Yesterday, I discussed 7 Inspiring Quotes About Life. Today, I’m going to give you my take on 7 motivational sayings/proverbs.

Yes. I love quotes. I admit it.

But more than quotes, I love studying success. I love learning from those who have lived the lives they wanted to live. It is then exciting for me to apply that wisdom to my own life and spark my journey to the life of my dreams.

So here are some motivational proverbs that I have analyzed. At the end, I want you to leave a comment with your take on any of these sayings that you find particularly interesting. We can then begin to learn success from each other, and we can grow together.

1) A smile will gain you ten more years of life. -Chinese Proverb

Photo by Pink Sherbet Photography (flickr)

OK, so this may not be a true motivational saying, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be useful for success. Too many of us allow stress to get in the way of the journey to our goals. Something goes wrong and we lose.sight of where we going. All of our focus becomes fixated on that stressor.

How can we combat this?

Smile. Relax. The situation probably isn’t as bad as we make it out to be in our minds. Smiling and keeping a positive attitude will eventually defeat the stress and allow us to maintain good health. It will also allow us to live our lives, rather than become a prisoner to the stress.

2) Do good because of tomorrow. -African Proverb

Do the things today that will give you the life you want tomorrow. Do not waste a moment. Do not create a negative situation. Keep today positive to build a better future.

We often lose sight of the power that today holds on our future happiness. We think that we can get away with doing certain things today and then make up for them in the future. What we fail to realize is how much easier our future becomes if we begin looking out for it today. We can take a step forward today to get closer to where we want to be tomorrow.

3) A change is as good as a rest. -Arabic Proverb

Since I did not create this saying, I do not know exactly what it’s original intent was. Still, I can tell you what I make of it.

A lot of times when things aren’t going well in our lives, we claim that we need a vacation. We need to stop working and just rest for a bit. Then we will come back refreshed and ready to go.

Many times, though, an even better strategy is to simply change up what you are doing. Try something new. Do something crazy. Have a go at something you never thought you would try. Do something you’ve always wanted to do but have been afraid to attempt.

Break out of your comfort zone. The constrictions of this comfort zone could be the cause of your weariness. Try something new and inject a little vigor back in your life. You can rest when it’s all over.

4) Be not afraid of growing slowly, be afraid only of standing still. -Chinese Proverb

What have you done today? Have you taken any steps yet toward your goals? Have you moved forward on your great journey?

If not, get to it. The only way to fail in life is to not try. Giving up on your dreams is failure. Wasting time idly is failure. Not living is failure.

Life is too great a gift to not use it. By standing still, you exchange life for nothingness. If you want an empty life then keep staying still. If you would rather achieve your dreams, then begin moving forward. It may be difficult at times, but you will never fail as long as you keep trying.

5) Dig the well before you are thirsty. – Chinese Proverb

Plan ahead. You know where you want to go in life. Develop a plan to get there and begin executing it today. Do not wait until it is too late.

Life’s moments are very precious. Each moment that we utilize properly is an extra moment that we can experience happiness. By doing the things today that you will want to have done tomorrow, you give yourself more of your own life.

Give yourself more of this greatest gift of all. (Yes I know I twisted the intention of the proverb. Just call me an interpreter of abstract art.)

6) Knowledge is like a garden, if it is not cultivated, it cannot be harvested. -African Proverb

Learn from life. Learn from others. Learn from yourself. Whatever you do, learn something new each day.

Knowledge will give you the tools to make your life better. Knowledge will make your life more valuable. Knowledge will give you more power.

I love to learn. But then I love to turn my knowledge into wisdom by putting it into practice and gaining life experience. Life is a great place to harvest knowledge. Heck, it’s basically what I’m doing right now with this blog post and what you should be doing after reading this blog post!

7) He who asks is a fool for five minutes, but he who does not ask remains a fool forever. -Chinese Proverb

Do not spend life in wonderment. If you want to know something, ask somebody who may already know. If you want something from somebody, ask for it. Do not be afraid to ask, for when you ask you will be a step ahead of those who didn’t.

I used to be one who was afraid to ask for stuff. This probably cost me years of my life. If I had regrets, this would be one. All the knowledge that is currently in the world is possessed by somebody. The only way to obtain that knowledge is to ask. The only way to advance in life is to obtain knowledge.

Take some action. Ask for help. Then move your life forward.

This is some pretty good stuff. It certainly got me thinking. What thought went through your head when reading this?

Leave a comment with your take.