My Daily Affirmation Cards: A 50-Card Deck plus Dear Friends card

I'm a great fan of Cheryl Richardson's self-help books and other products. I've used her excellent Self-Care Cards (2004) for a long time and her Grace Cards are also lovely although a bit more religious in tone and thus less appealing to me. Her books are also good to work with, full of practical but non-directive ideas about improving your life and moving forwards in clearly defined steps which can be adapted to individual circumstances; great stuff.I treated myself to the Daily Affirmation Cards this year just to add a bit of variety to my routine of 'pick a card and try to work with it today', but I'm seriously disappointed. The actual affirmations are okay if a bit sugary-sweet ; 'I honor my health by resting, eating well, and moving every day', 'I surround myself with authentic and loving people who share my journey of personal growth and awakening','I step into my day with quiet expectation that something wondrous will occur'. The 50 cards are organised in categories - Prosperity, Physical Health, Emotional Health, Spiritual Health,Environment, Work, Relationships, Universal - and one side of each card is plain black with its category label in white script. On the other side is the affirmation on a photographic image, and this is where the product falls down badly in my view. Some of the illustrations are reasonable, although rarely breathtaking - trees, beaches, clouds. Of the 50 cards, 7 have photos of cats and 5 have photos of dogs - all very lovely if you a 'cat person' or 'dog person', but completely irrelevant in every case to the affirmation. A very average snapshot of two retrievers running along a beach sports the phrase 'my hormones are beautifully balanced', and a black cat sitting beside a pumpkin tells us 'today I share my abundance with someone who needs a gift of kindness'. Many other illustrations seem inappropriate or simply crass; why is 'I love living in organized beauty' illustrated by a bad close-up of a row of chairs on a balcony (or is it the deck of a ship?)? And possibly my least favourite - a teddy bear sitting on the ground, affirming 'I am transparent. What you see is what you get, and I love that about myself.'This product is light years away from the thoughtful, articulate, and inspiring messages and pictures of the Self-Care Cards, and I find it difficult to believe Cheryl Richardson had anything to do with its creation. I'm driven to the cynical view that she, or her publishers, thought it might be a great idea to shove something else onto the market on the strength of her reputation, without putting any real thought or artistic talent into the process. Bad decision, guys.

Beautiful cards with uplifting massages. Can be used as part of daily routine or as a part of professional journey

Lovely quality affirmation cards. Bought to add to my collection of cards

Really like these cards, I use them everyday it always amaze's me how accurate they are for how you are feeling and help to put a real positive spin on your day thanks.

I Loved these cards as soon as i held them....very positive and reflecting...wonderful affirmations which make you smile...i would highly recommend these to brighten anyones day....beautifully designed and they genuinely do have the "feel good " factor!