Tami S asked: "However, why should we put our future into the hands of others? Will what we lose even compare with what we shall gain by finally being our authentic selves?"Um, well, yes... potentially it can compare. Last time i ventured out to be "my authentic self" full throttle, ...i could have lost my life. Many were afraid i would be murdered. As it was i only lost my husband, my savings, i lost nearly all my friends, my job, and i received health issues as a consequence of continued harassment and stalking. Others were also harassed and threatened as a result of my having been my authentic self.
I can appreciate that for most people, it is more along the lines with what you are describing. And really, i don't disagree with what you just said... in fact, i think you made some very fine points.
I agree it is a wonderful thing to be your authentic self, and yes it is worth losing false friends, and personally, i hope to be my authentic self again, because it is as you said... worth it. It's just... i want to point out that not everyone you will encounter in your coaching practice is going to be dealing with average challenges, and not every fear came into being without just cause. Lately, i've been meeting a lot of people who fall into that category... those who have had so many challenges and have suffered so much that well, it's just going to take more than 'simply overcoming discomforts' to enter into the future they want.
And the thing is, you never know when someone with extra challenges is going to cross your path. Sometimes they already have, and you just haven't realized it yet.
I teach knitting to adults, and after doing it for years i've learned that often women sign up for classes after they've experienced a severe loss, or when they are going though cancer or other life-threatening health issues. I don't know why, but they do. And I may not be in a profession like coaching or counselling, but still it matters that i am sensitive to what they are going through, and that i take the time to really listen, and learn a bit about them and why they came to take classes. And i don't encounter any one-size-fits-all approaches. Do you find that also in your coaching?