Motivation of the Day

"It's not whether you get knocked down. It's whether you get up again."

~ Vince Lombardi

Motivation of the Day

"If I were asked to give what I consider the single most useful bit of advice for all humanity, it would be this: Expect trouble as an inevitable part of life, and when it comes, hold your head high. Look it squarely in the eye, and say, 'I will be bigger than you. You cannot defeat me.'"

~ Ann Landers

Motivation of the Day

"If you're going to be thinking, you may as well think big."

~ Donald Trump

Motivation of the Day

"If you can DREAM it, you can DO it!"

~ Walt Disney

Motivation of the Day

"Difficulty is the excuse history never accepts."

~ Edward R. Murrow

Motivation of the Day

"You are responsible for your life."

~ Oprah Winfrey

Motivation of the Day

"Death is more universal than life; everyone dies but not everyone lives."

~ A. Sachs

Motivation of the Day

"If you really want something, you can figure out how to make it happen."

~ Cher

Motivation of the Day

"The surest way not to fail is to determine to succeed."

~ Richard B. Sheridan

Motivation of the Day

"Happiness is not a destination, it is a method of life."

~ Burton Hills

Motivation of the Day

"Throw your heart over the fence and the rest will follow."

~ Norman Vincent Peale

Motivation of the Day

"The real secret of success is enthusiasm."

~ Walter Chrysler

Motivation of the Day

"It's not the situation; it's your reaction to the situation."

~ Robert Conklin

Motivation of the Day

"Optimism is the one quality more associated with success and happiness than any other."

~ Brian Tracy

Motivation of the Day

People who say it cannot be done should not interrupt those who are doing it.

Motivation of the Day

"You cannot tailor make the situations in life, but you can tailor make the attitudes to fit those situations before they arise."

~ Zig Ziglar

Motivation of the Day

Attitudes are contagious. Are yours worth catching?

Motivation of the Day

"Happiness is not by chance, but by choice."

~ Jim Rohn

Motivation of the Day

"Live with passion."

~ Anthony Robbins

Motivation of the Day

"To respond is positive; to react is negative."

~ Zig Ziglar

Motivation of the Day

"It's not the load that breaks you down; it's the way you carry it."

~ Lena Horne

Just Roll With It!

They were young... 22 years old. He was her high school sweetheart, they married shortly after she graduated, and they had their whole lives ahead of them. He was just finishing up his service in the military, and they were ready to start a family and conquer the world together. In just an instant, though, their whole life was changed. A severe car wreck left her injured and him near death. He pulled through, but days turned into weeks of recovery. Weeks turned into months, and now months have turned into a year and a half. This horrific accident left him with traumatic brain injury, among his long list of injuries, and his brain now functions like a child. Her hero, her protector, her big strong military man... and now she has to feed him, bathe him, dress him, and raise him.

As she is a dear friend of mine, I will not mention her name without first asking her permission. But this incredible young woman did not give in to the cards she had been dealt. She fought, and she continues to fight... HARD. She cheers on her husband for every advancement he makes, activities he performs that you and I take for granted. She stands by his side through it all, and she still has a love for him that can be seen from miles away. Her faith in God is strong, and her message is even stronger. She doesn't preach. She doesn't have to. This woman epitomizes Christian living, and she is the closest thing you will meet to the woman described in Proverbs 31. She is the perfect example of what we should all strive to be.

In this situation, many people would give up. Her attitude and outlook on her situation have pulled her through. She holds close Isaiah 41:10, "So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand."

Think about today's motivational saying: "Although fate presents the circumstances, how you react depends on your character." What circumstances have you been presented recently? Or maybe there is something from your past that you are still struggling to conquer. Is there someone who is doing you wrong? Perhaps you are watching someone you love being mistreated. Or maybe you have been dealt circumstances similar to the girl in this post, and you're struggling with pulling yourself through. Life can be hard. We all have ups and downs. Facing life's difficulties with a positive attitude, strong character, and unwavering faith in God, though, will help you truly enjoy life... even with all it's pitfalls. And only then will you be able to CONQUER LIFE!!

Motivation of the Day

Although fate presents the circumstances, how you react depends on your character.

Motivation of the Day

"Minds are like parachutes - They only function when open."

~ Thomas Dewar

Motivation of the Day

"It's not what happens to you that determines how far you will go in life; it's how you handle what happens to you."

~ Zig Ziglar

Motivation of the Day

"Everyone has a burden. What counts is how you carry it."

~ Merle Miller

Motivation of the Day

"The state of your life is nothing more than a reflection of your state of mind."

~Dr. Wayne W. Dyer

Motivation of the Day

On a gloomy, rainy morning, it came little eight-year-old Tommy's turn to say the blessing at breakfast. "We thank Thee for this beautiful day," he prayed.
His mother asked him why he said that when the day was anything but beautiful.
"Mother," said he, with rare wisdom, "never judge a day by its weather. "

Motivation of the Day

"Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day; begin it well and serenely and with too high a spirit to be cumbered with your old nonsense."

~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Motivation of the Day

"The value of life lies not in the length of days, but in the use we make of them …"

~Michel de Montaigne

Motivation of the Day

Some men go through a forest and see no firewood.

~English Proverb

Motivation of the Day

Learn to smile at every situation. See it as an opportunity to prove your strength and ability.

Motivation of the Day

"Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no hope at all."

~Dale Carnegie

Motivation of the Day

"Don’t limit yourself. Many people limit themselves to what they think they can do. You can go as far as your mind lets you. What you believe, you can achieve."

~Mary Kay Ash

Motivation of the Day

"Go for it now. The future is promised to no one."

~Wayne Dyer

Motivation of the Day

"We would accomplish many more things if we did not think of them as impossible."

~C. Malesherbes

Motivation of the Day

"What you do speaks so loud that I cannot hear what you say."

~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Courage Vs. Fear

Michigan teen, Angeline Levasseur, has spent most of her 18 years of life in a wheelchair as a result of spina bifida. Refusing to believe that she has a disability, Angeline set a goal for herself of which her classmates were unaware. Sunday, June 5, 2011, with the help of a full body brace and leg and arm braces, high school senior Angeline surprised all attendees as she walked across the stage at her Pinckney Community High School graduation ceremony. Acting on courage, Angeline cast all fears aside to reach her goal. (Source: ClickOnDetroit.com)

Being courageous does not mean you will have no fear. It simply means you will conquer fear, not allowing it to consume you. When life presses you down and you struggle to stand strong and suppress fear, know that God tells us in Isaiah 41:13, "For I am the LORD your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you." Moments before that, in verse 10 of the same chapter, he said, "So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand."

Believe in yourself. If anyone can conquer this situation, you can. None of us were created to be better than any others. We all have the ability to push through hardships and to stand courageous in the face of fear. The difference lies in how you choose to handle it. Will you master the fear courageously as Angeline did, or will you back down, say "I can't," and let fear win?

Motivation of the Day

"Courage is resistance to fear; mastery of fear – not absence of fear."

~Mark Twain

What Doesn't Kill You Only Makes You Stronger

Have you ever encouraged your child to play ball against his older, more skilled brother to help make him a better player? Or maybe you remember as a kid playing pick-up games at the neighborhood playground with some players whose skills were more developed than yours. You knew the purpose was to make yourself better by giving you tougher competition. Yet many of us have failed to translate that into our adult lives.

If you get a new coworker who outperforms you, do you get frustrated and discouraged? Or maybe your company's competitor comes out with a new product or service that you feel puts your company to shame. Do you feel defeated? In these tough economic times, perhaps your spouse was laid off and you were forced to cut your budget and watch your spending... maybe even get rid of some luxury items.

You could easily view any of these as setbacks, or you can welcome them as challenges that only serve to make you better. If that coworker outperforms you, step up your game. Evaluate your current standards, and then work hard to improve them. When your company's competition trumps what you offer, put on your thinking cap and come up with something new and unique to entice your customers. When money troubles arise, learn to appreciate the finer things in life and to do more with less.

Throughout the Bible, God tells us to not be discouraged. Deuteronomy 31:8 proclaims, "The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” In Joshua 1:9 we are told, "Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.”

For further reading, check out:
Deuteronomy 1:20-22
Deuteronomy 31:7-9
Joshua 1:8-10
Joshua 10:24-26
1 Chronicles 22:12-14
1 Chronicles 28:19-21
2 Chronicles 20:14-18

Motivation of the Day

Smooth seas do not make skillful sailors.

~African Proverb

Motivation of the Day

"When I hear somebody sigh that life is hard, I am always tempted to ask, 'Compared to what?'"

~Sydney J. Harris

Motivation of the Day

"Dreams come true; without that possibility, nature would not incite us to have them."

~John Updike

Choose Life

"Hypochondriac: A person who has hypochondriasis, a disorder characterized by a preoccupation with body functions and the interpretation of normal body sensations (such as sweating) or minor abnormalities (such as minor aches and pains) as portending problems of major medical moment. Reassurance by physicians and others only serves to increase the hypochondriac's persistent anxiety about their health." (Source: MedicineNet.com)

Do you know somebody like this? Somebody who is so afraid of dying that they constantly look for a medical problem within themselves? All the while, they are missing out on the opportunities open to them here on earth.

Hypochondriacs are the extreme case of this problem, but how many times have you been so preoccupied with death that you didn't really live? Look at your life now. Can you honestly say that you are living, or do you catch yourself thinking, "As soon as ___________ happens, I will really live." How about, "I will be so happy when ____________ happens." Or "I'm just passing time until _________."

What is holding you back from truly living? Do you think it's money? Fame? The perfect relationship? Success in business? A promotion? A child? Retirement?

If you answered yes to any of these, then you will never truly live. If you are not living, the only thing holding you back is your attitude. As the saying goes, "Get busy living, or get busy dying." Which do you choose?

Motivation of the Day

"Don’t be afraid your life will end; be afraid that it will never begin."

~Grace Hansen

Overcoming Roadblocks

In the book of Genesis, Jacob sought the approval of his brother, Esau. Determined to earn his praise, Jacob gathered a host of gifts for Esau, and he set them on the path before him en route to his brother. After hearing that Esau was on his way with 400 men, Jacob was scared. He divided his men and livestock into two camps. At night, he ushered his wives, maidservants and children across the brook to safety, but he remained behind. A man wrestled with him all night. Jacob did not give up because he wanted to earn the man's blessing. By daybreak, the man was tired of wrestling with Jacob, so he deliberately threw Jacob's hip out of joint. He asked Jacob to just let him go. Jacob continued to wrestle, determined to not let the man go until he had blessed him. The man asked him his name, and when he responded with, "Jacob," the man claimed, "But no longer. Your name is no longer Jacob. From now on it's Israel (God-Wrestler); you've wrestled with God and you've come through." And he blessed Jacob.

Even after a painful injury, Jacob was so determined to earn the man's blessing that he persevered until he achieved it. His determination was rewarded. God says that He will "fight this battle for you" (2 Chronicles 20:15) and "equip you with divine power" (2 Corinthians 10:4).

Roadblocks are bound to happen. Often times, they will pop up when you least expect them. Regardless of what you are struggling with right now, if you will put your faith in God, He will "be your power in weakness" (2 Corinthians 12:9). He can turn mountains into molehills, and He will do it if you are following His plan and guidance. Nothing is too difficult to overcome when you have Him by your side.

Motivation of the Day

"Determination gives you the resolve to keep going in spite of the roadblocks that lay before you."

~Denis Waitley

Enthusiastically Failing

In baseball history, there has not been a man strike out any more than Babe Ruth. Ninety-nine percent of all major league baseball players struck out fewer times than Hank Aaron. Thomas Edison failed over 14,000 times at perfecting the incandescent light... and that's on top of his teacher calling him a dunce. Albert Einstein flunked math. By age 40, Henry Ford was broke. At age 43, Vince Lombardi was a line coach at Fordham University. He went on to become one of the most respected football coaches in history. Abraham Lincoln lost his job, failed in business, and was defeated in eight different elections and nominations before being elected President of the United States.

Everybody, even the most successful people in history, have failed at some point. Some have failed more than others. The difference lies in how you handle those failures. If you let it knock you down and you do not get back up, nobody will pull you to your feet. But if you remain enthusiastic, learn from your mistakes and let it motivate you to try harder next time, you have no choice but to succeed.

Motivation of the Day

"Success is the ability to go from failure to failure without losing your enthusiasm."

~Winston Churchill

Enthusiasm or Fuddy-Dud?

Who is more fun to encounter: an enthusiastic person or a fuddy-dud? Enthusiasm makes life more fun, and it adds meaning to activities and tasks. Test today's motivation on your kids, co-workers, spouse or friends. For example, if your child is struggling with learning her multiplication facts, it may not be fun for you to sit down with her and work on them. She may argue and complain. Now for the test: Try to teach her 6 x 6 by simply doing flashcards, having her write it over and over again, and any other traditional method. Move on to 6 x 8. Make it fun, exciting and enthusiastic. Dance around singing a rhyme of "six times eight is forty-eight!" See which one she learns better. Meanwhile, you will find that you are enjoying the task much more, too.

Enthusiasm is a choice. If you choose to be enthusiastic about a situation, you will truely become enthusiastic about it. Sometimes you may have to fake yourself into it (as our previous post on 06/07/11 taught), but you will not have to fake it long. Enthusiasm is contagious, and you'll be surprised at how easily you'll catch it from yourself.

Motivation of the Day

Enthusiasm is the electricity of life. How do you get it? You act enthusiastic until you make it a habit."

~Gordon Parks

Pessimism Not Allowed

Have you ever heard the saying, "If you think you can, you can. If you think you can't, you can't. Either way, you're right." Believing you can accomplish a goal will put you on the right path to achievement. As General Eisenhower's quote says in today's motivation, pessimism is not likely to get you the win. You must think positively and believe you can. Your results follow your actions, and your actions follow your thoughts. Think like a winner, and you will play like a winner. Play like a winner, and you will be a winner.

Motivation of the Day

"I never saw a pessimistic General win a battle."

~General Dwight D. Eisenhower

Motivation of the Day

"Attitude is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than what people do or say. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill."

~ Charles Swindoll

Faking Yourself into Success

How about a little challenge for today? If you get down, depressed, angered or any other negative emotion today, pretend for 30 minutes that you are in an excellent mood. Fake it. Giggle, cut up, be energetic... just make yourself do it for 30 minutes. How do you feel after your time is up? Are you in a better mood than you were before faking it?

Many times we can convince ourselves to be happier than we previously were. If you act in a good mood for a period of time, you can actually change your own attitude. The same holds true for challenges, competitions and difficulties. Muhammad Ali believed that if you fake yourself into believing that you are the best, you will be the best. Our actions follow what our minds think. Changing your attitude to positive - whether it is in relation to work, school, kids, parenting, a disability, or just your general mood - will put you on the road to success.

Try it! I'm willing to bet you won't have to fake it very long before the positive attitude becomes a reality.

Motivation of the Day

"To be a great champion you must believe you are the best. If you're not, pretend you are."

~ Muhammad Ali

Motivation of the Day

"Never be satisfied with what you achieve, because it all pales in comparison with what you are capable of doing in the future."

~ Rabbi Nochem Kaplan

Motivation of the Day

"You see things; and you say, 'Why?' But I dream things that never were; and I say, 'Why not?'"

~ George Bernard Shaw

Motivation of the Day

"Really great people make you feel that you, too, can become great."

~ Mark Twain

Motivation of the Day

"Motivation is getting people to do what you want them to do because they want to do it."

~ Dwight D. Eisenhower

Motivation of the Day

"You are the only person on earth who can use your ability."

~ Zig Ziglar

Motivation of the Day

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover."

~ Mark Twain

Motivation of the Day

"The pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity. The optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."

~ Winston Churchill

Motivation of the Day

"Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work."

~ Thomas Edison

Motivation of the Day

"That some achieve great success, is proof to all that others can achieve it as well."

~ Abraham Lincoln

True Happiness

You're familiar with them... Those people who put others down to try to make themselves feel better. Ultimately, are they happy? Now think about a time that you have done something good for someone else, thereby making them happy. Did it make you happy? True happiness does not come from being the best at everything, having the most of everything, and winning at every game you play. True happiness is much deeper than that. The wife who sacrifices going to get a pedicure so she can go to that ballgame her husband wants her to attend with him ends up with a better feeling than what a pedicure can give simply by knowing she was able to make her husband happy. Likewise, the husband who stops to buy his wife some flowers on the way home from work when he really just wants to get home and get out of that suit receives a happier feeling when he sees how much it means to his wife.

Zig Ziglar often said, "You can have everything you want in life if you help enough other people get what they want." Try doing an intentional act today to make someone else happy. You'll be amazed at the benefits you receive as well.

Motivation of the Day

"Happiness is the only good. The time to be happy is now. The place to be happy is here. The way to be happy is to make others so."

~ Robert G. Ingersoll

Motivation of the Day

"Happiness is a perfume you cannot pour on others without getting a few drops on yourself."

~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Motivation of the Day

"Desire is the starting point of all achievement, not a hope, not a wish, but a keen pulsating desire which transcends everything."

~ Napoleon Hill

Enthusiastically Optimistic

"My Bible assures me that my past is forgiven AND forgotten. That takes care of my past. Jesus Christ said, 'I have come that you might have life and have it more abundantly.' That takes care of the present. John 3:16 assures me I will have everlasting life. That takes care of my future. With my past forgiven, my present secure, and my future irrevocably guaranteed, why shouldn't I be enthusiastically optimistic?"  ~ Zig Ziglar in See You at the Top: 25th Anniversary Edition

Zig Ziglar is top-notch when it comes to motivational, inspirational and Christian living. How can you argue this statement? God put you on this earth. He is so loving and forgiving that, regardless of what your past holds, He will forgive you. You can truly let the past be in the past and move on with your life. He holds your life in His precious hands, so there is no reason to stress about your present. He wants you to be happy and live abundantly. If you believe in Him and put your whole faith in Him, he promises you everlasting life. As Ziglar says, why should you not be enthusiastically optimistic? Live your life, love your life, and conquer your life.

Never Give Up

In 1998, a beautiful wife and mother of three was diagnosed with breast cancer. She was originally told that she had six months to live. The positive, Godly thoughts of this woman said otherwise. Her youngest child and only daughter was a senior in high school at the time. By that doctor's calculations, the lady would not live to see her baby graduate from high school. This Godly woman, though, assured her daughter that not only would she be there for her high school graduation, but she would also be there for her college graduation, she would be there to watch her walk down the aisle, and she would be there to see her children be born. Today, that incredible, beautiful lady is a happy, energetic, cancer-free grandma.

You will encounter times in your life that people put you down, discourage you, beat you up, take away your hope or give you negative responses. How you handle these responses, though, will determine their outcome and the effect they have on the rest of your life. Staying strong, thinking positively and keeping your head held high are the keys to reaching the destination you desire. And no matter what, Never Give Up!!

Motivation of the Day

"Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no hope at all."

~Dale Carnegie

The First Step to Conquering Life

You hear people quote Bible verses, telling you how well they know the Bible, bragging on their kids learning the books of the Bible in order and encouraging you to get your life right with God. Yet, you listen to them talk and watch their lives, and you see them living negatively. They give the "Oh Poor Me" speeches, or they have a common saying of "Just my luck!"

Satan knows the Bible. He knows the Bible better than any of us. Quoting scripture and knowing the Bible are good, but they do not make you Godly. If you truly know God; if you truly hand the reigns over to Him and let Him guide your life, then how can you not be sincerely happy, satisfied and optimistic? If God is truly in control of your life, yet you are unhappy with the way your life is going, are you not saying that you believe God is doing a poor job?

I believe the first step to conquering life is letting God truly be in control of your life. Let Him lead, and you follow. That way you know that the path your life is taking is the one it is intended to take. After all, who knows what's best for you more than God?

Motivation of the Day

"Life's challenges are not supposed to paralyze you, they're supposed to help you discover who you are."

~ Bernice Johnson Reagon

Cheer Up! An Anti~Depressant with Positive Side Effects

With the pressures created by today’s economy, even typically happy people are fighting depression.  For those who already struggle with clinical depression, some of these added stressors may be more than they can handle.  So how do you alleviate the symptoms without the many side effects caused by antidepressant medications?  Psychotherapy has shown to be a successful method of decreasing depression, and when combined with antidepressants it can be even more successful.  But emerging research is turning to exercise as a treatment for many forms of depression. 

How does moving your body correct your mind?  Both psychological and physiological effects are being studied.  Psychologically induced improvements can be explained by changes in the body creating increases in self-esteem which, in turn, cause the individual to feel happier and more confident.  Another confidence booster is the sense of mastery that is created by accomplishing goals. 

Now for the physiologically scientific explanations…  Depression is a disorder in the brain that is caused by levels of chemicals, namely neurotransmitters such as beta-endorphin, serotonin, and dopamine, being out of whack.  These neurotransmitters are linked to mood and pain interpretation.  When you exercise, these chemicals are transmitted and secreted at a much faster rate.  This reaction may normalize the levels of the chemicals in the brain causing mood to increase and, thus, depression to decrease.  Although exercise may not take effect as quickly as antidepressants, after 16 weeks of continuous exercise it may reduce major depression equally as effectively as antidepressant medications.    Plus, exercise has many added benefits!  If you’re worried about side effects of medication, the chief side effect you may experience from exercise is fitting into those skinny jeans again.  It’s a win-win situation! 

Are you ready to get started but don’t really know where to begin?  Lace up those walking shoes and hit the pavement.    Cardio exercise and strength training have equal effects.  So whether you hit the weights in the gym, take up a kickboxing class, or walk the dog around a few blocks, the key idea is that you get moving!

 The only rule:  Don’t overdo it!  Overtraining can cause an adverse effect, so be sure to start slow.  Find an activity you will enjoy, and consider teaming up with a friend or hiring a personal trainer.  Whatever method you choose, get moving!


For More Information, check out these resources: