The other day I was cleaning my sink and noticed there was a tiny bug inside. This bug was suctioned to the sink because of the water. A few thoughts crossed my mind, 1) I could ignore the bug there, 2) I could kill it so it would be a less painful death or 3) I could try and save it. Of course I couldn’t bring myself to kill it so I decided to do everything I could to get this poor bug to freedom.

But it was stuck to the sink; It wasn’t that simple I didn’t want to accidently squish it. I decided I would take a piece of paper to carefully scrape the bug off the sink without hurting it. So, I got my paper and tried to set the bug free who was resisting my attempts to help it.

I thought to myself, if only this bug knew I was trying to help them. If only it could understand English and I could tell them that I’m trying to help them. But this bug didn’t know that. It didn’t speak English. Who knew if it even knew what I was. This bug only knew life from its perspective and probably doesn’t know a thing about the rest of the world going on.  The life I see and perceive is an unknown dimension to this bug.

That’s when it hit me.

So many times in life we are that bug. When life doesn’t go how we want it to we resist. We don’t know why it is happening to us, just like how the bug didn’t know that I was trying to save it. In fact, the bug likely thought that I was trying to hurt it.

If only we could see or understand the invisible hand that is guiding us. It dawned on me that there could be a whole other universe out there, perhaps a higher god, or power, whatever you may believe, that is beyond our consciousness and I may not have the ability to see or understand it the same way that the bug can’t either. But that doesn’t mean that it’s trying to hurt me. In fact, the universe is likely conspiring to help me. Just like I finally got the bug on the paper and set it free, we too have the same opportunities and don’t even know it.

I challenge you to look for the positives in every situation and try to find the wisdom that is presented to you every day in life. I could of just saved this bug and walked away from it but instead I choose to allow the situation to teach me something new.

“No matter what he does, every person on earth plays a central role in the history of the world. And normally he doesn’t know it.” 
― Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist

One day, when I first moved to Los Angeles I had a dream that actually changed my perspective on life. It was 2012, I was 22 and just moved to Los Angeles and landed my dream job straight out of college— an entertainment reporter.

Me on the red carpet at the 2013 Emmy’s.

At the 2014 Billboard Awards red carpet

Sounds perfect, right?

Little did I know that my life would be working 24/7; Sometimes working up to 60 hours in three days. Not only that but at 22, you realize you’re an adult. College is over and it basically feels like where you are is where you will be forever. So many thoughts filled my mind: Would I ever have time for myself? Would I get caught up in Hollywood? Would I lose sight of family? My job was sometimes so vain and I was amazing at it— yet I was terrified of where I was going. I questioned was I on the right path?

That night I had a dream that gave me the answer I needed.

I dreamt I was walking among the clouds. It was a peaceful day and the sky was blue filled with sunlight. I was walking with what seemed to me, an angel. I was complaining to the angel. I told him I didn’t know where I was going and that I was frustrated with my life and scared that I’d lose track of what is most important to me.

“Dreams are more real than reality itself, they’re closer to the self.” – Gao Xingjian

“What do I do?” I asked.

He replied, “If you were to die tomorrow what would you want to be remembered for?”

I paused for a moment. Stunned by the calmness of his voice and simplicity of his response.

“I want to be remembered for being kind and a good person,” I replied.

His response was simple, “Then go do that.”

Nothing more needed to be said. From that moment I realized what the angel in my dream knew that I didn’t. Instead of filling my mind with ‘what if’s’ I needed to be reminded that all I want in life is to be kind and be a good person. I realized that we get caught up in our day-to-day life. What the angel knew was life is simple. If something doesn’t serve us then we must find something that does.

Five Ideas You Will Never Believe Came From Dreams

If all I want to do is be kind and a good person then that’s all I needed to do. Since that dream I decided to use being a good person and kind as my template– if I wasn’t doing that then I needed to restructure my goals so I could do that.

So, I have stayed at my job and yes I still get stressed and work sometimes 20-hour days and I still don’t always know where I am going and get scared. But I think of the dream and remember that life is simple and all I need to do when I get lost is to keep going and continue to be a good person and be kind.

I leave you with one question: If you were to die tomorrow what do you want to be remembered for?

In the words of the angel, “Go do that.” 

To re-program your thoughts to positive you must live, eat, sleep and breathe positivity. Nothing changes overnight– you need to program the neurons in your brain to the path of positivity. Think of it this way: Your mind stores memory but just as your muscles have muscle memory your brain has emotional memory.

For example, when you get upset where does your mind take you?  That is where you have programed your brain to go. (I suggest writing it down to remember your negative patterns) Just as a pianists fingers remember were to go to play a song on the piano. If your mind is going to a bad place you must program it to go to a better one.  It really is that simple but takes some time; just as you cannot be Beethoven over night it takes a lot of practice and exercises for a healthy mindset.

20 Motivational Quotes and Sayings

So how are we going to reprogram your mind in a fast, easy and fun way? Well, There are many ways to re-program your mind. Visually, auditory, kinesthetic, etc. But, today I am going to focus on visual memory… because as I said earlier: Seeing is believing.

Click here for some auditory mindset tricks

According to Psychologytoday.com, “People in positive affective states take in more visual information than those in negative affective states. The insight afforded by this study adds a new layer, suggesting that perhaps the reason we seem to see more when in a good mood is that our brains are unconsciously increasing our sensitivity to visual pleasure.”

The goal is to fill your mind with positive images and “see more” as stated above. We must create a guided imagery  for ourselves. Simply put: The more positive things you visually see, the better you will feel.

So to get you started here are 12 motivational memes to get your mindset headed in the right direction.

1. Remember most things we strive for are outside of our comfort zones

2.  If you have a dream then go for it. Don’t let fear or what anybody says get in the way.

3. Remember that all things happen for a reason.

4.  It’s just better if you think of things this way.

5.  If you don’t try you have already failed.

6. It’s never the end. Only a new start.

7.  Check where you’re mindset is at.  If it’s not where you want it to be then change it.

8.   The grass seems greener on the other side. Success takes hard work.

9.  Always do what you love. It is obtainable.

10. You are that person who can make a difference. Remember to do it.

11.  To get yourself back in check assess your message to the world. Never forget that and you will find what you need.

12. And remember…

Sometimes it helps to see things in front of us in different forms, like these memes above.

Let me know in the comments below how your mood has changed since reading this post. Has seeing been believing for you? I want to hear your stories.

For more tips on how to keep a positive mindset subscribe to www.doseofhappiness.wordpress.com

Well, it’s time to slap some sense back into you and to remind you that’s not true. You are good enough; you do deserve love and success. I’m going to remind you why you decided to embark on your dreams in the first place.

Here’s why you need to keep going:

1. You get what you look for

Life Coach Tony Robbins describes this perfectly in his seminars, let’s do one of his tests right now. Look around your room, I want you to find anything that is black and memorize it.. Do this as you read this. Next close your eyes….okay now what in your room is blue? Exactly, you were expecting black so you looked for black so you couldn’t find blue.. but as soon as you looked for blue you could find it. This is what happens in life… you get what you are looking for…. the law of attraction. If you think you are worthless and can’t achieve something you will keep finding excuses to feel that way. If you look for good you will keep finding good. Simple as that. Period.

2. If you keep doing the same thing nothing changes

If you keep doing the same things you keep getting the same results. Imagine if you kept on this path where you just give up right now. What would happen? What would you be doing? Now fast forward five years from now… ten years from now. If you gave up where would you be? Would you be happy?

Now come back to the present moment. Imagine if you didn’t give up, where would you be five years from now? Ten years from now? If you keep believing and going, look how far you could go.

Things may seem bad right now but there is always hope and if you keep going you will make it to the other side.

3. You’re worth it

You are not here to just fill space or be in the background of life. Remember that nothing would ever be the same if you did not exist. Every place you have ever been and everyone you have ever spoken to would be different with you you. We are all connected and affected by the decisions and even existence of those around us. You are the only person like you in the universe and that means only you can put your special touch on the world.

4. It’s what you really want

If you believe in something then why should you give up? Ever hear about the guy who gave up on their dreams? Exactly. You don’t hear about them because they gave up. No one ever succeeded without failure, the people who succeed keep going. This is your life and you have the right to be happy.

Refer to my previous post: The Key to Success is Failure for more proof and examples of the most successful people who did not give up.

5. You will achieve your goal and even surpass it

If you give up you will 100% not get it but by trying you give yourself a chance. If you really want something and do everything in your power to not let your dream slip away then it won’t you can and will get there and even surpass your goals. But you’d never get there if you give up. See reason #1 again.

6. Challenge equals growth

When you work out and your abs start to be in pain you don’t complain. You don’t think why is this happening to me? You think, yes, I feel pain so this means my workout is working and I am getting stronger and closer to getting that six pack.

It’s the same thing for emotional pain. You are being challenged, it hurts, it is a struggle, just like those last few reps of a workout. The emotional pain is the same… you need to reframe the situation and realize you are being challenged and that challenge is making you mentally stronger. It is making you a better person for the future.

And lastly, just to make sure you keep on going watch this video below:

All you ever needed has been within yourself all along.

If you were looking for a sign… this is it.

1. The Sewing Machine

A guy dreams about getting attacked by indians and thus the sewing machine was born… seriously. The sewing machine was invited by Elias Howe in 1845, while he had the concept of a machine that would have a needle that could go through a piece of cloth he couldn’t come up with a cheap effective way to make it work until one night he had a dream. Howe dreamed that there were Indians attacking each other, firing arrows. Some arrows went trough wigwams and others through cloth. As the arrows pierced tents some snagged threats drawing them through with the tips of the arrows creating large loops of thread, these arrows had holes in the tips of the spears. He woke in the middle of his dream, rushed to his workshop and tested out to see if this would work for his sewing machine. Thus, he came up with the concept to have a curved needle with a hole at the wrong end of the needle which worked. This lead to inventors perfecting his idea and a massive expansion in the sewing machine industry. [Source]

2. The Idea for Google

Larry Page, the CEO of Google, was a 22-year-old graduate student at Stanford when he dreamed the basis of an algorithm to download the entire Web and examine the link between the pages. He wrote it down when he awoke and the concept worked. He called it PageRank and used it to power a web search engine he named BackRub, which was later re-named Google. [Source]

3. The Beatles write two hit songs Let it Be and Yesterday

‘Let It Be’ is one of the most famous songs written by the Beatles and in case you didn’t guess … it was conceived in a dream. According to Paul McCartney, “Let It Be’ happened during a time when there was kind of a lot going on. I think people were overdoing the use of substances. We certainy were.” “It was kind of common. It was the fashion. And anyone who remembers that time will know that. And I think I was getting, like, a little bit over the top with the whole thing – getting pretty tired and pretty wasted. And I went to bed one night and had a kind of restless night.But I had a dream where my mother, who had been dead at that point for about 10 years, came to me in the dream and it was as if she could see that I was troubled. And she sort of said to me, she said, ‘Let it be.’ And I remember quite clearly her saying ,’Let it be,’ and ‘It’s going to be OK. Don’t worry.’ You know, ‘Let it be.’ I woke up and I remembered the dream, and I thought, ‘Well, that’s a great idea.’ And I then sat down and wrote the song using the feeling from that dream and of my mum coming to me in the dream.” ‘Let It Be’ wasn’t the only hit song that came to McCartney in a dream, the tune for ‘Yesterday’ did as well. “‘Yesterday’ came to me in a dream, but at this time it wasn’t just my mom saying a phrase,” he said. “This was a whole tune that was in my head. “

4. The Twilight Saga

Whether you’re a fan of the movie or not, you know that the Twilight franchise is a block buster hit, but obviously creating a huge franchise is not science. Author Stephenie Meyer reveals the secret to her saga came to her in a dream. “It was two people in kind of a little circular meadow with really bright sunlight, and one of them was a beautiful, sparkly boy, and one was just a girl who was human and normal, and they were having this conversation,” she told Oprah in 2009. “The boy was a vampire, which is so bizarre that I’d be dreaming about vampires, and he was trying to explain to her how much he cared about her and yet at the same time how much he wanted to kill her. “I just wanted to remember it so badly. That’s why I started writing it down—not because I thought this would be a great story for a novel.” [source]

5. The Periodic Table

Yes! It’s true… the basis of chemistry was discovered in a dream by nineteenth-century chemist Dimitri Mendeleyev. At the time, there were 56 known elements and while other scientists hard noticed periodicity of elements none of them could connect all the elements together in one table that correlated with all their properties… that is until Dimitri Medeleyev fell asleep. “I saw in a dream a table where all elements fell into place as required. Awakening, I immediately wrote it down on a piece of paper, only in one place did a correction later seem necessary, “Mendeleev, as quoted by Inostrantzev Thus the basis for chemistry that we still use today was born. [Source] So, while people can speculate as to why we dream, it’s clear that if we choose to find the beauty in them we can unlock amazing things within us. Please share with me if you have had a similar dream story in the comments below!

It’s inevitable that negative people and situations are going to come into your life. But you have the choice whether you are going to let it take over. As my mother always told me, “You have the choice to be either happy or sad so you might as well be happy. “ It’s easier said than done but it’s well worth it! Here are four reasons(that worked for me!) of why you should let go of the negative:

1. Letting go of things that don’t serve you gives you more room to love

 The negative takes up a lot of your time and energy. Imagine how much time you would have if you cut out all negative thoughts and stresses. Now imagine what else you could do with your time. Cutting out negative things in is not a loss; It’s a gain. When you cut out negative people you have more room to love yourself and others. Instead of thinking about what you have to lose, change your mindset and realize how much more energy you have to love. Let go of what doesn’t serve you and use all that extra space for love.

2. Empowerment

Something that I realized recently that never dawned on me was how empowering it is to cut negative people out of your life. If you’re like me, one of the top reasons I couldn’t let negative people or situations go in my life was because I was afraid I would miss it. There also always seemed to be a battle between wondering why a person would treat me so negatively. It sucked me in wanting to keep them in my life because I wanted them to know that I was worth having… and of course the people never changed.

One day it dawned on me. There comes a time in your life when you see an unhealthy pattern and you realize that it’s not going to change and it’s not healthy for you to keep it in your life. Instead of thinking how hard it was to let someone go, I saw it in a new light. It wasn’t letting someone go, it was being strong enough to say I’m worth more than this and I will not allow negative things in my life. I realized that I have the choice to pick who and what is in my life and if I wanted people to treat me with respect that I’d need to cut out people who didn’t. It was a powerful thought for me and I hope for you too—You have the power to pick and choose who you surround yourself with so do it. Don’t be afraid to show people that you will let them go if they aren’t helping you be a better person. Creating that boundary is empowering and healthy.

3. The opportunity to attract more positivity in your life

Just like a mathematical equation: When you take negative from your life you are only left with positive. You begin to see the real value and traits of good people and if you read my blog about The Law of Attraction, you know the power you have to attract even more positive in your life. Once you see your worth and become empowered it radiates off of you and people DO pick up on that. Letting negative people and situations go will only allow more positive to come into your life.

4. Inspiring others to let go

Something that has always helped me get through hard times was instead of having a bad day I would help one other person instead. When you are dealing with letting go of a negative person, situation or relationship in your life you need to think that because of this you have the ability to help someone else going through the same thing. Being a positive force and not allowing negative in your life is a powerful thing and the more you do it and talk about it, the more you inspire everyone you encounter to live a better and more positive life and in turn you inspire yourself.

I encourage you to get out a pen and paper and write down now three things that are not serving you that you can let go of: a negative thought, person, maybe even a job. Think about them and write down how you can apply these tips above to the situation. It’s all about reframing what is going on in your life and empowering yourself to live the life you want.

There is never a reason why anyone or anything should ever bring you down. You deserve the best. So be proactive and let go of the negative and open yourself to better things!

Please share with me in the comments your experiences with letting go and any other tips that helped you.

Here’s a little boost just in case you have gotten lost on your path to your dreams. I want to remind you that whatever it is you want, you can have. Love yourself, and trust yourself. I hope this video ignites your passion.

Take a moment to think about that statement, it’s saying: If you think you can do something, YOU CAN and if you think you can’t: then YOU CAN’T. It’s plain and simple visualization. Your thoughts begin to manifest into realities, which is something I spoke about in my post about The Law of Attraction.

Now we see people in the world with huge amounts of success, think about someone like Will Smith, and a lot of people think, “Nah, I can’t achieve success like that”.. key word in there… “I can’t.” Get that can’t out of your mindset because the only ‘no’ that will stop you from achieving your goal is the one you say to yourself. That’s right , it’s that simple. You control how happy you are, how successful you are, everything. It’s in your hands, so how come your life isn’t where you want it to be?

Well it’s quite simple actually. Here are some things you need to think in order to achieve what ever success and fulfillment means to you.

How to achieve your goals:

I have attached a worksheet for you to fill out so you can 100% visualize and realize what you want. Below are some recaps of what you can do and why it’s important.

Answer this question: “What is success and fulfilment to you? What is your ultimate goal of life?”Many times we keep thinking, ” I need this”, “I want that” but what you really need to do is sit down and try to write in one to two sentences what that question means to you. If it takes you a while to realise what it is, that’s good! Try and get your mind thinking, this is the first step in realizing what you want out of life. Remember, if you don’t know what you want, then how can you achieve it.

2.  Now that you have organized your goals, it’s time to think about why you aren’t living the life you want. It’s too easy to get caught up in life that we don’t focus on what we are doing to keep us from our best self.  I want you to understand what is stopping you. It’s easiest if you organize it by writing it down.

3. Now, imagine the person that achieves these goals. It often helps to think of that ideal person. Picture how they wake up each morning, do they work out? How do they greet others, how do they treat them? How do they walk into a room? Think of this in detail. Now, you know how this person lives their life… this person is you. You need to visualise that ideal person as you. You must live your life this way.

4. In order to solidify that this person is you, you need to picture them in front of you as you. Imagine how they make you feel. Feel their presence. Do you want to hug them?What are they wearing? Is this person held back by fear? You need to see who this person is.  Develop a relationship with the new you.

5. Lastly, this may seem strange to you, but tell yourself why you doubted them and say sorry for ever feeling that way. While, this may seem crazy, you need to remind yourself how capable you are. You need to tell yourself you love them and that they can do anything. If you build that relationship with your heart and mind nothing can stop you. You will see yourself as a person who takes on the world.

Once you can visualize that the person you want to be is you. You begin to realise that you can be that person at this very moment.

Below is a worksheet I made where you can sit and think about your answers. Putting it on paper and seeing your goals in front of you helps you achieve it. Once you are finished with the worksheet hang it on your wall, or put it somewhere that you can often look at it. It will serve as a constant visual reminder of what you need to do to get to where you want to be.

Fill out the work sheet and let me know in the comments below what you think of it. Now get out there and take on the world, for it is yours! 

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Worksheet linked here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1yc2Euc7ND86gwDbrXXS_5q6lw2s_KH6YQ1Pbs9cGikA/edit

If link does not open copy and paste it here:

DOSE OF HAPPINESS SUCCESS WORKSHEET #1 : Visualization

 1.    What does success mean to you? What does fulfillment mean to you? In only ONE or TWO sentences write down what your most fulfilling life is. (This may be hard to do, but it gets you thinking what is most important to you)

1. 2.    What is your ultimate goal in life in one sentence.

1. 3.    Write down what things you need to change in your life below in order to live the life to fit your answers above.

1. 4.    What are three goals you want to achieve with in the next week, month and year?

Week:                                                 Month                                                          Year

1. 1.                                             1.                                                         1.

1. 2.                                             2.                                                         2.

1. 3.                                             3.                                                         3.

1. 5.    Now in order to achieve these goals you  must visualize the person who lives them. How does this person wake up each morning? How do they treat others? What does this person do to achieve them. Write as many traits that this person has below. (We don’t write things they don’t do because we only focus on the positive not the negative)

1. 6.    See those traits above? That’s you! Now visualize your most fulfilling, successful, happy you standing in front of you. Write down how they make you feel when you are with them.

1. 7.    Write down why you doubt that person (YOU) standing in front of you.

1. 8.    Now write down an apology to yourself for doubting you and write down why you are never going to not believe in yourself again.

8. Now take this paper and hang it on your wall. Remember that you are that person you want to be and there is no reason to not live that life every single day. Just live it! This work sheet will serve as a reminder that everything you want and need is already inside you, you just need to visualize it to remember sometimes! NOW GO TAKE ON THE WORLD!

The Law of Attraction

The Law of Attraction means that similar energy attracts similar energy. To make this point clear think about when you wake up on the wrong side of the bed and then you are late for work. Doesn’t there always seem to be red lights and accidents making it take longer? But what about a good day? Theres’s no traffic, every light is green and you can’t seem to get that pep out of your step — That simply put is the law of attraction in effect. The energy you put into the world is what you attract back to you. What goes around really does come around!

How to make the Law of Attraction work

There are three simple steps to the Law of Attraction they are:

1.  Decide what you want (ask)
2.  Give it your attention, energy and focus (believe)
3.  Let go of attachment to the outcome and allow it (receive).

 Okay, so how do I do that?

1. Deciding what you want (ask)

In order to achieve a goal one must clearly define what it is that they want. If you yourself doesn’t clearly know what you want then how are you supposed to get it.

2. Giving your attention, energy and focus (believe)

Once you have decided what you want, now it is time to commit to it! An easy way to do this is to keep a daily affirmation journal. Write everything it is that you want! The key to this though is to not write, “I want now” but “I have now.” Another important thing to note is how you word these sentences; for example, if you want to have less anxiety do not say “I have less anxiety” you must say “I am calm.” You must remember that by saying the word anxiety you are still putting that word into the universe. You will be most successful to re-word your sentences to be more positive.

Here’s some other easy ways to keep yourself surrounded with positive energy:

• Posting your favorite quotes on your wall
• Help Others
• Get a free motivational phone app 
• Write your goals on post-it notes and put them on your mirror
• Create a gratitude journal

3.Allowing the outcome to come

This can be the hardest part of the Law of Attraction. But once you have decided and committed to what you want. You must trust that it will come back to you and be patient. It may not be tomorrow it may not be within 7 years but always keep your affirmations and make note of what you want and do not forget it. If you want something it will come to you. You must live what you want every day and most importantly enjoy life.

These steps provide you with a mindset that will jumpstart you to achieving success. By thinking you have what you want, you start to embody a person who is that and others will begin to see it in you! Thus, ultimately attracting what you want into your life!

Why it works

So you aren’t a fan of being one with the universe well here’s some scientific facts of why the law of attraction works. It’s called quantum physics!

In theory quantum physics explains that there are infinite outcomes we can have to one specific action. Meaning that we have unlimited possibilities to achieve what we want. Now what is most interesting about quantum physics is its relation to particles and energy. We can all agree that everything in the universe is made up of energy, even us. All energy has frequencies, including you. So if you have a positive energy you will literally shine and that will attract positive things to you. In fact your energy can effect something that’s not even near you.

This can be explained by the Einstein-Podolosky-Rosen Paradox (EPR). This theory states how two particles or energy can become entangled in one another and ultimately affect the other. For example, If you have two gloves and one glove is mailed to the south pole and the other glove comes to you(lets say it’s the right glove) then you know the other glove is the left one. Or better yet, how does your mom always know what’s going on? Have you ever been in a negative situation and she just always seems to know and call you? That can be explained by quantum physics.

Still don’t belive how powerful positive or negative energy can be? Check out this video about water being effected by words.

Our bodies are made up of mostly water. Positivity and negativity have a major effect on us.

So back to getting what you want

Whether you believe in The Law of Attraction or not we can agree that is better to live your day positively over negatively. If you want something then go get it. The only thing stopping you is yourself. Believing in yourself never hurt any body and you will most likely inspire others to do the same.

“And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give others permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fears, our presence automatically liberates others.” – Nelson Mandela

So I challenge you to starting an affirmation journal and see where it leads you. I want you to see how your positive light allows others to be positive. Get up and start dancing. Have a lot of fun when you are out with your friends, see how many people want to join in or just walk around like every day is the best day of your life. Believe me you’ll see that it will allow everyday to be the best in your life and you will start to notice all the great things you are attracting.

Comment and share what you are doing to attract greatness into your life!