the secret

I want to take a moment and try to be a little inspirational. My sister and I are trying to watch more documentaries and then talk about them. We just watched a documentary called "the secret" and it is about attraction. Now, you may be thinking that I'm referring to "ohh heyyy that guy is totally cute" attraction, but I'm not. The documentary talks about how everything that happens to you (good or bad) happens because you attracted it in your life, and that is the secret.

Have you ever had one of those days where something bad happens, it puts you into a bad mood, and then its just one bad thing after another that day?? That is attraction right there. Since something bad happened to you, it put bad and negative thoughts into your head, therefore attracting more bad things to happen to you because you're assuming the worst to happen. I never thought about these types of circumstances being connected to my thoughts. I always just figured the world was out to get me that day and I just had to accept it.

"Your life is a physical manifestation of the thoughts that happen in your head."

How true is that quote? The documentary goes into a lot of detail about how your thoughts rule your actions. Anyone can say that they're going to do something, but unless they truly believe it in their head, and make the effort, nothing is going to happen. Our thoughts and feelings are a source of feedback telling us whether we're on the right track or not, and inevitably guide our actions. 

I keep telling people that I'd like to start a business and make more money on the side...eventually having it turn into a career path, but thats never going to happen unless I spend time thinking and putting together a plan. It's not going to happen on its own, and if I don't change my thoughts now in order to make the change in my life, I'm going to look back a year from now and realize that I am no closer to that dream than I am now.

There are three steps to "the secret" and they are (1) Ask. Let the world know what you want (2) Believe. Believe that what you want is already yours. Picture yourself having exactly what you want and the world will rearrange itself with opportunities to make that happen for you. You will attract the things you want with your thoughts (3) Receive. 

One of my professors in school said,
"You have to be very very careful of what you go looking for in life,
because you're probably going to find it."

That made a real impact on me and it ties in really well with "the secret". The power of your thoughts and attraction is a real thing. It exists. There is only one person that can control your destiny and what you find in life. That person is you. Choose wisely what you go looking for. Take this time in your life to truly figure out what you want. Chances are that what you think you want and what you actually want are very different. It's a journey and a learning process. Your purpose in life is what you say it is. No one else can tell you that. 

"Follow your bliss and the world will open doors where there were only walls."

Everyone deserves to be happy. Everyone is born to add something to this world, to add value. You, just as much as I, are capable of doing so much good, and it starts with your thoughts. Imagine what you can do from this day forward with the life knowledge you have gained up to this point. We all have something different to offer and I am gonna find what that is for me. The last five minutes of the documentary were very powerful to me. One of my favorite quotes from the whole video was,

"No one else can dance your dance, no one else can sing your song, no one else can
write your story. What you are and what you do begins right now."

Regardless of where you're at in your life right now, regardless of your age or your life accomplishments, the moment you decide that you want to be happy and truly live, your life will change. Yes, like anyone you will still have those bad days. Its normal. Don't think that one bad day will ruin the rest of your week, year, life. If you do, it just might. Thats the power of your mind. 

I hope this was the slightest bit inspirational. I wanted to share because there were a lot of aspects of the documentary that I believe. I really do think our thoughts are so powerful and can be extremely enabling but also destructive. It's up to us to decide how we let our thoughts dictate. Thats my food for thought for February. 

thank you february

Well, I cant hide it but the good times have been rollin for sure. I decided that February was going to be MY month and it most definitely has been a good one, but there's still time to make it even better! The power of positive thinking amazes me all the time. I'll get into this a little later, but my sister and I decided we want to start watching a documentary each week together (but separate) and then talk about it every Sunday. This weeks documentary is "The Secret" which talks about...dun dun dun...the secret of life. WHAT? Who knew. It ties into my thoughts about positive thinking. But before I get into that, l want to express how happy with where I am in life right now. I feel very fortunate to be where I am now and so happy with where life has taken me. I am still so young, yet I've had so many incredible experience in my life at this point that I never wanted to take for granted. It blows my mind how much I've accomplished in such a short period of time, yet I have like 4x more years to accomplish and do even more.
Like I mentioned in my last post, I had a really rough January with work and what not. I had a moment about two weeks ago. I had a really good day with work, hung out with a friend that night, and then had a bunch of other friends over in the evening. It was just a solid day. I had a moment when all my friends and I were gathered around our kitchen counter just talking and laughing. There was a small moment where it felt like I froze in a dream and all I could hear were my thoughts but I could see everyone around me laughing and smiling and happy. My thoughts took over and all I could hear was myself saying, "Man, I love my life." It was a really incredible feeling. I have been so blessed with amazing people in my life and I continue to be surrounded by new and old ones. I can't say I kept up with this blog once a week thing. I honestly thought saying once a week was making it easy on myself. But in all reality, we should all be shocked that I'm writing two weeks later and not a year later.


This month has brought a lot of good things for me. While I cant say it was easy, because life isn't easy, certain things have happened that allow me to appreciate what I do have and the people I love the most. I spent President's Day weekend in St. George visiting my grandparents with my cousin. I'm so glad we made the trip down there. I take for granted how close I am to so much of my extended family. Everyone and their mother was in St. George that weekend and I was able to meet up with some friends for some much needed adventuring as well.

I made a realization this month and that is how OBSESSED I am with a solid view of city lights. While I was commuting from Sandy to Provo every day for school my last semester,  my favorite part of any day was when I would be driving home from a long day late at night. I'd drive around the point of the mountain and BAM its the most incredible view of the city lights of Draper and beyond. It always made me so happy. While in St. George, both nights I was there, I spent a good chunk of time on top of dixie rock or D mountain just soaking in the air and beauty of the city lights. It's so cheesy to say but it makes me feel so alive. Like "Helloooo world, I'm here, I'm alive, living a great life with beautiful views!"



February brought a lot of new adventures and firsts for me. Ali and I went tubing at Soldiers Hollow, I went to my first Jazz game with my Rec Management crew, and I went night skiing up at Sundance Ski Resort for the second time with Lindsay! How have I not done these things before? I don't know. School got the best of me I guess.

I've definitely been taking advantage of the free time to do whatever I want since I don't have homework anymore! While it truly feels like I've been finished with school for a lifetime, I also realize it has been a bit of a transition in lifestyle for sure. Although I don't work or do nearly as much as I did while I was in school, I get wiped out way faster. I don't know why that is, but its a real thing. Regardless, this life has treated me pretty dang well.

Thank you, thank you, thank you February for being so good to me. To think that this is only the beginning of the post-grad life excites me. I love to think about all the great adventures I have yet to go on and be a part of. This is the start of something so so good and I am so happy with where my life is at right now. 

Bring on MARCH. 

let the good times roll

I cant believe it is already February. Although I love the snow and winter, I can't say I'm mad that it has been 65 degrees and sunny for the last week. I never got around to finishing up my New Years post (not surprised) because life got the best of me and once the holidays were over it was back into the daily grind.

I'm not going to lie, 2015 got off to a really rocky start and I never expected that. The title of this post is a little deceiving to being with, but has good intentions. I thought "this is going to be my year". I just graduated from college, I'll make lots of money working full time, I wont have to do homework, I'm moving to a new place with new people, I'll have way more time to date, life will be great, this is my year.

Although I had plenty of things to be grateful for in January, there were a number of things that went wrong and made me overlook the things in my life that were good. Long story short I went unemployed for about 6 weeks, which were the longest days of my life. I thought I'd be able to find a job in the first week after finding out that I didn't have a job but that wasn't the case. If there are a couple things that I learned from that experience its that (1) It is SO important to have a savings account in case of emergency, and (2) More often than not it really is more about who you know and not what you know.

January was a huge financial crisis (definition of) since I wasn't working but still had expenses in order to live. It was stressful because I didn't know how long I needed my small savings account to last me. I finally started my full time job the last week of January and started to get back into a daily routine again. Thank heavens for that because I was starting to go crazy.

Setting January aside, I decided that February would be a good month. I have plenty of things to be thankful for; I have a job, a house, a car, family and friends surrounding me, and finally an income to keep me grounded. How could anything go terribly wrong again?? I kid you not the FIRST Monday of February, the start of the second week of my new job, I get in my car to leave for work aaaand...I had a flat tire. It was all fine and dandy until the guy a Big O Tires told me that the hole was too big to patch and I had to pay $110 for a brand new tire instead of $15 to patch it. Keep in mind I just bought this car 4 weeks ago...not exactly an expense I wanted to have, especially when I hadn't had a paycheck in 2 months.

But thats ok, right? because February is going to be MY month. To say that was the only hiccup or financial crisis/issue I've had in the first week of February would be a lie, but I already told myself that this would be a good month and Im not going to let these things get in the way of being happy.

In my New Years post, I was going to put down some resolutions and goals I had for the year. I've never been good about resolutions or whatever so I decided to change it up this year and have monthly goals instead of the year thing people do. In February, I will:

• Go through all of my junk drawers. Im trying to de-junk my life. 
• Read an entire book. I just started Dave Ramsey's The Total Money Makeover. My parents got all of the kids in my family a copy of it for Christmas and I've heard its really good! 
• Complete my B&W photo project. I'll post photos when its done. 
• Post on my blog at least once a week.

So even though its already February 8th, I'm going to make sure this is a
good month. So my friends...

LET THE GOOD TIMES ROLL

(here are some 2014 recap photos for good measure)

I ventured to Mexico with 10 complete strangers on the best road trip of my life.

I turn the ripe and quite unexciting age of 22.

I graduated from BYU.

 

 

I drove to California with some of my favorite people for Emily and Nate's wedding.

I obviously made the best purchase of the year on a churro at Disneyland.

 I visited the most picturesque city in the world, Venice.

I traveled through 10 countries in Europe with my study abroad group. 

I paraglided in Interlaken, Germany...worth every penny.

I went to the most beautiful place me eyeballs have ever seen, Iceland.

I saw John Mayer at the O2 Arena in London. 

I visited JT with my mom and Sierra.

My entire family was in Utah for Thanksgiving..and the boys never seem to make it into photos.

 I celebrated the last day of the best job at BYU by caroling through the TNRB.

 I spent Christmas with my family in Arizona.

I bought a car!

Thank you 2014.