“I’m going to be a life coach,” announced an Acupuncture school classmate Sharla. I was not close to this person, but knew enough about her to have had many thoughts and feelings.
Within seconds of hearing her declaration, my brain went to work.
“Who are you to be a life coach?” I thought to myself (about her).
“You’re so young and don’t have your life together,” my brain continued with lots of judgement.
“Wait – what does a life coach even do?” I started to question everything (still all in my head).
Little did I know that I was just being introduced to my very own future self.
Listen, I was a naive 24 year old Chinese Medicine student who barely knew what I was going to do after finishing the degree. Sharla was a little older than me. I never felt like we had anything in common. Plus her energy and mine did not feel aligned.
Simply put, I didn’t know her. I didn’t know anything about life coaching. And yet… I was judging her.
I was SERIOUSLY and wrongly judging her!
We didn’t stay in touch after school, but I occasionally tapped into her work to see that she DID become a life coach.
Indeed, she did and seems to have a good following, decades after her declaration. I am sure she’s doing great things in the world, helping all her people.
I am so happy that I was so wrong!
And look at how things unfolded. After years of practicing just Chinese Medicine, I, too, became certified in life and health coaching.
To my surprise, coaching was a natural addition to my practice. Most, if not all, healthcare providers and healers practice some form of “coaching” already. We listen, we share information, we give advice and support to our patients and clients with or without proper coaching certifications.
With a few years of combining coaching skills with modalities like acupuncture, acupressure, and reflexology, I am convinced that healing facilitation that happens in my office and virtually is that much more effective.
I have Sharla to thank for introducing me the concept of coaching, for letting me be wrong about her (without her knowing), and for showing me what is possible.
Has this ever happened to you?
Have you judged someone or something in the past only to find out later that you were wrong to do so?
Have you written off someone or something completely only to have it resurface as a boon in your life?
We can be SO wrong about something only to discover that it was there to teach us.
