Guideposts - Image Therapists International

Guideposts

I want to share a little tidbit with you about a practice that I’ve created, a practice that I do on a daily basis.

It has to do with the daily actions I take to remind me of what’s important and what I’m committed to for myself and for others. I’m sharing this with you because it is a foundational part in the process of Image Therapy.

A lot of the thoughts and feelings that we have that lead to the things that happen in our lives are internal. We don’t always realize that these things are running like a program in the background. It’s not something that shows up in your notes as if you were sitting in a seminar and reviewing the presentation. You’ve often heard me say: “there is no binder, YOU are the binder.” So in order for this reminder to show up and be visible, I invite you to create guideposts.

Guideposts are visual keys to remind you of your commitment and what you stand for.

You’ve also heard me say, think of something that’s important to you, a physical tangible piece in your home that you see every day. For me, it’s the flowers you usually see in my videos. They are really important guideposts of blossoming. So every time I create a video message for you, I am reminded of my commitment to your blossoming.

I assign certain key pieces in my house with the appropriate statements. This way they are connected to remind me of things that I believe in. They beckon me to practice my commitments verbally, and spiritually and put them into positive action. I truly believe that I need to remind myself often. I especially need these guideposts when things are difficult or crazy and when there’s a lot of abundance on my plate. You’ve heard me use the word abundance rather than the word that many others choose to use. The “b” word, busy. I choose to look at it as abundance and be grateful for all the possibilities in my life, busy is just heavy and lacks gratitude.

I like, no, I love the word abundance. I choose the word blessings versus busy. Try it for yourself, right now, close your eyes, speak each of those words, and see how your body feels. As you do this practice for a longer period of time, the items you choose can become routine. My suggestion to you is that you switch it up at the beginning of every month. I take a new piece and I assign it a different ritual, a new statement. I say it to myself so that it becomes embodied. I enjoy starting my day with this practice, you will have to find your own time of day that works for you. I love looking at a new piece on my nightstand when I open my eyes in the morning, this is why I usually try it with a new pair of glasses.

Here are some of my suggestions.

You can try it with a flower vase on your nightstand, with a note on your mirror as you’re brushing your teeth, you can add a little tag on your shower that has your affirmation on it, you can use your teapot or coffee mug in the morning … there are hundreds of ways you can incorporate this practice. Have fun finding yours and let me know how it goes.

For me sometimes it’s a scissor. I bought beautiful rose gold scissors, and have placed them in specific spots around my home and office where I know I need to be reminded. Cutting away the things that don’t work, such as cutting words out of my vocabulary, cutting ties with old belief systems, and sometimes even cutting away connections with people in my life who have fallen by the wayside yet still I was trying to keep them in my life. All these “actions of letting go” lighten and brighten our present moment. We travel easier when we have less weight on our souls.

So you can choose your own piece to create more peace for yourself.

I have this beautiful necklace that was given to me by a friend, which resembles a hand. The five fingers of a hand remind me of the five things I want to do every day to keep me conscious and in the moment.

Because it has a hand, and this hand (in kabbalah we call it hamsa) relates to my spiritual tradition. Because it’s red I got dressed in red just for you with red lipstick, to celebrate (watch the video here to see what I mean). My invitation to you is to find something meaningful to YOU. Often a personal gift is a wonderful way to create this practice because the gift is associated with something positive, an abundant blessing.

So I want you to find your special piece and give it a meaning.

Give yourself the mantra to remind you of what this guidepost means to you. Then let it remind you. I suggest you do it for 30 days, because 30 days, is how long it takes for something to become embodied. Should you skip a day, start over. You want to do this for 30 days in a row in order for it to become a habit.

These guideposts can be an essential part of your life. I’m sharing this practice with you in the hopes that it can support you, and help you on your journey to blossoming.