LIFE AFTER OZ: The Wizard You Need

"I know I'm not the Wizard you expected -- but I just might be the Wizard you need."

  -- The Wizard of Oz, 1939  (movie trailer)

Isn't synchronicity amazing?

There you are (as Auntie Em might say) 'worrying yourself into anemia'   over something you consider unfair or unsolvable and suddenly the solution is so simple, so clear you can't imagine how you missed it.  Suddenly you're tripping all over alternatives.

I believe life works best when the mind, the heart and the courage to act on our fears are in synchronicity.  As a package, they help keep us grounded in ourselves.  Favor one over the others and life tilts in unexpected ways.

One way we experience that tilt is when we give our power away.  That might be a simple process or a multi-layered one but it usually happens when we allow someone else to make important decisions for us.

Take Dorothy's case.  Everyone had advice for Dorothy about her fight with the cantankerous Miss Gulch:

Zeke told her to fight:  "Have a little courage, that's all.   ...Next time she squeaks walk right up and spit in her eye. That's what I'd do!"

Hunk opted for reason:  "Now look here, Dorothy.  You aren't using your head about Miss Gulch.  You'd think you didn't have any brains at all... When you come home don't go by Miss Gulch's place.  Then Toto won't get in her garden, and you won't get in trouble."

Dorothy knew that while Hunk's advice sounded reasonable on the surface it would only provoke Miss Gulch further.   Zeke's approach felt like giving in.  Miss Gulch was on a mission to control her and would find other ways.  Ultimately, Dorothy traveled from Kansas to the Land of Oz in search of answers. 

In their victory over the evil Witch of the West, Dorothy and her friends reclaim power over their own lives. The subsequent awards of courage, heart and brain they received from the Wizard of Oz restore the Cowardly Lion, the Tin Woodsman and the Scarecrow to balance.   

Dorothy learned the most important lesson of all:  She discovered she didn't need to seek help from The Wizard of Oz to solve her problems. The powerful Wizard she needed was herself.

As a therapist and a life coach, I often have the privilege of helping people discover their own power that rests within. If you would like to learn how I can help you tap into your inner power to become all that you are destined to be, please feel free to contact me.  I currently have a limited number of spots available in private therapy and coaching practice in Uptown New Orleans. You may call me to make an appointment at 504-481-8997.

LIFE AFTER OZ: I was petrified (but I did it anyway.)

"Frightened?  Child, you're talking to a man who's laughed in the face of death, sneered at doom and chuckled at catastrophe ... I was petrified. " 

  -- The Wizard of Oz

None of us escape life's first- and last-time moments.  In large ways and small we encounter them repeatedly.  Births and deaths. Our very first day in the very first grade at school,  our very last day in the familiar halls of college.  Everyone takes those first steps into the adult world of work and relationships.  Some of us have to move beyond loss or injustice to find ourselves again.  Whatever challenges us, we can learn to appreciate the opportunities, that a new start  provides, even if beginning something new is scary.

The Premiere Balloonist for the Miracle Wonderland Carnival Company was petrified when his hot air balloon drifted beyond the reach of earth.  When he landed in Oz, the residents of the Emerald City gave the circus performer a royal title.  He became 'Oz, Wizard Deluxe!"  And as Oz explained to Dorothy, "Times being what they were, I accepted the job." 

Oz embraced his new role despite his fears and he adapted with remarkable inventiveness.  He even acquired some wisdom along the way.  In his final hours as Wizard of Oz he advised the Cowardly Lion:  "Being scared doesn't make you a coward, but not facing your fears does."

Pushing fear aside so that we can adapt and grow through our wins and our losses is a hallmark of successful living.

As therapist and life coach, I work with people daily who struggle but overcome the challenges that life throws at them.  If I can help you in such a struggle, I invite you to call for an appointment.  I currently have a limited number of openings in my private practice and you can reach me at 504-481-8997.