Your Pursuit to Happiness

Are you happy?
That question was constantly going on and on in my head back in the day. I wondered am I really truly happy?
After I overcame my sickness I was in some clubs at Snow college called Mastermind (how to be a master of your mind) and N.A.M.I (National alliance for mental illness). These two classes have made me realize why and how to be more happy and also what the word "happiness" meant. It taught me so much stuff from learning to be more patient to being more grateful. I had the opportunity to actually teach a lesson in NAMI about overcoming anxiety. My therapist actually told me how to overcome it and or how to live with it. I took my teachings and shared them to everyone who wanted to listen. My lesson was a success! Everyone loved it. At first I was so nervous to teach my lesson, but once I started I couldn't stop talking about my experiences and how to beat anxiety attacks.

Mastermind introduced me to a book and movie called "The Secret". If you haven't heard of it, its about the law of attraction and how to be more happy. I have read and watched the movie a dozen times and I can't get enough of it. I have taken the lessons I learned and actually did it. After I did

what they said I felt good about myself and was grateful for who I was and what I had. When I first read the book and started going to the class I was a little iffy with it. I thought it was weird and that these people have a lot on their mind. It wasn't a bad thing that they had a lot to say, that's what helped a lot of people in life. They told us about their experiences and what happened when they did a certain something and how they felt.


The secret shows you how to use it and where it came from. Imagine your dream job or house. Imagine what you would do with it or how your life would be. Now put it into action to get that. Pretend you have that house and think about how you would decorate it, what the kitchen would look like, hosting parties etc.. You are attracting what you think. The book says;
"The law responds to your thoughts, no matter what they might be. You are the most powerful magnet that is emitted through your thoughts."
 Lets say you are having a bad day. Its one thing after the other. The more negative things you think about the more the universe is gonna give you those negative thoughts. Now stop and think about what makes you happy. Just say to yourself "I can change my attitude". Smile and think its another day in paradise. You control your future and the actions you take.
If you want to know more about The Secret you'll have to read it I can't write the whole book on here. Also there is a The Secret: The Power that one is a good book too.
The Power talks about love and imagination. That you would not have been born without the power or famous inventors would not have thought up of their greatest creation without the power.

"If you see it in your mind, you're going to hold it in your hand"
                                        -Bob Proctor     Dominant thoughts 

Everyday you choose how you feel; you can have a good or bad day. When you get up and as soon as your feet hit the floor think of 3 things you are grateful for and say "its gonna be a good day". This helps a lot; just by saying something and thinking like that will turn your whole life around. For me I think about the things I have. A roof over my head, a family that loves me, and great health. That's all I need to be happy. Some people don't have all that stuff but are still happy. Its kinda like what The Secret is.

"What this power is I cannot say. All I know is that it exists"
                                -Alexander Graham Bell (1847-1922)

Think about what makes you happy the most. Mine are simple things like a fresh mowed lawn or when its raining and I'm inside with my son drinking a nice cold drink from the soda shack. Its not hard to think of all the things that make you happy.      "enjoy the simple things"
Being a mom I realized how innocent kids are. They never hurt anyone and they have not done anything wrong. They are completely innocent and full of energy. They are also very HAPPY. Babies are happy with anything you give them and what you do. I would give my son a box and he would be the happiest baby alive.



What is love? Now thats a good question. For me love is strong feelings toward a person place or thing. Its caring for them and trusting them with your life. You have trust and communication.
"The greatest thing you'll ever learn is to love and be loved in return" One of my favorite quotes from Moulin Rouge. This movie is all about love and what it means.

Compliment yourself; or compliment other people. The most powerful compliments come from yourself. Put Positive notes on the mirror and read them everyday. Don't put yourself down from your looks, if you like the way you look than you are happy with yourself. Think about one thing you love about yourself. For me its my stretch marks. Yes they are ugly but, they tell a story. I am a mother and I brought a child into this world. I am proud of my stretch marks and I will not hide it. I worked hard to grow a human being and deliver him. Try to give at least 3 compliments a day. Trust me it'll make you happy and feel good about yourself.

"I know it's easier said than done, but acceptance starts with looking at yourself in the mirror and just saying, Okay, I don't have muscles on top of muscles. Fine! All right. I don't have long, flowing blonde hair. Cool. Once you learn to be cool with who you are, you won't care what anyone else thinks" 
                                                               -NE-YO

When I went to see Wicked in New York there was something that popped out at me. If you don't know what Wicked is, its a Broadway show. Its about life before Dorthy in the Wizard of Oz. Where the wicked witches came from. Elphaba is a witch that has green skin and she tries to fit in and later

 she becomes the witch of the East.
Anyway there is a song that Elphaba sings, its called "Defying Gravity". This got my attention cause we can defy our own gravity.
"Its time to defy gravity.
I think Ill try defying gravity.
And you can't pull me down"
This to me seems like Elphaba is believing in herself and she knows she can do it. She defied gravity and did it.
So this is like your thoughts... again if you think negative thoughts you won't be able to "defy gravity" You are letting people pull you down instead of resisting. I love saying to myself "Im gonna defy gravity and do it". Turn your dream into reality defy your gravity and take action.

"Attract what you expect. Reflect what you desire. Become what you respect. And mirror what you admire."
                                   -unknown

Handbook to life:

Health;

1. Drink plenty of water
2. Eat breakfast like a kind, lunch like a prince and dinner like a beggar
3. Eat more foods that grown on tree and plants.
4. Live with 3 E's; Energy, enthusiasm, empathy.
5. Sleep for 7 hours

Personality;

1. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what there journey is all about. 
2. Don't give negative thoughts or things you cannot control. Instead invest your energy in the positive present moment.
3. Don't over do your limits. 
4. Dream more while your awake
5. Forget issues of the past. Don't remind yourself of the past. 
6. Life is to short to waste time hating anyone. Don't hate others.
7. Make peace with past so it won't spoil the present.
8. Smile and laugh more

Society;

1. Call family often
2. Each day give something good to others
3. Forgive  everyone for everything
4. Spend time with people over the age of 70 and under 6.
5. Try to make at least 3 people smile each day
6. What people thing of you is none of your business.

Life;

1. However good or bad a situation is, it will change...
2. No matter how you feel, get up, get dressed up, and show up
3. The best is yet to come
4. Your inner most is always happy, so , be happy. 
5. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful. 

I don't know where I found this. I do not take full credit for this handbook.



Lets talk about anger. People get angry a lot. From being stuck behind someone that is driving slow to having an overly upset child. Guess what you can't do anything about it. Being angry will only make it worse. Yelling at your kids won't work. Don't sweat the small stuff in life. Don't let the simplest things take over your life. Just breath and say to yourself "I can't do anything about it" and smile. All you can do is smile and laugh, it'll make you feel better and it will release tension around you. If its your kids put them in his crib, shut the door, and walk away. Your kid is angry too and needs to release tension. If he is in pain or hungry than hold him or feed him. By doing this it will help you calm down and not be so upset. Kids can sense when your upset and it makes them more upset than it makes you angry.

"I can't change the direction of the wind, but I can adjust my sails to always reach my destination".
                                                                 -Jimmy Dean

I have a positive/motivational book I wrote notes and lessons down from Mastermind and NAMI. I was reading it and I came across my motivation page. I wrote down things I wanted and what I could look forward to. Here are a couple of things I wrote:

• Live life to the fullest
• Get the perfect job
• Find and marry the perfect man
• Get healthy
• Get fit
• Have enough money to get through college and life

I have accomplished all of these!!! I wrote these down 6 years ago!!! I broke my list down to the things I wanted in my job/career, life and things. I cannot believe all of these came true. Yes it took quite a while to get them but it doesn't matter I have all these things I wanted. If you think about it I wrote this list in 2009. I met my husband in 2011 and got married, a job and graduated college with an art degree in 2012. In 2013 I got pregnant and had my son in 2014. Now I'm as healthy as can be and getting fit and more happier than ever. I can make a new list and set a goal to accomplish my new ones.

 Now that's the power of The Secret. 

I hope that this article will help you find your pursuit to happiness. Trust me it works.


I do not take credit for all the information and pictures

DIY: Summer wreath

This was so much fun to make. I couldn't find an N so I made one. I used really good quality cardboard. You can add whatever you want to it, these instructions are for the one pictured. Have fun and enjoy.

What you'll need:

• Burlap 
• glue gun
• flowers
• Giant letter (of your choosing. I chose N cause my last name is Nielsen)
• branch wreath 

For the letter:

• Cardboard
• exacto knife (I dont know how to spell it sorry)
• paint of your choosing color
• paint brush 
• ruler

Here's how I did the letter:
First I measured how big I wanted it on the cardboard. Than I cut it with the exacto knife. I used a metal ruler which helped a lot in cutting the letter. Once its cut I just painted it, I put about 3-4 layers of paint on it and let it dry. It might bend, that's fine it should go back to normal once dry.

What to do:
Place letter on wreath first. Do not glue anything yet, assemble all the decor on it first before you glue. Than assemble flowers around it. Its much easier this way. Next, make a bow out of the burlap; this took me quite sometime as burlap is hard to work with. Place the bow on wreath. Fix any flower or the letter to make it look the way you want it. Lastly, glue everything on the wreath. I had to put the glue gun in the wreath to glue the flowers on it.
Now go hang it up and enjoy.

Sorry if the instructions don't make any sense, if you have questions I'll be happy to answer them.

See you for the Autumn wreath!!!