WHY AFFIRM and The Truth Collection

In 2007, early in my graphic design days, I began writing out these personal affirmations.  They focused on what I wanted to enhance about my life and what I wanted for my family.  First, it was called “My Prayer List,” I wrote them all out in the present tense and would lead with “I am” or “I have.”  I named the affirmations “The Truth Collection” because I KNEW I wanted them all to be MY TRUTH.  I even went as far as to record them and play them while I was sleeping.  I wanted them to sink in…

I would write messages on index cards about healing and wholeness for my children and place them on mirrors in my bathroom and bedroom dresser.  I wanted to just always see them.  When my kids were ages 3 and 1, I would have them repeat certain phrases over themselves.  Particularly, my oldest who was just diagnosed with autism.  I would have him say, “Thank you God for healing me.”  We’d say it over and over at the most random times…in the car, at the park, in stores as he rode in shopping carts.  Whenever the thought hit me, I would have him say it.  I accepted him fully; I just did not want him to regress.  I prayed that he kept all of the abilities he had and thrived past any disabilities that could have hindered him. 

I went back to this name, The Truth Collection, and had the idea to design some lovely cards so others could have these beautiful affirmations and reminders around their home, or in their journals, too.  And it stayed just that, an idea…for YEARS. 

Fast forward through a lot of big life stuff, and a business of designing for other companies and individuals, and that desire to birth The Truth Collection was still always, always there.  I loved designing for my clients.  To give their events, programs or new companies “a look” was a huge reward.  And to see someone holding something I designed?  I can’t describe that excitement.  But as more life began to happen, I became more aware of how I needed to encourage myself and strengthen my self-worth.  I could say a whole lot about how feeling unworthy attracted so much pain, struggle and dysfunction, but I take them ALL as lessons and by learning what I DIDN’T want, I became very clear on what I DID want for my life. 

I learned to be intentional.  After experiencing significant losses, I became keenly aware of this window of time that is my life.  We ALL have these precious timeframes to live, and it’s worth asking, “HOW do we want to live them?”  We can make conscious choices to dwell on more positive than negative.  We can fill our spaces, our homes, our time and our identity with what serves us our higher selves – with what serves the good in others. 

I once met a man who stated in his beautiful flamboyance, “I only surround myself with beautiful things I want to see.  If I don’t like it, I don’t buy it, watch it or listen to it.”  I never forgot that.