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There is No Magic Bullet

November 27th, 2009

My background is in drug and alcohol recovery, so the model I use is: Get up, take stock, be grateful, be honest, take responsibility, let go, forgive, and as soon as you can, find the joke.

When you’re in Recovery, there is no box to check. You are never Recovered; you are always In Recovery. It’s a process. You have to do it every day, and it never ends.

It’s kind of like brushing your teeth. If you want to have your teeth in old age, you have to brush your teeth two or three times a day All your life. There is no Magic Bullet to save your teeth. You have to do the work. You have to do it every day. And if you’re really smart, you will floss. It’s not inherently sexy to floss, but that’s how you keep your gums healthy and, even more wonderful, that’s how you help keep your heart healthy.

But That Sounds Too Hard!

Some people, many people, want a Magic Bullet. They want to find that One Program, that One Workshop, that One Guru, that One Ecstatic Experience that puts everything in its place and make sense of life forever.

But there is no One Final Answer. This is good news. I tell one of my clients — and this is why the word Outrageous fits me so well — that if she wants a Quick, Final Fix for her life, so that she does not have to get up every day, roll up her sleeves, and do the work that is in front of her to do, that she should start taking methamphetamines. Methamphetamines work really, really well the first time. All of your problems are taken away. Unfortunately, that’s the last time you’ll have that feeling, according to the meth addicts I have worked with. The rest of your life is, quite simply put, hell.

Our Addictive Society

Our society is an addict. We love addicts and we love creating more addictions. People addicted to fear are much more easily manipulated. People addicted to the belief of a Magic Bullet, are much more easily lead to another workshop, another program, another Transformational Once and For All Program that answers all questions forever.

This is why cults are so attractive. This is why gangs are so attractive. This is why fundamentalist religious dogmas that answer all questions for all people for all time are so attractive. There is something in us that wants to abdicate responsibility for our lives.

The Good News: There is No Magic Bullet

When we grow up, when we get that every day we have to wake up and figure out what to do, just as everybody else in the world has to do — the Julia Roberts’s, the Barack Obama’s, the Jane Goodall’s, the John Bon Jovi’s. We all have to wake up and figure it out every single day.

Knowing this truth is why I call myself a Life Coach and a Coach for Life. As Joseph Campbell once said, “Life is not a problem to be solved; it is a mystery to be lived.” And the Mystery is so Mysterious! It will not be tamed. When we accept this fact, we can enjoy every challenge that comes our way. We know where the rubber chicken meets the road, and we can find humor fairly quickly in just about any of life’s challenges.

The skill I’m working on right now is asking. So here goes: Do you need a coach? Are you resonating with what I’m writing? Is there a part of you saying, “Yes!” If so, contact me and we’ll set up a time to talk. You can e-mail me at Vicki@outrageousvisions.com.

It’s Time to Step Up

I believe it is selfish of us to hide our gifts under a bushel. I am very good at helping people discover the obstacles, the beliefs or habits, that need shifting, and finding a funny often musical way to do it. It’s a sin for you to hide your gifts under a bushel as well. The world needs the best from us now more than ever, don’t you think?

Blessings,

Vicki

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