Hi friends. Welcome back to Picture Love. I am so excited to share this episode with you today because I realized I forgot to celebrate a major milestone for Picture Love podcast. Picture Love has dropped over 50 episodes and it went without a celebration party. The reason for this episode is to share with you some of the things that I've learned maybe somebody else's learning to, or maybe I can offer you some words that you were looking for today. And it's packed, um, it's packed with lessons and affirmations and a tool for you. And it is all encompassing everything from pictures to perspectives. Everything that picture love embodies, and I'm so grateful to you for listening to the celebration today. These are 10 of the top things that I have learned during the journey of picture love podcast. Number one, people are so much more powerful and wise than they know. We are intelligent. We are pieces of a whole. Everybody here has their own role that they play in their lives. And when we look at another human to compare our progress, how they're doing something that we're trying to do, nobody is here to be a copy of somebody else. We are. Each wired and designed with so much wisdom. And I really feel like as a society, we tend to sell ourselves short and perhaps idolize others and assuming that that means that they are more or wiser or somebody who should be listened to above ourselves. So what I'm getting at here is I have learned that the greatest wisdom we can ask for is actually within, we just have to be willing to get serious, get quiet, get real, and listen to our inner wisdom. So that's number one. The second thing that has become abundantly clear to me is that people are fantastic listeners. You heard me right. You know, when you're talking to somebody and you know, they're not hearing a word you're saying, it doesn't mean they're a bad listener. It just means they are being a bad listener for you. Right? Have we all been there? Of course. And I know I'm guilty. I'm guilty of being distracted when somebody else is talking to me, but I know that each one of us is an excellent listener. It's a matter of where are we directing our attention and our focus? What are we listening to? Are we listening to thoughts that just keep us stuck in a rut or in a pattern? Are we listening to the noise and the panic and the news? Are we listening to fears that maybe keep us awake at night? Are we listening to stories that really don't deserve our attention while reminiscing? We get to decide what we're focused on. And anytime we focus on anything, we are exceptional listeners. So food for thought. We are great listeners. It's just a matter of what are we listening to? Fair enough. Okay. On to number three, free will. Now I know the word free and freedom get tossed around a lot, but as human beings walking on this earth, we do have free will. We get to decide what we believe. We get to decide what we think. It may appear like our society has given us many rules to govern us by or standards that seem unattainable. But each one of us. Is born with a divine right to decide what we believe, what we think in spite of how we put up the facade or the mask to show up in the world. And I want to encourage each of us to look within and decide what parts of my free will have I been misusing because it is a gift, a divine right, not just a gift. I choose to use my free will to continue to learn and dig deeper and define my true self so I can show up in better service of you, of myself, of this lifetime that I've been gifted because this is the only time I get to live this life right here and right now. All right. I know this is getting deep, but something in here is going to resonate with somebody. Number four, talking about pictures. You know, when I talk about picturing love, it's not just the metaphor. I work with pictures for a living. I see thousands and thousands of families of photos in the course of a year. And one thing I know is photos are not just energy because everything is energy. Photos are also evidence of energy. So you have the actual digital information or the printed information, which is energy. And then you have the energy connected to it that causes us to remember something or have an emotional reaction and everything and every one is energy. And that comes back to some of our free will. We get to decide how much of that we would like to focus on and listen to. The pictures can be used for good. They can be used for not so good. And we get to decide in our heads. How those pictures are being used. And if they're your collection and they need a little tidying up and things like that, by releasing the things that we no longer need, that don't serve us anymore, or are simply clutter, you're making space for newer and better energy in your photos to come in. Number five, energy moves. Yeah. Think about that all the way down to the molecules, right? Okay. Energy is movement. You can hear energy. You can see energy. You can feel energy. You could smell energy. We are energy and we were living in an energetic experience. True? That's the reminiscence. Also, when we choose what memories we're going to rediscover and put our focus on and use our free will to re engage and connect with emotions, maybe some old ones that needed addressing, or maybe they're good enough to be sharing. and we get to choose the opportunity to reminisce and create new moments in the sharing. So that's where we're taking energy from within ourselves and our pictures, and we're paying it forward. I think that's so beautiful. So think of your photos as energy that you can use for good. Just a thought. On the other side of that, touched on it a little bit, letting go. The concept of letting something go makes room for more to come in. So like, I don't, you don't have to be a gardener, but I'm going to use this analogy. I was out watering my garden today and the hose was bent and I couldn't figure out it's a brand new hose. Where is, why is the water not flowing? Well, it was bent. You could, uh, compare it to maybe holding the hose too tight and cutting off the water flow. When we let go of the hard grip, if we let go of the knot, we release the tension, then something can flow, our energy can flow, our happy feelings can flow. Our not so happy feelings can flow out of us and be released and dismissed. And so I love the analogy of the garden hose for that. There's another one right now that I'm experiencing is as a parent, learning how to let go and showing my adult children that I trust them. And I do trust them. Um, Yeah. They're going to catch up with that belief because they know most of their lives. I've been making decisions for them and, you know, everybody wants their freedom before. Maybe they're always ready for, and then there's other sides of that coin too. But, um, using my parenting experience as an example is just. Talking about letting them go. It doesn't mean I'm releasing them or dismissing them or removing them from my family, but letting go of the control of my loved ones and being here to offer them guidance as they need to make adult decisions for the first or second time. This is, um, I'd say the hardest part about parenting, but every chapter of our lives gives us opportunities to practice letting go of something. And it is an energetic, it is a choice. It is something that we have to figure out in every new chapter as we evolve and grow as humans. So this is talking about letting go makes room for new to come in. Number seven, we get to choose peace. It doesn't mean we get to choose the outcome of other people's behaviors and their actions. I'm talking about the peace that resides within each one of us. Everybody has peace available to them within, and there's nothing that somebody else can do to take your peace away. It's just creating awareness about that peace that's in there available to each one of us. Just like that divine wisdom that is born with us, just like our free will, that is a divine right. When we look within ourselves, if we want to have peace, there are ways to actually have peace, no matter What other people choose to do. And I really believe from a very disempowered place that peace was not up to me. I really believed that. But then after years of going deeper and the interviews and the learning that I've experienced through picture love, it has become very evident to me that that is a lie that many of us have been given from childhood. And it's not that. Our elders or our parents or those who raised us did us a disservice. They did the best they knew at the time. And here we are as evolving humans, we get to, in each generation, unpack things that we were born into. And I know my parents continue to do the best they can. And thank God I have them both here in this journey. But. The more we get to decide to choose peace within ourselves, the more we get to take actions that support that. And the more we are aware that we don't have to control other people's choices and beliefs in order to find our own peace. And the other end of that peace conversation for me is that if I have found my pain, my peace. Then maybe I'm being the model or the example that somebody else needs in their day to find their permission, let alone awareness to find their own peace. Just a thought. Number eight words have power. Now I know I may have said that already, but when you pair words that have power with the energy in our photos, to me, that's like. Key ingredients in a delicious recipe. Now, the recipe can be sour and it can be not so good if we don't pair words with higher vibrations and higher thoughts with More uplifting photos. If we can pair those two things together, we can bake the most delicious metaphorical situation. And that is a powerful manifestation tool for those of you who are into manifestation, really? Those are the ways of making the best recipes is selectively putting our photos and our words together without the monkey mind. Or the reptilian mind or the worry mind, whatever label you want to give that mind that tends to get us off track and away from our peace, but from a place of peace, choosing those words and those pictures, that is a beautiful way to create more of what we love. Now, choosing good ingredients makes all the difference for photos. Thoughts that we have and the people we choose to share them with. So if you're thinking about the recipe, you might be cooking it up or baking it for yourself. But when we are choosing who we share that recipe with, we also, I'm not saying. Be judgmental and don't share it with everyone. But I am saying that when we share that information, maybe consider the source. Maybe your light is a little too bright for somebody else. I know that's my case. Many times, sometimes people just can't stomach the optimism because they're so stuck in patterns that. Feel so much lower and vibration that I can be repelling at times. If you've listened this long, thank you. I'm going to assume that you can tolerate my degrees of optimism. They are sincere and they come from my heart, but when we're choosing who we reminisce with, I mean, I just shared something with my, one of my kids and they could care less and I was so excited. And I said, You don't have to care, but can you be excited that I'm excited? And they're like, sure, mom. I got the look and I realized I didn't choose my audience correctly for that thought, but that's okay. They are where they are. And I am where I am. And I love them anyway. So please consider the people we choose. Consider the audience and releasing the expectations for other people to be in the same place as us, but to invite them along the way. If they choose. I think that is key. And number 10, the popular opinion has never served me wholly. That's W H whole Lee. What I'm talking about is anytime I see somebody who is fitting my current description of success or fitting my current description or, um, vision of something good and positive and something that could be a piece of a goal. I want to set for myself. I need to always go back to number one, the number one thing I shared with you, people are so much more powerful and wise than they've been led to believe. I look to others for inspiration, but I no longer look to other people to measure my progress. Because. How could I possibly expect somebody to be living, be living their life the way I need to be living mine? It's not fair to that person to put pressure on them or to put pressure on myself to measure up to probably an overinflated sense of idealism. And so when I meet somebody who I do look up to, I try not to think of them on a pedestal. I try to think of them as somebody that makes me smile, somebody who helps me choose my own best thoughts, and that takes the pressure off of both sides. So when it comes to being popular or doing what's trendy or doing what's popular in mainstream, I'm I'm giving that up folks. You know, I come to you raw. This is unedited. This is not professional. I'm recording from my desk, my standing desk in my office with the cat meowing through the door. But this is me loving you fully loving myself better than I ever have before. And I invite you to come along. Let's have a conversation around that. And let's just each show up in our authenticity instead of trying to be the best version of somebody else. Have I got to, have I lost you so far? Those are the 10 top, I think most paramount lessons I am learning as a result more deeply with picture love. And I'm so grateful that you listened this long. Now as a reward for listening this long, can you tell I used to be a teacher? I have written out 10 affirmations that correspond with that and I'm going to read them off quickly and quietly, quietly, clearly. And hopefully there will be something here that jumps out at you. Maybe there's some words you were looking for. Maybe there's a positive thought you just need to have in your mental pocket today. And I'm going to give you, for those of you who are really into manifesting and truly choosing what's your life, the life that you are creating for yourself, you're going to love the wisdom that I just gained. I will share that at the end, a way of using these manifestation affirmations. That I came up with. So here we go. This is the picture love celebrating 50 plus episodes, list of affirmations from one to 10. Number one. I am more than a human. I am divine. And with that, I have access to infinite wisdom and power. I can do great things and be my true self is the best thing I can do. Number two, I am a fantastic listener and I choose to listen to the best thoughts from myself and others. I listen to thoughts that help me show up as myself in authenticity and love. Number three, free will is my birthright. I am free to focus on the best possible outcome and things always work out for me. My photos reflect my positive energy. I curate them with wisdom and love. Number five, my energy is mine to spend in the best ways possible. I reminisce and manifest more of what I love all the time. Number six, I surrender expectations and control that no longer serve me. And my heart fills up with the joy that now has space to come in. Number seven, I choose my peace. My peace surpasses all understanding. Number eight, my words and my photos are powerful and I create more joy with them every day. Number nine, I make great choices that result in lasting beauty, love, peace, and joy. And number 10, I am the best version of myself. I get better and better as I look within my own divine guidance. I hope there's something there that somebody can use. I'm sure you can come up with your own tweaks of it if something resonates. And if you want to check the show notes, I am making sure I write out those affirmations so you can copy and paste them and use them as you wish. But here is an exercise that I learned on social media and I wish I could give credit. But it was somebody who was talking about manifestation and he said, I'm going to show you how to use AI to manifest whatever you want. Write your affirmations. And use AI to have AI write it out as a bedtime story using first person in the present tense. So first person perspective in the present tense, and then read it out, make sure it came out right. Tweak it as you like, and then read it to yourself two or three times before you go to bed for a week. I'm curious to hear back from you. If anybody does this between now and next podcast episode, do let me know if you use that tip and it doesn't have to be my affirmations, maybe you already have a list of affirmations that you love, but I would love to hear who also is using A.I. To manifest what it is you wish to call in to help you visualize and normalize. The life you want to have. I hope that these lessons that I've learned are something that's benefited, even just one person out there. And thank you for staying with me. If you are new to picture love, thank you for checking it out. Boy, did you pick an episode? Because all of these affirmations are a result of the learning and the beautiful souls. Who have shared conversations with me on this podcast. The best is yet to come friends. And I will see you next time here on picture love.