One big problem that people may create for themselves while trying to change or grow in life is that they go on the search for magic pills.
What is a magic pill?
Well, basically looking at something – a book or a just a tip – as a complete and quick solution for your problem. Thinking that that thing will “fix you”, just like a pill from the doctor could.
Now, magic pills can be quite harmful to you. Here’s a few reasons why you should avoid chasing after them:
1. They don’t exist.
So far as I have found, there are no magic pills. Magic pills are just an unrealistic way to look at things if you have a problem in your life. It’s a way of looking for a quick and easy way out.
Now, a book/tape/DVD/person at the right time can have a big effect. You may have heard that when the student is ready, the teacher will come. So some product/person can be bit like a magic pill to an individual at the right point in his/her life. But that individual will still have to put in work.
2. You’ll waste a lot of time and energy.
Desperately looking for the “next big thing” and when disappointed with that one going looking for the next one could take up a lot of energy. And a lot of time. Perhaps even years.
How much could you not get done in all that time if you took action on what you knew instead of spending your time chasing the next magic pill?
3. You may waste quite a bit of money.
A desire to find the magic pill could turn you into a personal development junkie with an empty wallet. Looking for salvation at the next big seminar or the one after that could be taxing on your personal finances.
Now, I’m not saying that you shouldn’t spend money if you think a book or seminar could be helpful. But don’t go overboard or think that you will find the magic pill.
4. It may lead you to giving up altogether.
Looking for the magic pills may lead to you to feel a lot of frustration and disappointment. You may give up changing or growing all together. And dismiss all personal development people as snake oil salesmen trying to steal your money.
There is a lot of value in a lot of products and in what a lot of people say. But if you expect them to be able to just fix your problem then of course you’ll always be disappointed. Totally unrealistic expectations will bring you down and can transform a great, helpful product into a disappointment in your eyes.
5. You won’t grow (at least not as much as you wanted).
As you go on your magic pill journey you may learn quite a bit and develop yourself a bit too. But this stuff becomes a lot more potent when used properly and without the magic pill mindset applied to it.
Why do we chase the magic pills?
A few answers that I’ve come up with from my own experience are:
- Persistent advertising. The idea of a magic pill is to a large extent sold to us over and over again through advertising. These fantasies are of course useful to sell stuff. To sell an appealing dream of instant gratification to people. Since advertising is persistent these ideas can become pretty ingrained in the minds of consumers.
- No need to really change. People like magic pills because then they don’t have to change very much at all. The pill can just “fix them” and so they can go on just as they have for the last few years or decades. But if someone wants to, for example, lose 30 pounds then what that person may need to lose the weight - and keep it off – is a whole lifestyle change. To replace the old lifestyle with a new one. One with regular exercise and a new and healthier diet.
- Laziness and pain avoidance. A similar answer to the one above. Frankly, it’s easier to be lazy, lie back on the sofa and read another book and look for an instant gratification solution than it is to get up and take action/a risk. It is a way to creatively procrastinate by looking for the perfect solution. A way to avoid taking action to get avoid possible pain, temporary failure, change and the unknown.
How can you overcome this problem?
Well, I did it like I guess many others have done. I read a bunch of stuff that made me aware that magic pills might be an illusion and not worth chasing after anymore. And, more importantly, I failed to find a magic pill quite a few times. 
Over a bit of time I realized that I should probably give up that search and start viewing personal growth and the material I explored in a more realistic way. And so I got more out of the material because now I saw it as a help along my way.
How have I learned to use the material in a more helpful way?
By really sticking with for instance just one book for a longer time and by taking the actions and tips recommended there seriously.
By actually doing what the book recommends and adjusting my course as I find appropriate.
And by - over a long time span, like many months - taking action, failing, learning and taking a whole of more action. Because the big thing here is not some magic pill. It’s your continual effort. That you keep going and doing and learning. Without that nothing will work.
When you snap out of the magic pill mentality things tend to get a bit rougher and patience is required. But you also tend get some real results instead of just temporary boosts of motivation or sporadic results. You aren’t lost in some fantasy world anymore. You’re in a position that has a few downsides – like a bit of pain, plateaus and less instant gratification - but definitely more upsides.
And a funny thing is that when you finally take action you might discover that things are often easier to get done than you may think. Maybe you are overcomplicating things by reading 25 books about your problem and thereby - in your mind - making your challenge into a bigger and more complicated deal than it may actually be?
Reading this and other articles on magic pills may or may not convince you to stop chasing them. Maybe you just have to find out for yourself by seeing what you find out there.
Image by Okko Pyykkö (license).
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I think people also suspend disbelief when it comes to the latest touted magic pill because medical science really has been able to do some amazing things with pills. Even so, I totally agree that no pill can make you smarter, thinner, fitter, stronger, faster, calmer, prettier, or happier. (You need surgery for that! Just kidding!) The anti-depressants, for example, only make you somewhat feel less depressed. They don’t make you feel happy. As far as I know the only “pills” that can make you feel truly good (as in the pleasure chemicals released in our brains) are painkillers and falling in love — both have their proper time and place and should not be taken lightly!
But, I will say this: fasting does work to cure a lot of otherwise incurable medical issues, including obesity. Then again, fasting is hardly a “magic pill.” For example, to treat chronic joint or muscle pain, a prolonged fast of at least 2 weeks is recommend. Of course, under medical supervision if you have never fasted or if you have any health issues.
Thanks for another wonderful post, Henrik!
Henrik, what you have written is so much true. I have a small collection of books which I re-read after a period of time. And every time I read them, I find something new to implement in my life. Books are the magic pills of my life. And yes, there is no single pill that works all the time.
Hey! I just stumbled upon this blog and I just had to tell you what a wonderful place this is, among all the other junk sites in the Internet… please continue the good work! I was just reading some random posts from your blog, and my emotions really switched from down to positive and upbeat. i’m going to savour every post of this blog. i love you henrik!
The problem of course is that lazy people want easy answers. Pretty much everybody - 99.99 per cent - of successful people (truly successful) spent a big part of their lives working their asses off to get there. But that truism is ignored/overlooked by those in search of the shortest of paths.
One of the worst culprits in all this, of course, is the Make Money Online genre, notably affiliate schemes and e-books that cost a small fortune for content that is free everywhere else.
But as long as people are willing to part with their money for the chance, however remote, of success, there’s absolutely no reason why others shouldn’t try to profit from it. Fools and their money, and all that jazz.
You hit the nail on the head and could probably write in depth on each point you outlined. Here’s the truth - people have to WANT to change to get change. When we wake up and decide we want something different for our lives, we have to ask WHY? If it’s just to impress someone else, it’s the wrong reason and we’ll find ourselves jumping from one easy answer to the next. True growth comes from a true desire to make a lasting change in our lives. That doesn’t happen overnight and seldom is easy.
Love your post!
Hi Henrik,
Nice Article.Very honest viewpoints.
Going after magic pills one after another without taking any action would be a waste of time and energy which leads one to frustration.
As long as people out there who doesn’t want to change and work thier way,there will be magic pills.
Thanks for sharing.
Best Wishes,
Kannan Viswagandhi
http://www.growing-self.blogspot.com
These are some wise points. There is no such thing as a magic change pill. Changes are made by implementing long-term, healthy habits.
I think there is a magic pill. The magic pill is to not chase after the magic pill. Sometimes is takes a few failures chasing after the magic pill to learn that lesson.
This is a great post.
I truly believe that inside we all know what needs to be done in order to achieve a goal. The problem is that there are so many promises of how to do something quicker and faster, ad with less effort, that we tend to believe them and seek them out. We all know the real way to watch one’s weight (barring health issues) is to eat better, smaller portions, and exercise. To make money we need to educate ourselves, and put effort and time into a venture. Yes - there are always exceptions and those who claim to be exceptions, but we should remember that they are exceptions.
Henrik,
Your post reminds me of what a spiritual counselor told me once: you know enough, you just need to do more.
There was a time when I was running to gobs of self-help seminars, books, tapes, etc. I felt I was looking not for a magic pill, but the one right answer. When I eventually settled on just a few things that worked for me, I made more progress and was more content.
Shanel was right that medical science has been able to find drugs and cures that may seem like “magic pills.” Advertisers are guilty of promoting the idea of magic with their products and services promising easy solutions.
Looking for the magical or easy way has delayed many from enjoying success. Change and success require action.
I also enjoyed your post and agree with other commenters.
Improving life is like earning money - mostly to earn a lot of money you have to work very hard for a very long time. Some very few have good luck / the appropriate genes got from the parents
.