I'm working with college freshmen (freshwomen?), homemakers returning the the workplace, people near retirement age but continuing to grow, managers, business owners, married couples, and on. The common denominator is that they all want to make a path that fits them and not the expectations placed on them by themselves and/or others. Being honest with yourself and trying to live out of an authentic you is a daily challenge, at least it is for me.
I want so badly to help people find and live out of the real them that I sometimes feel pressure to help make it happen. That can be a bad thing. A person has to want change him or her self or it's just another laminated persona they've taken on. On the other hand, if I get too invested in seeing change in someone, then I'm no longer an objective coach and run the risk of taking on a persona myself.
It's taken me years to get comfortable with who I am (and whose I am) and takes a daily reminder to get re-centered in that. I tried the route of being and performing the roles I thought were really me, and all I got was tired and confused. I don't want to live a persona anymore and I sure don't want to lead someone into the pursuit of something that's not real.
