In Total Brain Coaching you manage the flow of attention by asking the right questions and providing ways of focusing your client’s attention or awareness on the process of habit change. The quality of your own attention is extremely important. We don’t ever want to display negative attention. Negative attention stops your client’s flow of attention and damages their sense of purpose and self-esteem. We don’t want to mood make, but a little positive attention and empathy go a long way.
Your client needs to know that you care. Once trust is established, once your client knows you sincerely want to help him then he or she will be more honest and let you know the areas of their life where they need help.Be encouraging, not judgmental. You are helping your client to figure out they want to change and how they want to measure their successes. A good athletic coach understands the power of positive rather than negative attention: the coach wants the athlete to focus on good performances and not put their attention on mistakes or failure.
You may want to reward your client for each achievement they make but you have to careful. As a coach you want your clients as self-sufficient as possible and avoid an attachment relationship where the client always depends on you. If the client’s motivation come from within, there are far more likely to follow through with the habit change plan you have helped them construct.