I was sitting in a restaurant the other day, and there was a man sitting in front of me talking on his cell phone. I couldn't really hear specifics, but I did catch snips and pieces of the story he was telling. I could also tell by the tone of his voice that he was frustrated. For more than 30 minutes he complained and talked about this situation that he was so upset about.

I'm sure many of you have been frustrated at one time or another. Maybe your kids constantly fight and they don't listen to you or your boss gets on your nerves. To release these frustrations you end up talking about it with friends or family. Maybe in those moments after venting you feel a little better, but does it really change the situation? Well, maybe you end up coming up with a solution - perhaps you'll confront the person who upset you, you're going to punish your kids for fighting, or maybe you decide to find another job.

But for some reason the problems continue.

You keep blaming these other people for your unhappiness. If only they would change so that you can be happy and start living the good life.

However, what's important to realize is that it's not those people who need to change - it's YOU who needs to change. When you change your perspective of the people or situations in your life, your life will indeed begin to change.

One of my favorite quotes from Wayne Dyer is:

"If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change."

This is something that I've been working on these past couple months. I can tell you that the changes in my life have been quite profound - especially in my personal relationships - once I began to adopt this belief.

It's taken a great deal of "practice" not to complain or vent to other people when I have an issue with someone else in my life. Gossiping about other people was also part of this practice.

And of course, synchronicity played a role in all of this as well. I started reading Abraham-Hicks' book, The Astonishing Power of Emotions which further enhanced my learning. I've learned that given an undesirable situation, all I have to do is reach for better feeling thoughts instead of dwelling on the negative.

Telling other people about your problems only adds fuel to the fire. You will only keep attracting more of the same kinds of situations. Not only does this apply to interpersonal relationships, but it's the same for work or financial issues. Stating what is your current reality keeps you stuck.

It is only when you start affirming positive aspects of an unwanted situation that you will begin to experience change. You'll begin to feel better and those good vibrations will keep attracting more good vibrations. Although I've known this consciously for awhile now, it's wasn't until I actually started applying this philosophy to my own life did it really sink in. Wow, this Law of Attraction stuff really does work :)

Photo Credit:  s.h.u.t.t.e.r.b.u.g.

Be Content with what you have; rejoice in the way things are. When you realize there is nothing lacking, the whole world belongs to you. --Lao Tzu

This is a quote that I heard today while listening to an interview of Dr. Bernie Siegel on Law of Attraction Talk Radio.

Most of us spend a great deal of time thinking about what is missing from our lives. We want more money, a better love relationship, a bigger home, or the ability to do what we love. When you do this, you're sending out a signal that your life will not be complete without it.

Your life is perfect the way it is. Proclaim your life as if you already have everything you could ever want. Feel those emotions of happiness and elation. Become a source of positive energy and be grateful for all that you have in your life right now. Start with the computer that you have to be able to read this article. Be grateful that you have this tool that allows you to gain knowledge about any subject you want to know about.

This lesson of rejoicing in the way things are is something that I've had to work on this past month. I want very much to become a mother, but it just hasn't happened for me. I had this idea that my life wouldn't be complete until I have a child. However, I'm working on letting go of this idea and being grateful for the way life is in this moment. I'm learning to just relax and allow myself to just flow through life instead of resisting whatever circumstances I may be experiencing right now.

Is there something you feel like you're lacking in life? How would you feel if it manifested right at this moment? I would love to know your thoughts on this subject!

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Lately I haven't been able to do much reading because of travel and work, but the past week I had to remind myself that I'm not in a race! I left the rat race five years ago and I don't want to go back!  When I start to get to that point where I'm not breathing and I'm not having fun, I curl up with a book and just relax. Thank goodness I always have a book around that fills me up with good vibes and reminds me why I'm here.

One book on the Good Vibes list is "Better Because of You" by Ginny Hutchinson and Cathy Haffner. It's one of those books that you can throw into a purse or the glove compartment, and when you're having one of "those days" or are stuck in LA traffic (which I was this past month), you can whip out this book and get an instant pick-me-up. Not only do the authors share their wisdom in this inspiring book, it has fun visuals - very appealing to someone who loves to see color in books.

The book is broken up into three main parts:  3 Core Beliefs, 7 Facets of Life, and Words to Live By.  

The 7 Facets of Life offer inspiring insights of people who are living each of these facets which include health, wealth, wisdom, work, play, others, and service.  The authors offer simple exercise that you can do to inject more positive feelings and thoughts into your life.

I love the Words to Live By section with all kinds of different quotes on just about any topic. 

I like this quote:

"Let us be grateful to people who make us happy; they are the charming gardners who make our souls blossom."

I am grateful for Ginny Hutchinson and Cathy Haffner who put this book together.

• Check out Ginny and Cathy's blog...

• Buy "Better Because of You" at Amazon.com... (Every book sold supports global education for children through Room to Read.)

This coming Thursday, June 3rd, I will be in the San Francisco/Bay Area to attend an office warming party for Stephanie Tran, an EFT practitioner who is also one of my clients. You're also invited!

For those of you who are not familiar with EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique), it is a method used to eliminate blocked energy within and around your body. I have actually been using this technique for just about everything from attracting abundance to relieving stress. During EFT you tap acupressure points on your body while making affirming statements.

I'm definitely a believer in EFT as I've experienced some drastic changes in my business. Out of all the techniques I've used to attract abundance, EFT has worked the quickest for me.

At Stephanie's office warming party, she will be screening a documentary film about EFT called "Try It on Everything". If you like the movie, "The Secret", then you'll enjoy watching this film.

If you want to learn more about EFT or you just want to come celebrate life with like-minded people, I'd love to meet you on Thursday night! Food and refreshments will be served ;)

When: Thursday, June 3 from 6-9 pm
Where: 2287 Washington Ave, San Leandro, CA 94577
RSVP: 510-681-8522 (Please call so Stephanie can prepare enough food!)

If you can't make it this Thursday, you could also join Stephanie's Meetup!

As someone who worked in the service industry for almost 15 years, I can relate with many of the thoughts shared in this guest post by Pamela Wells...Enjoy!

The secret to inner transformation is to orient yourself in unfamiliar ways. If you are always thinking only of yourself, life gets narrow and your energy can get easily get blocked. You may be operating along grooves that don't serve you in the highest way.

How do you make a change that will propel you to expand your energies and ultimately allow you to feel a deep sense of contentment and even joy? Shift your orientation to how you can be of service to something other than just yourself.

If you feel, however, that you are being compelled to be of service and that the motivation is externally driven, then it can actually drain your energy and diminish you. For example, if you are stuck in a service-related job and you are only doing it for the money and not because of any natural enthusiasm for the nature of the work or the desire to help your customers, you will be looking at the clock the entire time. Time will seem to be going very slowly and at the end of the work day you will feel drained. At the worst if you are forced into service and you resist its call, it could actually humiliate you.

Take time in your life to pause and reflect on where you can be of most service. Everyone has been gifted with natural talents. It is the invitation of the Universe that you full receive your gifts and then cultivate them in ways that you can offer them in skillful ways of service so that you can be a being that spreads more joy to the planet. It is this pulsation of being receptive of what life has to offer and then giving back that is so simple and profound.

When you orient yourself to nature by giving back through service, you will find that you are no longer depleted and empty. Rather, when you act from your heart in skillful ways, the Universe will fill you up so much that you will feel completely full. When you feel so abundant, then you will feel content and no longer will there be the vibration of desiring something outside of you. This is the paradox of life, the more you give, the more that you will feel complete.

ABOUT AUTHOR AND ARTIST PAMELA WELLS
Pamela Wells has been working as a fine artist, commercial illustrator and graphic web designer for over 20 years and specializes in creative work that leads to greater understanding and awareness. Her goddess art incorporates her interest in the study of transpersonal psychology, integral transformative spiritual practice and the evolution of human consciousness. She cares deeply about both men and women and also about the ecological preservation of the planet which benefits all living things. To order a copy of Pamela's most recent book and card set, Affirmations for the Everyday Goddess, http://www.ArtmagicPublishing.com To sign-up for a quarterly free enewsletter called the "Divine Feminine Way" http://www.artmagicpublishing.com/goddess-newsletter.html

Do you think that the Law of Attraction isn't working for you? Do you think that manifestations are too slow?

Today I was talking with a loved one and he was talking about how he thinks he should be in a much better place than where he is right now...That what he wants isn't coming fast enough.

I explained to him that he had to "pretend" that he already has everything he could ever want out of life. He had to trick his mind into BELIEVING that he is already successful and abundant.

He said that he had read all the books and watched videos about Law of Attraction, but still, nothing has changed.  Through that conversation alone, you may have figured out that he wasn't in alignment with positive energy. If he really had paid attention to the books and videos and applied what he learned, we wouldn't have even had that conversation.

The last thing I told him before the battery ran out on his phone was, "It's one thing to read all the books and watch the videos. But it's another thing to practice it."  It's funny that the phone cut off at that very moment.  Maybe that's the very exact message that he should have received from the conversation and there was really nothing else to say?

So, I came across this audio/video of Abraham-Hicks which I sent to my loved one after we got off the phone.  Abraham-Hicks talks about how to get your mind back on track when you feel that manifestations are too slow:

As someone who spends a great deal of time online, it's only natural that most of my interactions with people are virtual. I've become more intuitive and can get a pretty good sense of who a person is through their website. One such person I feel exuded good vibes is Tamara Baruhovich of ToolsForAbundance.com.

Tamara is a life coach who happens to live in the San Diego area as well, which is awesome because I love meeting like-minded people who live close to me. I'm sure there are many people in San Diego who share my same interests, but for me it's rare to come across someone who understands the Law of Attraction and internet marketing.

I still have yet to meet Tamara in person (we're working on that!), but in the meantime I asked her a few questions to get to know more about her...

When did you realize that being a life coach was part of your purpose in life?

It's been a natural path for me. Even though I attained a DDS degree, life obviously had different plans for me. I had the opportunity to start my working career as a health educator and then I became a counselor. This helped me discover my love for helping others achieve a better life experience, so in 2005 I went back to school and earned a Masters Degree in Humanistic Psychology.
However, counseling is based on resolving traumas from past experiences. It can also create co-dependence, which didn't sit well with me. Not that counseling doesn't have its place, but it is certainly not the best venue for all.

Fortunately, in 2008 I heard of coaching, and the more I explored, the more I liked it. It just made so much sense to me. I decided to take the plunge and became a certified Life Coach that same year. The rest is history. I'm loving this career and the opportunity to help people become pro-active in creating the life they want from a positive perspective.

What kind of challenges have you faced in life and how did you overcome them?

To answer this question accurately, I'd have to write a book, literally! From having lived in three countries to experiencing divorce -and everything in between- my life has been full of challenges and constant changes.

As to how I overcame my challenges, I can say that every experience is unique and as such the approach is different as well. However, I can refer to a few common denominators instilled by my father since the time I can remember: Faith in God, faith in oneself, positive "I CAN" attitude, positive self-talk, and perseverance.

If you could offer just one tip for living a happier life, what would it be?

Be grateful for what you have... now. Never take anything for granted. Acknowledge the many people that would happily give half of their lifetime to have some of the things you have... like, health, food on the table and a roof over our heads.

By the way, a couple of months back I started a project titled "Tips to Live a Happier Life" which is an open invitation for all who want to share their 'happy tips' with others and/or leave encouraging comments for those who have posted their stories.

Some of these stories have brought tears to my eyes, and others have made me laugh out loud... I never imagined the success this has been. I feel thrilled and humble at the response I've had! Feel free to share your own story and/or comments in here:

http://www.tools-for-abundance.com/Tips_to_Live_a_Happier_Life.html

On your website you offer many tools and techniques to attract abundance. Which tool or technique is your favorite and why?

I have personally used every tool and technique I have at my site, so my comments, suggestions and recommendations are based on personal experience. I don't have a favorite one 'per se', but a combination of them is what's given me results.

The techniques I use every day are: meditation, visualization, affirmations, yoga and more recently, Reiki. I also use subliminal messages and self-hypnosis every now and then, and I'm fascinated by brainwave entrainment. Lately, I've been reading about Feng-Shui and Crystal-healing, which I'll be including in my website in the near future.

As a passionate self growth student myself, I'm always looking for self improvement tools and techniques to help me improve my life and the lives of those I coach.

What do you believe is the quickest way to attract abundance?

Having the right beliefs, without a doubt. Beliefs are the most powerful triggers to create whatever we want -and what we are already experiencing- in life; from scarcity to abundance it is all based on our beliefs.

According to my own experience and what I've seen with my clients, beliefs can be either encouraging and liberating, or the main cause of blocks and obstacles. It is all -truly- in the mind.

We are all a work in progress, which is why we must constantly work on changing our beliefs. Realize that nothing is unachievable unless you 'believe' it to be. Beliefs are so important that they are one of the primary aspects that I like to explore with my coaching clients.

Tamara has an ecoaching program called "Discover Your Potential" that you may be interested in. (Disclosure:  I'm one of her affiliates.)  The “Discover Your Potential” Coaching eProgram is an all inclusive 3-in-1 program that provides you not only with information, but a workbook to help you move along according to your personal circumstances to uncover your own blocks. This workbook serves as a guide so you know what changes you MUST make in order for you to start manifesting with ease.  You also get one-on-one coaching with Tamara herself!