Paying for choice architecture

A mistake people often make about mental health professionals, gurus, coaches, and spiritual leaders is that you can’t pay them to solve your problems like you would a plumber.

Plumbing problems are defined and set at a market rate to complete a job. The pipe was broken and now it is fixed. This is vastly different when talking to someone about what direction you want to move your life, whether or not you should quit a job or how to resolve trauma from the past. You are often paying for something different–clarity. To help make sense of what has happened and where you want to go.

In the end, you still need to have the guts to make a decision about what you want to do with your life (even if you found someone you trust enough to give you an answer). It is still up to you.