[2021-03-09] A beautiful life
As I mentioned yesterday, I received a gift from one of my champions: a collection of cards filled with affirmations to guide me on my self-love journey. This boxed set (Love Powered Femme: I Am Affirmation Cards) is both gorgeous to look at and inspiring to read, consistent with this affirmation:
I am beautiful on the outside, yes, but my true beauty shines from within!
The welcome card begins:
You matter. You are enough. You are capable of making a difference. Just as you are, in this very moment, you are worthy of a beautiful life, and you are loved.
I was struck by the notion that I am worthy of a beautiful life. In dark moments, I might think that cancer has robbed me of that chance. But sometimes we just need a reminder of our worth—so says Anna and Lindy, the creators of the boxed set. The same is true of our power. They write:
The truth is that you have the power to shift your state, to love yourself fully, to know your worth, and to live your best life. Within you, and always available to you, is the power of love, the power of courage, the power of brilliance, the power of determination, the power of being your own unique self.
Who knows what my life will be like in the coming years. I am no more capable of seeing the future than anyone else. But I can remind myself that whatever life I experience will be the best one I can live, for I will make it so.
In addition to instruction cards, the set includes cards identifying 29 powers—such as positivity, humility, health—and an additional "I am" card that you can personalize. You can focus on powers that reflect how you are feeling now or powers you are trying to enhance. For example, I have always felt that confidence is one of the most challenging powers to embody, especially whenever I've started something new. Imagine the impact of choosing confidence as your power and saying to yourself each morning,
I am confident. I am powerful. I am fearless. I see every challenge as an opportunity to expand and grow.
Today, I chose three powers to focus on: love, gratitude and courage.
I am love. I am compassionate. I am kind. I give love, I receive love, I embody love.
I am grateful. I am happy. I am blessed. I inhale love, exhale gratitude, and give thanks for all of my blessings.
I am courageous. I am powerful. I am brave. Despite my fears, I chase my dreams, and I stand up for what is important to me.
Love and gratitude are emotions that I already embrace. Courage is something I continue to work on, as per my new year's commitment to fearlessness.
Each power card includes a question to recall a time when you expressed that power and how it made you feel. Sharing my story, my thoughts and my perspectives does take courage, but I was reminded today about the good that such courage can generate.
As I was working on this post, I received an email from a friend who wrote to tell me where one of my writing pieces had ended up and the effect it had had on the recipient. My friend shared my post on Wintering with her husband, who immediately thought of a colleague and sent the article to her. The colleague had lost two loved ones in the span of one week and experienced other hardships. Despite this considerable misfortune, the woman was uplifted by my post. My friend stated: "You are a champion to so many people that you don’t even realize."
This story affirmed that, when we exercise our power, we make a difference not only for ourselves but for others too.
