A personal life coach should first self coach and reach a state of desired satisfaction in their own life before trying to help others. Although this sounds simple it will be the toughest case a life coach has because they are alone and have to face many trials, challenges, desires, bad habits, problematic people, personal feelings and the constant evil voice that usually leads one astray from what they have to do or gives them the feeling of needing to something undesirable in the long term.

In my personal experience waking up everyday in a positive manner and just staying positive no matter how difficult life gets or what problems it throws your way is the first big step in becoming a life coach and make no mistake it is perhaps one of the most difficult tasks in existence but for a life coach it is the one most necessary skill. This is because any person who comes to you for help will need the constant reassurance that one can make changes and two the coach has done it before with only a smile and determination. If a life coach that can not present a positive attitude at all times no matter how difficult the situation will convey a message false hope and failure to people seeking a way to improve their lives.

The next big step in becoming a life coach is experience because no matter how smart or nice a person is if they do not have the harsh experience of solving problems in life with no help other than a smile and determination they can not expect to coach another person to do something they have never done. However once these steps have been taken a life coach still needs some study such as professional communication because even if a coach has experience and a positive attitude if they can not communicate their ideas and wisdom, other people will not be able to communicate effectively leading to frustration and overall failure.

So a strong, professional and understanding method of communicating as well as exceptional listening skill are to be practiced and studied over a life time if one wants to be a life coach. After all most of the time the life coach has to listen carefully to the client and pick out weaknesses, key points, false points of view and stress of certain topics in order face them with the client and work them out, to change a caterpillar to a butterfly one could say. Overall once a life coach has these skills it is just a matter of working with people to make changes and learning together as you go.

People who have Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) have the biggest hurdle to get over because they develop negative thinking patterns that cause them to become frustrated by the challenges that are presented to them. At times we all experience negativity, which makes it harder to move forward.

To be able to move forward, we need to practice positive thinking. Positive thinking helps people to focus on our strengths and accomplishments which will increase our happiness and motivation. Doing so will help us make progress in our lives and prevent us from feeling down and stuck.

The following tips will help you shift into a more of a positive thinking pattern.

1. Take Good Care of Yourself
When we take care of our bodies, we tend to feel better about ourselves. Get plenty of rest, exercise, and eat right.

2. Remind Yourself of the Things You Are Grateful For
If you are constantly reminded of the of the things that are right in our lives, challenges and stress don’t seem so bad. Take about a minute a day to appreciate the good things in your life.

3. Look for the Proof Instead of Making Assumptions
How many times have you thought that what bad mood someone was in had something to do with what your did or said? It’s a normal fear of not being liked or accepted, but our fears are not usually reality. If you think that you did or said something, don’t hesitate to ask them. Without proof, there’s nothing to worry about.

4. Refrain from Using Absolutes
Try to stay away from using words like always, never and can’t. Those words make it absolute. “You’re ALWAYS late”, “you NEVER listen” and “I CAN’T do that” are lines that will restrict you from positive thinking.

5. Detach From Negative Thoughts
If you notice yourself having a negative thought, detach from it, witness it, and don’t follow it.

6. Squash the “ANTs”
In his book “Change Your Brain, Change Your Life,” Dr. Daniel Amen talks about “ANTs” – Automatic Negative Thoughts. These are the bad thoughts that are usually reactionary, like “Those people are laughing, they must be talking about me,” or “The boss wants to see me? It must be bad!” When you notice these thoughts, realize that they are nothing more than ANTs and squash them!

7. Practice Lovin’, Touchin’ & Squeezin’ (Your Friends and Family)
I grew up in a house where hugs were an everyday occurrence. Positive physical contact with friends, loved ones, and even pets, is an instant pick-me-up.

8. Increase Your Social Activity
If your were to increase your social activity, you would decrease your loneliness. Make it a point to be around healthy and happy people and their positive energy will affect you in a positive way!

9. Volunteer for an Organization, or Help another Person
Whenever I help someone, I feel good about myself. Whatever you can do to help the community will come back to you in a positive way.

10. Use Pattern Interrupts to Combat Rumination
If you find yourself ruminating, a great way to stop it is to interrupt the pattern and force yourself to do something completely different. Rumination is like hyper-focus on something negative. It’s never productive, because it’s not rational or solution-oriented, it’s just excessive worry. Try changing your physical environment – go for a walk or sit outside. You could also call a friend, pick up a book, or turn on some music.

I know these tips will help you. Positive thinking doesn’t happen over night, but if you keep striving towards it, it will happen.