Twelve years ago I first learned about the importance of reframing negative thoughts. There were all kinds of thoughts in my head that didn’t help me or make me happy and I felt powerless to stop them. My first therapist called it my “monster voice” and Rick Carson described them as gremlins having distinct characteristics in his brilliant book, “Taming Your Gremlin, a Surprisingly Simple Method for Getting out of Your Own Way.” I highly recommend it to everyone who has any self-doubts at all.
My lovely therapist taught me that reframing the thought was the trick. Then practice the new thought until it’s more familiar than the unhelpful one. Voila! New neural pathways are created this way and you can retrain your mind with practice.
Then in 2010, I discovered Esther Hicks. I resonate deeply with the message she channels from Abraham, so I became an avid follower and remain so today. I remember watching an interview with Esther when she was asked how she began the process of raising her vibration and she said “meditation and positive affirmations.” I began writing affirmations that appealed to me on index cards and it was a delightful tool for me.
Several months later a close friend was going through a difficult challenge, and I thought some of the positive affirmations I had been practicing might be helpful for her. I was going to make some index cards for her, but I have terrible handwriting, so I decided to print the index cards using my computer printer so she could actually read them. My printer happened to have 4×6 photo paper loaded in the tray, and as I reached to take it out, I had an inspiration. Why couldn’t I print the affirmations on my beautiful landscape photos? That way the natural artwork of our glorious Universe would uplift the reader even more than just the uplifting words!
I opened one of my images in Photoshop, put a text box on it and made my first photo affirmation creation.!
Not my best image. Not my favorite affirmation. But it was the beginning of something beautiful!
That was in 2011. In February of 2012, I took my favorite 38 photo affirmations and created my first book, Live Joy Fully. It was 3×5 inches – the perfect size to carry in my purse to uplift my spirit whenever and wherever I happened to be!
Over the next three years, I sold 50 copies of my book and over 100 wall calendars full of photo affirmations. I wasn’t getting rich, but I was delighted to be uplifting the vibrations of those I came in contact with!
Positive affirmations continued to find me. I was reading Esther-Abraham and Wayne Dyer. I discovered Jill Lebeau and Florence Scovel Shinn. Everything that spoke to me was added to a list that I could use to adorn my photos. I delight in finding JUST the right image to reflect the feeling of the affirmation.
Every year around October I have new calendars for sale. If you follow my blog or FaceBook, you will see order info in case you want to inspire your year. If you’re not currently following me, you can do that, or just check my photography website in November for order information.
In 2016, I created my second photo affirmations book, Practice Happiness Daily, which has nearly sold out. I have four copies left if you want to grab yours before they disappear forever!
I expect I’ll create another book soon because I keep creating the empowering photo affirmations. To date I have over 400 positive, empowering thoughts printed on my photos, and you can download every single one of them for FREE!
I sell my landscape photography online and in local galleries on canvas or metal prints, but the photo affirmation creations are my gift to the world. They started as my way to help uplift the spirit of a friend in need and grew organically from there. If they uplift you, I want you to have them! Please download any that you enjoy, print them out, post them around your house, send them to friends, uplift the vibration of our planet!
This is one of the MANY reasons that I resonated so completely with iPEC when I was researching life coach schools last year. iPEC’s mission is to “raise the consciousness of the world, one person at a time.” As soon as I read that, I was hooked. No other school appealed to me after that. I could not have found a coaching school more aligned with my own values.
My most recent empowering thoughts on photos are the 33 foundation principles of my school, also known as the iPEC Empowerment Principles.
I absolutely ADORE coaching people and helping them raise their vibration! One of the tools I constantly use during sessions is reframing thoughts! Most of us are thinking something on a regular basis that does not serve us. Many of us become exhausted by those thoughts! My clients are creative and come up with all kinds of empowering thoughts to replace depleting ones. When someone creates one that really shifts their energy up, I add it to a photo for them as a special gift to help them remember not just the new thought, but how easy it is to shift their energy by shifting their thoughts!
Below are three affirmations created by clients and added to my own images.
That’s me in the bottom one saying “no thank you” to sugar in my power pose!
All of my free images can be seen and downloaded here: The Art of Positive Thinking
Here is a link to each individual category:
Health & Wellness
Prosperity & Abundance
Inspired by Abraham
Raise Your Vibration
Self-Esteem
Self-Empowerment
Soothe Your Spirit
If you wish to subscribe to my blog for thoughts, tips & resources for inspiration and self-empowerment, please email me at cyndicombs@gmail.com with “blog please” in the subject line. I will send you a link each time a new blog posts. Thanks!