Thoughts on Chapters 1 and 2

This is really laying the foundations for what the Law of Attraction is all about. Luckily for me, these are not new ideas, as I have been familiar with this concept for a few years. I think the things that stuck out the most to me were the fact that like attracts like, which includes negative, and in the same vein, EVERYTHING in our lives, both the good and the bad, are completely our responsibility. Yes people can be jerks and all that crap. But it really is how we respond to it.

I have experienced this concept in so many different ways, it's not even funny. Even my shrink talked about it, in completely different terms, but it was exactly the same ideas. When you're thinking positively, you literally can't have negative thoughts in your brain (something to do with our reptilian brain).

So these are things I need to ponder and start to remind myself. On a whole, I'm not that bad at this, but I definitely am not where I should be. So that's my goal, for now: to try and be more aware of what is going on inside my head, and if it's negative in any way, change it. I know the book will delve deeper into this, but it definitely isn't going to hurt me to start today, this moment.

(2) What You Are

W

What I Took Away:

I am energy, and I am connected to everything around me through that energy.

I am a magnet, literally attracting things that my energy connects with, whatever vibration it's on.

My life, at this moment, is the result of everything that I have ever thought, done, believed, or felt, up till now.

I can start right now to consciously and deliberately attract whatever I desire in this lifetime. People, resources, money, ideas, strategies, and circumstances.

"You are far more powerful than you realize. You are creating everything in your life. Once you fully acknowledge this, and take responsibility for it, you can do anything that you set your mind to. You are the author of your own life, and you can choose to take it in any direction that you wish."

(1) The Law of Attraction

What I took away:

The Law of Attraction says that you will attract into your life whatever you focus on. Whatever you give your energy and attention to will come back to you.

The Law of Attraction never stops working.

Like attracts like. If you're feeling wonderful, you're sending out positive energy. If you're feeling bad in any way, you're sending out negative energy. You get back exactly what you put out there. Whatever you are thinking and feeling at any given time is basically your request for the universe for more of the same.

You are creating your future with every single thought, whether consciously or unconsciously.

You need to make sure that you are continually sending out energy, thoughts, and feelings that resonate with what you want to be, do, and experience.

You can learn to manage your thoughts and emotions by learning to respond instead of just reacting to the situations in your life. In order to create a more positive outcome, you must learn to consciously respond in a different, more positive way.

Once you begin to understand the Law of Attraction, you can begin to consciously and intentionally create a better life.

The Law of Attraction allows for infinite possibilities, infinite abundance, and infinite joy. It knows no order of difficulty, and it can change your life in every way.

Jack Canfield's Key to living the Law of Attraction:

I am going to start this journey with a man who inspires me: Jack Canfield. He's the starter of Chicken Soup for the Soul with his friend, for those of you who don't know who he is. And he is an amazing motivational speaker, inspiring millions. I could re-read the secret, but this small, concise book, written in Jack's voice, to me seems like the perfect place to start.

There are activities in each of the fourteen chapters, helping the reader to sort out their thoughts on all aspects of their lives and help to define and focus. Instead of me writing these things in a journal, this is going to be my journal. Ideas written out for me to easily refer to any time I like.

I know there will be some things I can't write about here, but need to do, like a vision board for example, but those will come with time. For now I am going to wade through the quagmire of my mind and start to focus on what really matters and what I really want out of life.

What is this?

My life is oatmeal.

Here's me currently, in a nutshell. I just turned 30 a week ago. I am single, live with my parents, and am having some mild successes with a photography business I started almost a year ago. I am also working on a YA series with an editor for Scholastic... but it's been SEVEN years.

My life looks great on paper. I used to be a bird trainer, moving from my native Pittsburgh to Salt Lake City, and then having the birds take me to South Africa, where I lived and worked for two years. I am interested in a lot of things and generally pretty decent at what I decide to do.

But recently, I feel like I have been stuck in a terrible rut. I love to travel, and I'm starting to wonder if this is really an avoidance tactic, to help me ignore real life.

But that's what got me thinking. I have been following the Law of Attraction for a few years now. I read and watched The Secret, and it really rejuvinated my spirit. And I can definitely see examples of synchronicity in my life. I'm sure to some, I've had an amazing life, and I really have, in many ways. However, something's missing. I feel like I am always just below the surface of my true potential. That I am somehow sub-consciously sabotaging myself, keeping me in this life that is always yearning for more. I can see the things I want, and I am working towards those goals. But I know I'm not applying the Law of Attraction to pretty much anything. So I have decided to change that.

I am giving myself a year to see just how far I can take this. There are a lot of these types of books out right now: a year like Oprah, a year traveling to find yourself, documented experiments of generosity. And I want to slide this blog comfortably into that little self-improvement vein.

I am going to take a few days and read through my Law of Attraction books. I'll re-watch the Secret. I have books that I own and from the library that I need to re-acquaint myself with. But I want to try this. I want to see my goals, written down, and see myself following the rules of this law to help me reach those goals. I feel like oftentimes my head is in a fog. I hope the intimacy with this blog will help bring about clarity. This isn't for anyone to see, it isn't about gaining recognition. It is about documenting my life and seeing where it takes me. Because I have been in this same place for way too long now.

Just an Idea...

I love to start new things. The energy and excitement make me almost giddy with anticipation towards the unknown, what could be.

But then I usually give up.

I don't know why I do this, but I am not going to beat myself up; instead I am going to just pick myself up and keep on going.

I really want to succeed with this. I am going to saturate the blog with initial posts, and I'm going to do my very best to keep up at it. It's like my life's depending on it; and in a way, I guess it is.