My sister-in-law Nancy is working on a web blog for her Life Coach practice. Yesterday we spent the afternoon looking at various therapist sites. The most powerful one identified all the unhappiness in the world: frustration, depression, anger, helplessness, powerlessness, and so on. At the end of the barrage the message is clear: you need HELP!
“The therapist is speaking as a person of authority. But as a Life Coach, I ask only open ended question.” Nancy explained. “Without judgement or assumption the seeker is allowed to go deep into themselves to find the answer and own it.”
I was reminded of the sages in ancient China, who, when visited by kings and noblemen, never gave them a straight answer to their problems. They were mostly scoffed at being mentally insane and sometimes their reply cost them their heads. But for those who listened they walked away being the wiser, knowing deep inside the answer was always within themselves.
