did you know?

DID YOU KNOW? While anxiety and stress have long been linked with negative health effects, British researchers at University College London have found that being happy protects against cardiovascular disease, diabetes, autoimmune deficiencies and stress-related illnesses.

DID YOU KNOW? According to Gallup Consulting’s research, “the best way to develop people and net the greatest return on investment in their growth is to identify their talents, then help them add the skills and knowledge that build strengths—the ability to provide consistent, near-perfect performance.” This indicates that if you do something you love and have a talent for, you’ll excel.

DID YOU KNOW? Japanese researcher and doctor of alternative medicine Masaru Emoto showed that water carries energy and is affected by music, words and prayer.

DID YOU KNOW? According to the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life, 16% of Americans have switched their religious identities at some point in their lives (a statistic based on the 2001 American Religious Identification Survey)? So whether you grew up in a faith-based household, with no spiritual guidance at all or are just curious as to what’s out there, it’s OK to question faith, and to embark upon your own spiritual journey.

DID YOU KNOW? Throughout the world 300,000 women give birth each day.

DID YOU KNOW? In households with both parents, babies will say “dada” before “mama” (or versions of them) more than 55% of the time.

DID YOU KNOW? There are more than 127,000 adoptions completed in the United States each year?

DID YOU KNOW? According to The Stepfamily Foundation, more than 1,300 stepfamilies are formed everyday in the United States.

DID YOU KNOW? Americans spend 9 million hours every year looking for something they’ve misplaced.

DID YOU KNOW? If every American replaced one standard 60-watt incandescent light bulb with a compact fluorescent bulb, the energy savings could power a city of 1.5 million people.

DID YOU KNOW? The average debt per U.S. household is $9,882, according to Cardtrak.com. You don’t have to share that number. By taking control of your finances one step at a time, you’ll have more freedom than you ever imagined.

DID YOU KNOW? 40% of Americans say they live beyond their means. In fact, the U.S. has the lowest personal savings rate of any industrialized nation.

DID YOU KNOW? According to The Wall Street Journal, the average person can expect to spend about 20 years in retirement. This is your chance to start making the best of those years, before they even begin.

DID YOU KNOW? According to the Market Science Institute, grocers depend on 60% of your purchases to be impulse buys. That’s 60% of your grocery bill spent on things you never intended to put in your cart! Think how much money you could save by simply determining ahead of time what to buy and not falling for fancy gimmicks.