What Is a Self-Discovery Coach and Should You Consider Working With One?
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A journey of self-discovery is a journey you embark on to get to know your real self. Not the image you present to the world. Not the version of you that you fabricated to meet societal expectations or to please your friends and family. But the real you.
While you can take this self journey alone and do the work by yourself, it can also be nice to have someone there with you along the way. Because the thing is, modern life isn’t really set up for introspection and self-discovery journeys. It’s set up to keep you busy and distracted so you don’t have much time to reflect on your choices or whether they’re aligned with your values or what you really want. Having someone there to help you stay on track in spite of the craziness of life can be helpful.
That’s what a self-discovery coach is for.
A self-discovery coach can help you make consistent progress on your journey. They can apply self-discovery techniques so you can uncover hidden parts of yourself. They can provide a safe space for you to discuss and analyze the self-knowledge you gain from the activities they give you. And they can help you apply what you learn so you can start living a more authentic life, which is the whole point of a self-discovery journey.
If you’re interested in self-discovery and you’re wondering whether or not you should hire a coach to provide added support on your journey, here are five reasons you might want to consider making this investment.
5 Reasons You Should Consider Working With a Self-Discovery Coach
You don’t know where to start.
Ok, so you’ve decided that you want to begin a journey of self-discovery. You’re aware that you’re not exactly where you want to be in your life, that you’re not living in alignment with your true self or your values. But you don’t know where to start.
A coach can help you gain clarity on what questions you might want to begin asking yourself. They can help you better understand where the disconnect you’re feeling is coming from. And they can give you activities to do or apply techniques to help you get on a more authentic path.
While you can just look up “how to begin a journey of self-discovery” or something like that, a coach can make sure the work you do is aligned with where you want to go and what you want to discover so you’re not wasting time doing random or unhelpful activities.
But just so you know, if you would like to begin living more authentically, I would suggest you start by identifying your core values. If you need help with this, you can check out this post.You struggle to be consistent.
As I mentioned in the introduction, life is full of distractions. You may have every intention of sincerely going on a self-discovery journey. But then the business of life gets in the way, and you find yourself going back to doing things the same way you always did. And then you wonder why your life still feels so inauthentic or unfulfilling.
A self-discovery coach can help you stay on track, checking in with you regularly and finding ways to incorporate self-discovery activities into your daily life. And they can provide structure to your journey so you’re doing intentional work with a specific purpose.
I don’t believe it’s necessary to go off into the mountains to truly discover yourself, unless you feel called to do that. But you will need quiet moments when you can pause and reflect on your life and the choices you’ve made and how you want to change things going forward. A coach can help you find that time and provide exercises and activities that work with your schedule.You struggle to apply the self-knowledge you discover.
Say that you’ve managed to do some self-discovery work. Say you’ve uncovered some really interesting or unique things about yourself, like maybe forgotten interests or hidden passions and strengths. But you’re reluctant to start living more authentically because of what the people around you might think.
Maybe you’re still feeling heavily influenced by authority figures or others in your life. Maybe they’re so used to seeing you a certain way that you don’t know how they’ll react if you start showing the real you. Maybe you’re so used to pretending to be someone that you’re afraid of what might happen if you take off your mask.
A self-discovery coach can help you find the courage to be more authentic. They can help you work through that discomfort of showing others—and yourself—who you really are and support you as you do.You’d like to discuss your findings in a nonjudgmental space.
Some of the things you uncover on a self journey may be confusing, conflicting, or even a little scary. You might discover things you don’t like about yourself or things you don’t understand. These are the kinds of things you might not want to discuss with people who know you.
Instead, you could discuss them with a self-discovery coach. They can offer you a safe space to talk about all the self-knowledge you’ve uncovered. They can help you learn to accept all the sides of yourself, even those you may not like or understand right away. And they can help you learn how to integrate those sides into your life in one way or another.You’d like an accountability partner.
If you don’t have an intensely deep and compelling reason to go on a self-discovery journey, you might find it challenging to hold yourself accountable for continuing. This is where a self-discovery coach can come in.
They can help to make sure you’re not only following through on the self-discovery work, but also applying what you learn so you can start living more aligned with your values. Not only that, but they can celebrate your wins with you, no matter how seemingly small. And they can help you navigate challenges you might face as you go on this journey.
Final Thoughts
If you’re on a journey of self-discovery or if you’re thinking about starting one, you’re free to do all the work on your own. But as someone who has been on her own self journey, I know how nice it would have been to have a coach there along the way to help me be more consistent and apply what I was learning.
It’s true that self-discovery is a lifelong process. But if you would like to start making changes as soon as you can to begin living a more authentic life, a self-discovery coach can help to make sure you’re focusing on answering the questions and taking the actions that will help you get there faster.
I would like to add that you could also consider using AI as a type of self-discovery coach. But for certain deeply personal matters, you might feel more comfortable talking to a human—especially someone who has done some self-discovery work. Additionally, I’ve found that AI is more helpful when you have a certain level of self-awareness. Without it, the advice it gives might sound generic.
If working with a coach sounds good to you, though, I offer self-discovery coaching services you might be interested in. Simply click here to learn more.
~ Ashley C.
P.S. If you would like some support as you do your self-discovery work, feel free to sign up for the Questions and Tisane newsletter! There, I offer prompts, tips, and advice to help you live your most authentic life. Don’t miss out!
Note: Neither self-discovery coaching nor AI is a replacement for professional counseling or therapy. If you’re in need of either of these services, please see a qualified professional.