Have you noticed that a lot of self-help coaches talk about what and who you should be? I think those coaches fail people, and here’s why.

The more you try to be a certain way, the further you get from who you truly are. If you aren’t living your truth, well, you’re living a lie. And I’ve never met anyone who was deeply and soul-satisfyingly happy living that way.

Why Does It Happen?

Sometimes the coach is well-meaning and doesn’t realize that what works for one person doesn’t work for another.

Other times, they’re aware that you’re scared your life will be the way it is forever, and they care more about themselves than you and hope to financially benefit from your fear or sense of lack.

Either way, you’re left feeling like a failure or a fake instead of happy and empowered.

How to Be Empowered

Living your truth is the most empowering, soul-freeing, happiness-generating action that exists.

The biggest challenge is often figuring out who you are and what your truth is.

Wait. What?

You may think you know who you are, but there’s a strong chance that you’re currently a conglomeration of other people’s unchallenged thoughts, ideas, and beliefs.

While that may surprise you, it’s true for a large percentage of people.

You see, we don’t have a lot of life experience as children, so we learn to imitate what our family, teachers, peers, and other influential people do.

That’s great for getting by and getting a start in life, but it isn’t the same as living your truth.

You may choose to keep some of the thoughts, ideas, and beliefs that initially started as someone else’s, but until you question those things and consciously choose them for your own, you’re living someone else’s truth instead of your own.

If you’d like to start whittling away what isn’t you and start living your truth, check out and do the exercise in this post.