In one of my creative flow sessions I was thinking about my clients and their struggles and this clear image came to mind about how to visualize the journey of life. This visual works for all of us as a directional model. Here is the visual my wife created that takes my hand drawing into a whole new level of clarity:

This journey is heading in the right direction when it is positive, in the present, and exploring out potential and from that comes growth as a human being. This growth is essential to feel ok about who we are. Positive is important because this puts us in the right frame of mind. Present is key because if we are not present then we are off track and in the past or future. Our potential is limitless and this is about living that potential as fully as we can in each area of our life.

Being positive, present and living our potential most often feels joyous, loving, hopeful and in touch with our freedom. Being present is full of positive emotions because we are present to what is possible in the moment. Exploring our potential makes us feel alive and energized. Personal growth and self-realization makes us feel positive about our life

How we get off course is by allowing the mind to wandering into the past or future. Both of these off course maneuvers cause us to head in the wrong direction. If we head to the past we tend to enter into self-judgment, often feel powerless because the past is the past and anger is a familiar companion. The past often haunts us because we falsely live in such dissatisfaction with who we have been.

If we head into the future then we leave the now and this often causes worry and anxiety. The normal reaction to these emotions is to seek control. We cannot control the future; yes we can make some plans and take some actions but they only happen in the now. There is so much life energy used when we live in the future because we spend lots of time rehearsing, obsessing and worrying and because of that there is little time and energy left to make life happen.

If you are an addict or tend to be hard on yourself, attempting to live in the past or the future will move you back to wanting to be numbed out or going into avoidance. This is the cause of most relapses on the road to recovery.

Take this model and put it some place where it can serve as a reminder. We all need regular reminders to help bring the best out in our lives.