Living the Law of Attraction

What a wonderful feeling to wake up to if we just take a little moment to recognize our gratitude for being alive.

"When you arise in the morning, think of what a precious privilege it is to be alive. To breathe, to think, to enjoy and to love."

Take time to be thankful for everything that you have. When you're thankful for what you have, you are always rewarded with more.

We have thousands of opportunities every day to be grateful: for having good weather, to be able to sit in such a beautiful room on such comfortable furniture, to have slept well last night, to be able to get up, to be healthy, to have enough to eat. There's opportunity upon opportunity to be grateful; that's what life is. ~David Steindl-Rast

You are receiving thousands of messages from the Universe every single day. Learn to become aware of this communication from the Universe, who is speaking to you and guiding you in every moment. There are no accidents and no coincidences. Every sign you notice, every word you hear spoken, every color, every scent, every sound, every event and situation is the Universe speaking to you, and you are the only one who knows their relevance to you, and what the communication is saying. Use your eyes to see! Use your ears to listen! Use all of your senses, because you are receiving communication through them all! ~Rhonda Byrne

I believe that living the Law of Attraction is like speaking to the Universe. I have to remind myself whenever possible to choose healthy and positive thoughts. We have to be careful in choosing anything that comes to mind as well as choosing the words we speak. We often have self doubts or negative thoughts that aren't quite true but we allow those thoughts ruin our day because we focus on the negative energy. When we faced with potentially thinking of something or saying negative, we need to STOP ourselves. Acknowledge it and instantly switch to a POSITIVE thought. When I speak to the Universe, I speak to my Higher Power / Creator.

I need to constantly focus on a POSITIVE mental attitude and fill it with gratitude and get the ABUNDANCE energy mode ON. When we started counting our blessings in life rather than our failures, things begin to change because we recognized the things we do have instead of things or goals that we don't succeed. The positive energy would outnumber the countless negativity around us. The simplest way to always be grateful is to tell ourselves with these powerful affirmations: "Ask and You shall receive" and "Once you make a decision, the Universe conspires to make it happen." The universe will give you signs to point you in the right direction. Look for them. Let your heart and your inner person guide you, rather than your mind.

For each new morning with its light,

For rest and shelter of the night,

For health and food, for love and friends,

For everything Thy goodness sends.

~ Ralph Waldo Emerson ~

Ask, Believe and Receive. 

Be Yourself and Happy!

Throughout my life it seems I always want people to be happy and therefore I do things to please. Lately, I have realized that am not making myself happy because mostly, it’s all about other people. As I get older, I stop looking to please everybody else. I no longer care what they think of me although sometimes I'm still afraid of making decision on simplest things just because I think of others' opinion more than my own judgement. I often think whether they will like it or not. Yes, I am still learning and exploring at the same time. Life is a long journey to walk, and hundreds of problems need to be solved. Therefore, we need to look at positive side of things.

"By letting it go... it all gets done. The world is won by those who let it go. But when you try and try... the world is beyond winning." - Lao Tzu

Just be yourself, you are the only lucky enough to know because you are amazing just the way you are!

10 Things you should give up to be happy:

1.   Give up your need to always be right.

2.   Give up your need for control.

3.   Give up blame.

4.   Give up your self-defeating self-talk, and your limiting beliefs.

5.   Give up complaining.

6.   Give up your need to impress others.

7.   Give up your resistance to change.

8.   Give up your fears.

9.   Give up your excuses.

10. Give up on living your life to fit other peoples’ expectations.

  

I'm learning not to sweat the small stuff. This past years have been about finding strength within myself - not looking for it in others. I try to be a good person and be nice and kind, though it's a work in progress but I am getting there because I realized that sweating the small stuff is the problem. I now let go of things that don't make me happy and start looking towards achieving goals and just live one day at time.

Kristin Neff, Ph.D., says that it’s time to “stop beating yourself up and leave insecurity behind.” Self-Compassion: Stop Beating Yourself Up and Leave Insecurity Behind offers expert advice on how to limit self-criticism and offset its negative effects, enabling you to achieve your highest potential and a more contented, fulfilled life.

Be kind to yourself. Stop telling yourself that whatever you are struggling with 'should' be easy. If something is hard for you, it is hard for you. There are probably reasons, though for some people may just be how they think. People are wired differently. Acknowledge these things. When you finish something hard, be proud! Celebrate a little. And really, just stop saying 'should' to yourself about your thoughts and feelings in any context. You feel how you feel. The things in your head are the things in your head. You can’t change either directly through sheer force of will. You can only change what you do. Stop beating yourself up for who and what you are right now -- it isn’t productive. Focus on moving forward.

It’s time to “stop beating yourself up and leave insecurity behind!“

Nature Therapy

The things of nature are "good for the soul" and I wish people would take more time to appreciate the wonders of nature all around us. It's FREE! Nothing feeds the soul, mind and spirit like a flower, a hummingbird, a tree, the wind or a sun-drenched pink and gold evening sky.

Here are 10 scientific proofs that nature is natural therapy:

1. In a study in the American Journal of Preventative Medicine, researchers found that people experienced more deaths from heart disease and respiratory disease when they lived in areas where trees had disappeared.http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/21/trees-linked-with-human-h_n_2505267.html?ncid=edlinkusaolp00000003&ir=Green

2. Those who live in the areas with the most amount of green space have lower levels of cortisol (known as the stress-hormone), and their self-reported feeling of stress were lower than those who spent more time in urban settings.http://www.prevention.com/mind-body/emotional-health/spending-time-outside-relieves-stress
 
3. Spending days in nature, away from electronic devices, is linked with 50% higher scores on a test for creativity. The findings provide “a rationale for trying to understand what is a healthy way to interact in the world, and that burying yourself in front of a computer 24/7 may have costs that can be remediated by taking a hike in nature,” study researcher David Strayer, a psychology professor at the University of Utah. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/16/creativity-nature-unplug-recharge-_n_2286735.html

4. Walking through nature evidence of lower frustration, engagement and arousal, and higher concentration and positive emotions. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23467965

5. ADHD symptoms within children are greatly reduced when in the presence of nature and after doing activities in nature. Findings were consistent across age, gender, and income groups; community types; geographic regions; and diagnoses. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1448497

6. Two hours of forest walking improves the following sleep characteristics; impacting actual sleep time, immobile minutes, self-rated depth of sleep, and sleep quality. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3216244

7. Living in a green environment with plants in your home is linked to lower stress reduction and improve stress moderation and management. http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0169204611003665

8. Walking through nature decreases brain fatigue. When volunteers walked through urbanized areas with heavy traffic, their brain wave patterns consistently showed that they were more aroused, attentive and frustrated than when they walked through the parkland, where brain-wave readings became more meditative. This study encourages “taking a break from work,” Dr. Roe said, and “going for a walk in a green space or just sitting, or even viewing green spaces from your office window.” http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/03/27/easing-brain-fatigue-with-a-walk-in-the-park/

9. Juyoung Lee of Chiba University found that leisurely forest walks, compared with urban walks, yield a 12.4% decrease in the stress hormone cortisol, a seven percent decrease in sympathetic nerve activity, a 1.4% decrease in blood pressure, and a 5.8% decrease in heart rate. On subjective tests, study participants also report better moods and lower anxiety. http://www.outsideonline.com/fitness/wellness/Take-Two-Hours-of-Pine-Forest-and-Call-Me-in-the-Morning.html?page=all 

10. Nature walks can even fight disease and cancer by increasing your NK (natural killer) cells that are essentially to the innate immune system. When participants agreed to go on morning and afternoon nature hikes, blood tests showed that their NK cells had increased 40 percent. A month later, their NK count was still 15 percent higher than when they started. By contrast, during urban walking trips, NK levels didn’t change.http://www.outsideonline.com/fitness/wellness/Take-Two-Hours-of-Pine-Forest-and-Call-Me-in-the-Morning.html?page=all

  "Come forth into the light of things, let NATURE be your teacher." - William Wordsworth

Breathe in the beauty of nature.

Spring Happiness

Lately, I've been spending outside taking lots of pictures. I think I have found a new passion. I've always been fascinated with photography and I also enjoy looking at beautiful pictures from people around the world. I'm passionate about sharing pictures that I took with the world to see my point of view and hopefully I learn something a long the way. This year Spring has been gorgeous and it's all about fluffy clouds, blooming flowers, chirping birds and lots of sunshine. Anywhere is beautiful when it's sunny and dry. I love blue sky in Oregon. I personally love pleasant weather in spring. Being with nature makes me happy and I have develop great interest in exploring outdoors.

“Photography is an art of observation. It has little to do with the things you see and everything to do with the way you see them.” - Elliott Erwitt

I'm in awe of anyone who finds something that he/she likes and be able to capture God's creation either through music or photography which is universal language that can be understood by people around the globe, it's amazing talent.

There are so many things to learn than just photography. I am now inspired to learn how to observe, capture the moments and choosing the objects. Elliot Erwitt said: “All the technique in the world doesn’t compensate for the inability to notice.”

I joined Instagram in late 2012 and I'm already hooked! I love taking pictures of anything that tickles my interest but mostly nature's beauty.

I have learned so much from others along the way and one of the best things that I like is when your picture get pick to be featured on one of the challenges. I love getting the 'likes' and sweet compliments from amazing people who already have really nice gallery. I love how people from around the world connecting through picture and congratulating each other. I feel like every one is sharing the same passion.

If you like to check it out, follow me here: http://instagram.com/lanicantik or view my photo gallery: http://twenty20.com/lanicantik and http://lanicantik.vsco.co/

“A photograph that has not been shared or at least printed is almost an unexistent photograph, is almost an untaken picture.” 

All around the world, the present moment is filled with beauty.
If you are attentive, you will see it. If you are willing, you will help create it.
Let’s take a moment to think about the beautiful things happening around us.
Right now, at this exact moment…

Here are top 10 favorite photography quotes that I like: http://erickimphotography.com/blog/2012/06/101-inspirational-street-photography-quotes
 
1. “The true mystery of the world is the visible, not the invisible.” – Oscar Wilde

2. “The photograph is completely abstracted from life, yet it looks like life. That is what has always excited me about photography.” – Richard Kalvar

3. “Ultimately photography is about who you are. It’s the truth in relation to yourself. And seeking truth becomes a habit.” – Leonard Freed

4. “The camera is an excuse to be someplace you otherwise don’t belong. It gives me both a point of connection and a point of separation.” – Susan Meiselas

5. “I think good dreaming is what leads to good photographs.” – Wayne Miller

6. “I fell in love with the process of taking pictures, with wandering around finding things. To me it feels like a kind of performance. The picture is a document of that performance.” – Alec Soth

7. “It takes a lot of imagination to be a good photographer. You need less imagination to be a painter, because you can invent things. But in photography everything is so ordinary; it takes a lot of looking before you learn to see the ordinary.” – David Bailey

8. “Not everybody trusts paintings but people believe photographs.” – Ansel Adams

9. “Taking an image, freezing a moment, reveals how rich reality truly is.” – Anonymous

10. “You can give everything to photography but photography will give you only 1 thing – happiness.” – Anonymous

“This is your time to fly away and chase all your dreams, remember life is like a play, you must act each scene with passion--embracing and enjoying the part. If you should ever get lost along the way, look to the stars, take a deep breath and follow your heart.”

“Every human being on the planet wants to be happy. Anything that anyone desires is because they think their desire will make them happy. Whether it is health, money, a loving relationship, material things, accomplishments, a job, or anything at all, the desire for happiness is the bottom line of all of them. But remember that happiness is a state inside of us, and something on the outside can only bring fleeting happiness, because material things are impermanent. Permanent happiness comes from you choosing to be permanently happy. When you choose happiness, then you attract all the happy things as well. The happy things are the icing on the cake, but the cake is happiness.” ~Rhonda Byrne (From The Secret Daily Teachings)

Half Full Perspective

Perception is unique to every individual and is simply one's interpretation of reality. The phrase "Is the glass half empty or half full" can be referred to as philosophical question. The purpose of this question is to demonstrate that the situation may be seen in different ways depending on one's point of view and that there may be opportunity in the situation as well as trouble. Life is a series of choices. The choices you make in life will greatly influence the friends you have, what you and your friends do, where you live, what you will do with yourself to contribute to society, who you will marry, and most importantly where you will spend eternity.

In life, it is easy to make excuses of why you aren't where you really want to be, but really, the only excuse that makes sense is that you just haven't fought hard enough to get there yet. Are you an optimist or pessimist?




Although I'm seeing myself as a realist but I'm always hopeful and choosing positive thoughts. I think being optimist is always healthier choice. I’ve learned that life is a lot more pleasant when one looks at the bright side, seeing the glass half full and they are more fun to be around.

“Optimism is the belief that good things will happen to you and that negative events are temporary setbacks to be overcome.”

In a book called “Breaking Murphy’s Law,” Suzanne C. Segerstrom, a professor of psychology at the University of Kentucky, explained that optimism is not about being positive so much as it is about being motivated and persistent. She also wrote: “People can learn to be more optimistic by acting as if they were more optimistic,” which means “being more engaged with and persistent in the pursuit of goals.”

Occasionally I need the dose of 'optimism' to keep me grounded and reminded me that it really is a conscious choice. Some of my favorite quotes are:

“Optimist: Person who travels on nothing from nowhere to happiness.” – Mark Twain

“A pessimist is one who makes difficulties of his opportunities and an optimist is one who makes opportunities of his difficulties.” – Harry Truman

“The optimist sees the rose and not its thorns; the pessimist stares at the thorns, oblivious of the rose.” – Kahlil Gibran

Here's a great metaphoric story:

A psychologist walked around a room while teaching stress management to an audience. As she raised a glass of water, everyone expected they'd be asked the "half empty or half full" question. Instead, with a smile on her face, she inquired: "How heavy is this glass of water?"

Answers called out ranged from 8 oz. to 20 oz.

She replied, "The absolute weight doesn't matter. It depends on how long I hold it. If I hold it for a minute, it's not a problem. If I hold it for an hour, I'll have an ache in my arm. If I hold it for a day, my arm will feel numb and paralyzed. In each case, the weight of the glass doesn't change, but the longer I hold it, the heavier it becomes."

She continued, "The stresses and worries in life are like that glass of water. Think about them for a while and nothing happens. Think about them a bit longer and they begin to hurt. And if you think about them all day long, you will feel paralyzed – incapable of doing anything."

It’s important to remember to let go of your stresses. As early in the evening as you can, put all your burdens down. Don't carry them through the evening and into the night. Remember to put the glass down!

DON'T WORRY. EVERYTHING IS GOING TO BE AMAZING.