9 Life Changing Quotes From L.A.'s Most Forward Thinking Doctors & Healers

Los Angeles, the birthplace of cutting edge health and wellness trends. Perhaps it's the the sunshine (because it certainly isn't the air quality) that inspires these wellness experts to thrive.

1. "Life is like a grinding stone. It can either grind you down or polish you, but it is your choice." - A Mentor

I have learned in time that nothing that is meaningful in life comes easily; suffering and challenges are necessary to push us past or current areas of weakness to help us grow. When we embrace the challenge and suffering that we perceive, through that can we grow into a new and stronger person that is more capable of helping others. - Dr. Pejman Katiraei, pediatrician, integrative medicine specialist

2. "I’ll tell you one of the great activities is skateboarding." - Jerry Seinfeld

Jerry Seinfeld said, ’I’ll tell you one of the great activities is skateboarding. To learn to do a skateboard trick, how many times do you gotta get something wrong til you get it right? …And you hurt yourself, and you learn to do that trick, now you got a life lesson. Skateboarding has taught me a measured approach in both life and business. It’s how you respond, it’s how you react, it’s how you pick yourself and try again. - Dr. Jon Marashi, celebrity cosmetic dentist

3. "I am who I am and that is that." - Guru Singh

"I am who I am and that is that. I am who you are looking back. You are who I am can you imagine that. There is one source and that is a fact." Nuff said. - Kjord Davis yoga, meditation, healer and teacher and founder of Indigo Lab LA

4. "Adapt what is useful, reject what is useless, and add what is specifically your own." - Bruce Lee

I love learning from many sources. So I created a curriculum for myself spanning diverse topics from chiropractic techniques, various angels of anatomy from traditional to sacred to occult to geometric to biomechanical. I’ve found inspiration in martial arts… stick and knife fighting. It helps to know how the body breaks down if I have to help facilitate the reconnecting of it. - Dr. Jeremy Brook Chiropractor, yogi, and founder of The Life Center Chiropractic

5. "Pain is mandatory, suffering is optional." - Unknown

There is no such thing as a life without pain. Sure, some lives seem to have more pain than others, but no one gets out of this life pain free. Suffering, however, is when you refuse to accept pain. Then you’ve got two problems — your pain, and the suffering caused by your lack of willingness to accept the pain. I’d much rather accept the pain and just have that one problem to deal with 🙂 - Dr. Natalie Feinblatt, licensed clinical psychologist

6. "Decide what you want. Write it down. And you become an antenna for whatever it is that you want." - My Dad

This mantra has lead me to great health, happiness, success, and love. The thing not mentioned in this mantra is that you also have to put in the work to make these things happen…not just hope for it to happen. - Dr. Kristyn Silver-Brook, Regional Director of BIRTHFIT West Los Angeles and a second-generation chiropractor

7. "Much of spiritual life is self-acceptance, maybe all of it." - Jack Kornfield

When I read that quote it just blasted my heart wide open, while also making it crystal clear what my purpose and dharma is down here on this planet in this particular incarnation. I had been trying to transcend, escape and bypass my humanity — anything accept embracing it. This quote helped me lovingly see what I needed, and am still working towards, to be free to be me and help others on the spiritual path. - Jessie Shane, founder of Omana Total Health and The Society and Center for Healing Technology

8. "Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom." - Victor Frankel

This quote encompasses my life’s work. When I see the excitement in the eyes of a CEO, a parent or a 6 year old because, for the first time in their life, they didn’t react but responded to a stressful situation, I know I am changing a life and the lives of the people around that person. - Ashley Graber, Psychotherapist, Meditation and Mindfulness Expert

9. "You need to learn from our experiences." - My Parents

We are different, but as human beings we are ultimately still all the same. We all experience love, heartbreak, loss, happiness and persevere the same way. We can learn from one another and each other’s experiences and apply them to our own lives, as those experiences are all gifts we can give one another to help elevate one another. - Peter Nguyen, entrepreneur, alchemist and founder of clean luxury skincare line Recherche Beauté

10. BONUS: "Fall seven times, rise eight. Life begins now." - The Boddhidharma

**Dr. Shojai is based in Orange County but we won't hold it against him because he does amazing work.** This applies to everything. Had a piece of cheesecake? Ok, that doesn’t mean lean into it and keep “sinning”. Every decision is one in the right direction towards more love and life. - Pedram Shojai, Doctor of Oriental Medicine, bestselling author and host of The Urban Monk podcast