Saturday, November 14, 2015

Being Convinced

"I have nothing," an addict once told me. "I lost my job. My family. I wrecked my car. I only have the clothes on my back."

He looked at me in surprise when I reached across the desk and shook his hand.

"Congratulations," I told him. "Now maybe you'll be able to get sober."

And the last time I saw him he had a year clean.

It may seem cynical to congratulate someone on losing it all. Yet there's nothing more convincing than when our addiction trashes our life.

And I speak from experience. I went from vice-president of a nationwide company to living on the streets. And it took less than a year. At the end - with the one or two brain cells I had left - I realized I must change. Or die.

So when clients show up with nothing it's great.  I know they might have the humility to realize they're powerless.