I had the unusual sensation of not recognizing myself when I first looked at the images from a photo shoot for the upcoming update of my website. Who was that staring back at me so intensely? While my mind registered that it was me, something deeper within me felt disconnected as though to ask, “Whoa, is that really me?” (The photo above is from my recent shoot in the California redwoods with In Her Image Photography.)
I saw a woman whose eyes sparkled with confident radiance and joy, open hearted in expressions ranging from playful to intense to reverent. Sure, these are all emotions I regularly feel, but it seemed my brain had some catching up to do processing the outward projection of what I feel inside.
While I’d mastered the self-love act of looking in the mirror and smiling sincerely at myself, I didn’t know I’d been holding back by seeing only who I felt safe seeing instead of all of me, all of the woman emerging from the ongoing transformation of my life.
Up until that point, I’d unwittingly seen a limited version of myself, the version of me safely protected behind walls that long had protected my heart, or more accurately, isolated me from feeling. Like failing to notice a particular landmark along a route driven every day, I’d failed to see the radiant soul emerging from a lifetime of untrue stories released.
This wasn’t about physical beauty; it was about recognizing the beautiful unfoldment of my Soul from layers of “stuff” that no longer serve me, a genuine joie de vivre that can’t be faked.
I’d thought my self-image was healthy enough, but up until that point, apparently my subconscious still had limited ideas of me. How we see ourselves in our mind’s eye is the self-image we project into the world, and the images we project often aren’t an accurate reflection of our true beauty, radiance and expansiveness. Stories and circumstances mislead us to think and believe too small, too flawed or whatever might be the box in which we’ve put ourselves.
Our self-image is like the silent, invisible conductor of the symphony of our lives. It subconsciously influences and guides our every thought and action.
The thing is, as my mentor Mary Morrissey says, we can never out perform our self-image. This means our self-image must be in harmony with the full, vibrant lives we see ourselves living in order to manifest the lives of our dreams.
Seeing the authentic reflection of my essence, the very source of my personal power, in my pictures made it impossible for even my stubborn Ego to deny the radiant soul now visible from the layers I’ve peeled away, layers I’ll keep shedding as long as I live.
It was as though the pictures were inviting me to step up and claim all that is me. I’m still in awe at the power of physical proof of my transformation, proof I didn’t even know I needed to connect the dots between all that’s shifted within and how I see myself in the world.
I’d sought out the amazing ladies from In Her Image Photography for their creative talent after seeing something special in their work. I didn’t know the magic they create transcends the images themselves. We’d talked about their mission to help women stand in their power, but I didn’t truly know what that meant until I experienced it myself.
The Universe is calling for each of us to transform our self-image to reflect the truth of who we are: Beautiful, radiant souls limitless in potential. The world has never before needed people being and doing all they’re born into this life to be and do.
Take a good look, a really good look. Is your self-image an accurate reflection of all that you know yourself to be deep within?
Sharpen your focus to what the rest of us sees. Your beauty. Your potential. Your limitlessness. The world sees and beckons your greatness.
