How a Self-Portrait Changed My Life

UPDATED: August 21, 2024
PUBLISHED: January 28, 2023
woman taking self-portrait

There was a time when I was feeling drained, depleted, small, powerless, isolated and unhappy with myself. But then I took a self-portrait. And the person I came face to face with was a strong, powerful, capable, brave, beautiful, successful woman. I couldn’t believe she was me.

That self-portrait photograph opened my eyes to a whole new world. It awakened something in my soul and led me on a journey of self-realization.

How a Self-Portrait Changed My Life
COURTESY OF PAZIT PEREZ PHOTOGRAPHS

How the self-portrait photo changed my life

I was ready and committed to become the woman staring at me from the photo.

Every day, I looked at her. That self-portrait inspired me to take action to create a brand-new kind of me and align myself with her. It helped raise my level of consciousness and connected me to my vision of my ideal self, which in turn inspired me to take action to become that person and live my authentic life.

I started by taking full responsibility for my self-sabotaging thoughts and changed them by using positive affirmations from Louise Hay and Tony Robbins, and by reading books such as The Success Principles: How to Get from Where You Are to Where You Want to Be.

I forgave myself for making the self-sabotaging choices that led me to feel so down and under and decided that now that I know better, I can do better.

Lastly I made a commitment to unconditionally honor, love and respect my relationship with myself. 

Through that process, I now am her. I found my empowerment, my joy for life, my freedom, my self-respect, my self-love, my worthiness, my value, my fearlessness. I refueled my passion.

That one self-portrait opened my eyes to a whole new world and inspired my creative vision, allowing me to found Phototherapy®.

Creating the big-picture vision was the first step and the creative power behind my transformation. Using my gift as a portrait photographer in combination with the law of attraction, I capture conscious photographs of my clients—not of who they are right now, but of who they aspire to become. You must first love and accept yourself, and then you must expand it outward into the world.

Connect to your ideal self through a self-portrait

Who would have thought that a single photograph could create such a butterfly effect? Now I get to share my experience with you, and inspire you to create the big-picture vision for your life through photographs that connect you to your ideal self.

1. Snap a #soulfie and keep in mind the person you want to become.

Think of the person you aspire to be, the kind of life you would like to live. Do you want to be confident, healthy, successful, loved, happy? Think of what a person in that position would look like, feel like, dress like. Create it and take a self-portrait of yourself according to your vision.

It’s the feeling, not the quality of the image, that propels you to think about what action you can take right now to become that version of yourself in real life. Use your own camera, iPhone or tablet, or get someone to take the picture for you.

2. Display your best self.

Print out your self-portrait. Display it in a place that will allow you to see it every day, even if it’s the bathroom mirror. The more it’s in your field of vision, the more likely you will keep thinking about it and take action to become it.

3. Act on your future.

For example, if you captured yourself as a more confident person, practice a new posture, strike up a conversation with a complete stranger or head to a networking event by yourself. If you captured yourself as a healthier person, commit to walking in the park twice a week, use the stairs instead of the elevator or keep your gym clothes in the car as a not-so-gentle reminder.

Day by day, all the cumulative actions, thoughts and behaviors will lead you toward becoming the person in your self-portrait.

Growing up, I loved seeing stories of people who went from nothing to building the life of their dreams. Now that I did it for myself, I get to share my experience to inspire others to create the big-picture vision for their life through photographs that connect them to their ideal. Through that transformation, they create an authentic and empowered life.

This article was published in June 2016 and has been updated. Photo by Kosim Shukurov/Shutterstock

Pazit Perez helps people create the highest, grandest, most extraordinary vision for their life. She believes you become what you believe. She’s Canada’s first law-of-attraction photographer, owner and founder of Phototherapy® and the #loveYOURSOULfie movement. She’s been featured on Breakfast TV, Passion CJAD800, Wise Woman Canada, Ask Diana and MTLBlog’s “The Most Boss Babes in Montreal.”

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