Day 241: Coaching vs. Therapy vs. Meditation vs. Whatever Else

I practiced 'crowd work' recently in my stand up comedy class.
And I did it talking about life coaching.

Surprisingly (to me), it went way better than I anticipated.
When I asked my classmate audience if they knew what life coaching was, an answer I received was:
"Isn't it like therapy, but you don't need a degree for it?"

Just the answer I was hoping for! (in so many words)
To which I got to use my canned response:

Therapy and Life Coaching are often confused.
While therapy helps you heal from a scary past, Life Coaching helps you create a scary future.

 

Because you'll dream So BIG!

But really, therapy and coaching work very similarly.
Heck, even meditation and yoga could get pulled into the circle (depending on how you approach it).

All of these are helping modalities to assist people in gaining awareness, understanding, and a sense of control (no matter how loose) over their lives.

There is no one method that works 'better' than the others.
There is no one method that is better than the others.
It comes down to the individual seeking support outside of themselves and what they are looking for.

We all have needs - we're human.
Just as we all have hopes and desires.
And likewise, we all encounter things that get in the way of filling these needs and realizing these hopes and desires (some might even call these dreams or goals).

The way to move forward will always start with assessing where you are NOW.

With these helping modalities it is important to note that they are not exclusive. Unlike mainstream relationship norms in the western world, coaching, therapy, meditation, etc. are more like polygamists.
You don't have to commit to one and only one.
You can commit to them all if that's what works for you!

Meaning - sometimes, the best choice is all of the choices.
Often people find that starting in one of these areas opens the doors to others, whether later in time or simultaneously.

Invest in yourself by finding out what's right for you. 

That act alone will help bring you closer to understanding who you really are.
(Because we're basically onions, there will always be another layer to get to...)