Being a life coach is simultaneously both rewarding and renewing. Knowing that I've made a difference in somebody's life, helped them reach goals, and ultimately feel better about themselves - that's worth more than a million bucks to me. Yet getting to the place where I can come home from a client meeting and triumphantly salute myself in the mirror - that's taken time. And here's what I've learned on my journey as a life coach.

1. Self-Esteem is Key

Before I truly thrived as a life coach, I had serious self-esteem issues to work out. It was almost as if I was living vicariously through my clients. As I was helping them to discover their personal goals, it was like talking to a mirror! Over time, I eventually realized that my self-esteem needed a swift kick in the rear. Before every client session, I remember the lines from Cool Runnings: I see PRIDE! I see POWER! I had to learn to create my own self-esteem; and by doing so, I've been able to thrive more than ever in my life coaching career.

2. Living Healthy

I finally realized that as I advise others on emotionally healthy habits, I need to be healthy, too. Just like my self-esteem, my physical, emotional and spiritual health needed a quick swift to get kick started. After I became a life coach, I realized how much I depended on spirituality and physical fitness to get me through the day. And the more balanced I become, the more successfully I was able to advise my clients on balancing their lives, as well.

3. Good Relationships

Last but not least, I've discovered that truly working on the relationships in my life has yielded surprisingly positive results in my life coach career. Truly putting effort into maintaining the relationships in my life made a world of difference; I began connecting with people in an entirely new way. I brought these connections to the table with each and every client meeting - and guess what? People aren't so different, after all. By working on my personal relationships, I was able to provide a goldmine of valuable insight to clients.

These three areas may take some work in your life, but for the sake of your life coach career, they're worth it. They might seem simple, but they're what completely changed my life coaching lens for the better. So take a couple minutes today and jot down a few bullet points in each of these areas and how you can apply them. Just start small, and then grow bigger. It will absolutely change the way you coach.