Have you ever embarked upon a day with a case of the “blahs” or the “Monday morning blues” and then noticed that the remainder of your day seemed like an open invitation for more blahs and blues-worthy moments or events?

The law of attraction is the belief that “like attracts like” – the idea that the tone of an individual’s thoughts can significantly affect the tone of their everyday life. My husband and I stress this with our daughter when she is facing a playground dilemma or worrying about a big test at school – that she has the power to change her thoughts and change her day.

And in those moments, I find that I am reminding myself of this, too, as much as I am trying to instill this idea in her. Simply said, focusing on positive thoughts can bring about positive results, while dwelling on the negative only invites negativity.

And in those times when I am having difficulty practicing what I preach, I have an arsenal of support right at my fingertips – three smartphone apps that help me stay on the right track. All three apps have been developed by Happy Tapper, and each can help you tap in to some positivity when you need it most.

First, there is the Vision Board app. Vision Board is your personal, portable collection of your goals, dreams and values. It is a tool that helps illuminate and specify anything you hope to accomplish. Items on a vision board can be as simple as a picture of an A-plus on a school assignment or as precise as a detailed job description that you have written for your dream job. Although you could easily create a vision board with old-fashioned poster board and glue, it might not be what you want hanging on your office wall or in your school locker. The Vision Board app goes with you everywhere on your smart phone, and it comes with seven different boards to get you started. You can create separate boards for each area of your life such as school, work and home. You can add images from the app’s gallery or use photos that you collect, and you can include notes and quotations, too.

"The cute, grinning Buddha seems to be glowing from within the app, and you fi nd yourself smiling as you tap to open it.”

The app comes with password protection so your content always remains secure. A vision board is not a magic trick. It is a visual tool for you being the person who is motivated to make the things on the board show up in your life. It focuses your thinking on what you want. And when you do that, you may find that you start to see things differently.

The Gratitude Journal app is my favorite.

The idea of a gratitude journal is that if you write down what you are grateful for each day, you are reminded of what is most important to you. And most often, it is the positive things in life that matter, not the negatives. With the Gratitude Journal app, you can create a daily journal entry that lists everything you are thankful for that day. You can personalize the journal app by adding photos to your entries and customizing the fonts and image frames.

As a smart phone app, it is easier to carry with you and write thoughts throughout the day, instead of carrying a journal book with you everywhere you go. And the app is password protected for your privacy. I find that if I write down five things for which I am truly grateful for each day, I am reminded of what matters most to me, and the things that may be troubling me seem meaningless in comparison. Plus, it is fun to go back and flip through days to reflect on how cool life really is.

Quite frankly, if you are looking for an app whose screen icon image simply makes you smile before you even open it, look no further than Little Buddha. The cute, grinning Buddha seems to be glowing from within the app, and you find yourself smiling as you tap to open it. The Little Buddha is filled with more than 39,000 quotes from philosophers, artists, musicians, writers, comedians, politicians and more. Simply tap to rub Buddha’s belly and reveal the quote of the day, or turn your smart phone to landscape and scroll through more quotes. You can keep a collection of your favorite quotes, search for quotes on a specific topic and email within the app to send quotes to others. Little Buddha is a fun way to enlighten yourself, have fun and share wisdom with friends.

Try these apps and see if they help you tap into more of what you like. Visit www. happytapper.com for more information.

Holly Lawrence’s blog can be found at http:// hollyklawrence.wordpress.com. Contact Holly Lawrence at [email protected].

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