Are these extravagant promises? We think not. They are being fulfilled among us – sometimes quickly, sometimes slowly. They will always materialize if we work for them. – AA Promises
I play this game of sorts with students I advise these days. I ask them to list the 10 ideal jobs they would like to have today. We then discuss how to morph the attributes of those 10 jobs into a single position. The discussion focus now shifts from a job to a career. Next we consider both the formal and informal education needed to develop the skill set and experience to start on that career path. I note that the process may take a lifetime with many shifts and complete changes along the road. That is a career is a process, not an event.
Naysayers to this approach might argue that I am setting students up for failure – that there are economic and market limitations that prevent such unlimited possibilities. I consider those nattering nabobs of negativism to be dream stealers or dream killers. This cynical view, if replaced by a plan of action, will demonstrate that we certainly can move toward that ideal career.
I find that recovery is much the same. The AA Promises might seem completely unattainable to the person fresh into abstinence from their addiction. But there are a myriad of recovery programs, including of the 12-step variety that work well for me, that offer a plan to reach those goals. I am convinced that if I do the work, based on my experience, strength, and hope, living into an ideal recovery is not only possible but the very likely result. That too is truly a process and not an event.