Welcome to Magical Thinkers Anonymous

by Andy Wood

“Hi, I’m Mike… and I’m a magical thinker.”

The chairs are always in a circle. The coffee is always bad. And there’s always that one guy who brings donuts because, “Well, if we’re going to admit our delusions, we might as well do it with a jelly-filled in hand.” 

But this isn’t just any support group.

This is Magical Thinkers Anonymous.

That’s where I met Mike*. (You know the drill… not his real name.)

Mike is the kind of guy who believed—deeply—that if he bought the perfect planner, the universe would rearrange itself to his to-do list. 

Mike once paid $297 for a time-blocking system that required a PhD in astrophysics to understand. He watched the entire 17-module course in a weekend and thought to himself, “That was amazing. I feel so productive.”

He hadn’t done anything. But he felt productive. That’s magical thinking.

Mike also believed that if he just read one more book on leadership, his staff would spontaneously become more motivated. He didn’t talk to them. Didn’t lead them. Just… highlighted more.

Mike kept saying, “I’m just one funnel away.” From what, he wasn’t exactly sure.

He started every Monday morning with a bold declaration: This is the week everything changes!

By Tuesday at 2:17 PM, he was halfway through a bag of sour cream and onion chips and watching an 8-part documentary on ancient sewers. For “research,” of course.

Mike believed that if he bought enough whiteboards, his brain would organize itself.

He believed that clarity would come if he just sat still long enough with a Moleskine notebook and a cup of overpriced pour-over coffee.

Mike once tried manifesting a million dollars by standing in the mirror and affirming, “I am wealthy. I am wise. I am wanted.”

Then he bounced a check for $13.76.

But Mike’s biggest delusion? He believed he could think his way into a new life… without doing anything differently.

The Bottom

For Mike, rock bottom wasn’t a tragic meltdown or fiery crash. It was Tuesday.

A regular, sad little Tuesday.

He opened his laptop. 37 tabs. 14 projects. 3 half-written books. 1 online cart still waiting for checkout. 

He realized he had turned planning into performance art.

That was the day he whispered to himself: “Maybe… I’m the problem.”

That was also the day he walked into his first meeting.

 “Hi, I’m Mike. And I’m a magical thinker.”

He sat next to a woman who thought buying highlighters would fix her marriage.

Across from a guy who believed starting a podcast would heal his inner child.

One man just kept whispering, “I’m a visionary,” while trying to remember what his vision was.

It was beautiful. It was broken.

It was honest.

And that’s when it started to shift.

The Awakening.

 Turns out, Mike didn’t need another life hack.

He needed a truth smack.

Someone in the group said: “Magical thinking is when you put faith in ideas with no commitment to action.” Another added: “It’s the art of dreaming without sweating.”

Mike had never heard truer words. He also hadn’t shaved in three days, but that’s beside the point.

Slowly, he began to trade in fantasy for faithfulness. 

He still dreams, but now he puts dates on things. 

He still plans, but now he takes action before he makes a vision board.

He started saying things like: “Maybe the magic happens when you move your feet.”

Strength. Hope. Laughter.

Today, Mike’s still a recovering magical thinker.

He still has to resist the siren call of 3 a.m. funnel-building videos and productivity YouTubers whispering secrets like it’s the Da Vinci Code.

But he’s found strength in community, structure, grace… and the hilarious realization that you can’t vision-board your way out of laziness.

And he’s not alone.

There’s a little bit of Mike in all of us who believe the next book, app, or course will be the thing that finally changes us… instead of simply deciding to do the work.

So if you’ve ever tried to organize your way out of chaos with colored pens…

If you’ve ever spent more time formatting a Trello board than actually using it…

If you’ve ever believed that buying a $40 journal would make you a CEO…

You’re welcome here.

There’s coffee. There are donuts (if you bring them).

And there’s hope.

Welcome to Magical Thinkers Anonymous.

 (*Disclaimer: There isn’t really a Magical Thinkers Anonymous that I know of. But maybe there should be. I have it on my vision board, anyway.*)

Andy Wood is a gratefully recovering magical thinker, executive leadership coach, trainer, and speaker. He is the founder of the LifeVesting Group, Inc. You can reach him at andy@lifevesting.com or here on LinkedIn. Go ahead... make the call... don't just think about it.