliness.  Your friend asks you to go to a party and you don’t want to go because you feel down on yourself but one of the reasons you feel down on yourself is because you aren’t been social.  Sound familiar?

Spirituality can help to alleviate this vicious circle by giving you a reason to engage socially on a regular basis.  Psychotherapist William McCann is an expert in community and family medicine at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center in North Carolina.  He believes that spiritual activities whether they be organized religion, volunteering with a community group, or even joining a yoga class that meets regularly.  These types of activities give the attendee a sense of being part of something.  It can also lead to a feeling of camaraderie that when lacking can lead to depressive feelings and thoughts.

Staving off depression is just one way spirituality can lead to a happier healthier life.  Check back soon for more ways to improve your body, mind, and soul.