Why 'experts' aren't getting you what you want

Katie Alexander, MA LPC

 
We are living in an era where we want the quick fix. We want what we want exactly when we want it, and if the progress/results/health/love/etc. doesn’t come in our allotted amount of time then we simply give up. We say, “well I tried” and move onto the next thing. This has continued and now we are at the point where there is an expectation that the ‘experts’ know just the right trick to ‘fix’ every single problem we perceive ourselves to have. 
 
Well I have just one question…
 
When did we stop believing in ourselves? 
 
How is it that we have allowed others to have so much power over us that we have simply succumbed to the ebbs and flows of life? Now don’t get me wrong, acceptance of this process is important because there are so many things in this life that we truly just don’t have control over. But ourselves? This is the one thing that we do have control over! We have the power to determine whether or not we will seek growth or stay where we are. We have the power to choose whether to actively engage in practices that can keep our bodies and our brains healthy or to sit on the couch all day watching mindless television. We have the power to go to the gym and actually listen to the trainers rather than sit on the bench-press while we scroll through social media. We have been given such a gift within this power of choice and yet here we still sit, waiting for the magic wand to wave over our unwanted circumstances. 
 
The tough-love, truth-of-the-matter is that it’s up to us to make changes toward the life that we want. No one other than us can do so, not even the ‘experts’. Take counseling for instance - I can’t tell you how many times clients ask me for my opinion or for advice. Due to my professional role and the schooling I have gone through, yes there are probably topics that I know more about – but does that mean I will know the best decision to make in yourlife? Absolutely not. You are the expert of your own life. There is no one in the world that knows what you are going through better than you.  I firmly believe that you have exactly what you need to tackle the barriers in your way. My job, and the job of other ‘experts’, is to help you uncover your strengths and support you as you leap over each of those barriers. I would even go so far as to bet that you already know this to be true. 
 
I believe in you. My hope is that you will begin to believe in yourself.