BUILDING YOUR “YELLOW STICK ROAD”

As a little girl, perhaps like you, I resonated deeply with the Wizard of Oz story. I fancied being Dorothy with her shiny red shoes and little dog, Toto, going on a difficult journey of self discovery, learning who and what to trust, and ultimately finding her way back home. 

All my life this resonated so much with me, that when I turned 40, during a major change in physical location from Labrador to Alberta, one of my top goals was to purchase my first pair of pretty red shoes to symbolize my newest adventure! I felt so powerful when I wore them and I still have them today!

Physical representations, like those shiny red shoes, have always had that kind of manifesting power for me. They mark an outward reminder of the growth I’m aiming to achieve. 

Fast forward to this year, 2025, now 13 years older, and I’ve discovered yet another physical reminder from the Wizard of Oz, brought to me from a surprising source - the famous hit sitcom series, The Gilmore Girls, from the early 2000’s. 

I’d never watched the series when it was first popular. But, this year, I felt the tug to binge all seven seasons. I got totally hooked on the incredible dialogue of the show and resonated deeply with the themes.

During one of the episodes, the main mother character, Loralai, was on the floor of her living room, laying out yellow post-it notes in a winding line, as a guide for her and her daughter, Rory, to walk so they wouldn’t trigger their annoying new alarm system that was improperly installed. Rory called the line of notes a “Yellow Stick Road”, reminiscent of the “Yellow Brick Road” from the Wizard of Oz, and well, that stuck with me so much that I just had to create my own!

MY “Yellow Stick Road” IN MY HOME GYM

🟨I took a pad of yellow post-it notes and wrote my top health goals I have recently been focusing on to make solid healthy habits and created a week’s worth of a “Yellow Stick Road” on my home gym wall. This is obviously VERY simple to do! You can do it just like this or get even craftier and make it fancy!

It is so cool - it starts with Saturday, with each sticky note a goal for that day, and ends on a Friday, with a week of notes, and it winds like a winding road all over the wall. 

Each day I visit this road on my wall and if I’ve achieved said goal, I take down the “brick” and save it in a pile for the following week. Then by the end of the week, I can see which goals I’m truthfully taking action on and those I missed. 

This “Yellow Stick Road” has become a physical, visible litmus paper; an accountability partner, for doing what I say I want to be doing. And, I admit, it’s really helped keep me motivated to see a clean wall by the end of each week because it means I’m honoring my commitment to myself. 

As I master these goals I can write down new ones and set a new path as my “Yellow Stick Road” for each week. So the road gets to meander differently each week, keeping my creative brain in the game of growth.

SYMBOLISM 

The “Yellow Brick Road” of the Wizard of Oz symbolizes not wealth as the golden colour might at first glance suggest. Instead, it symbolizes one’s life journey, full of self-discovery, friendships, and the importance of facing one’s fears in order to find the way home - to one’s authentic self. In this light, my Gilmore Girls inspired “Yellow Stick Road” offers something remarkably similar! 

Bringing this level of creativity and play to my Healing by Design journey keeps me in the game, my friend. It helps me not lose track of my genuine desire for healthy growth within the chaos of life.

MY INVITATION TO YOU

If this inspires you to play with post-it notes and create your own “Yellow Stick Road” in your home or workplace, I’m so happy and would LOVE to see photos of it. You can share here in the comments or on my Facebook page to inspire others!

Healing will ALWAYS require a deep commitment to your personal growth, which is always ongoing. 

We must learn to let go of many thoughts, actions, habits that no longer serve us as we go through different stages of life, and adopt new strategies to support our ever-shifting biology. 

Being our own best advocate through using tools like a “Yellow Stick Road” is a fun way to stay on the path we want to make into new healthy habits and stick to them (pun intended). 

I hope you have as much fun as I have using this idea to pave the way to the life you dream of!

Hugs,

Dr. Krista

DrAc, IFMCP

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