Do you feel as though you have aimlessly wandered through life with no purpose or direction? Have you have lost track of your priorities and goals? Was this how you imagined your life to be? Have you been knocked down by life, are you feeling deflated and worthless, going nowhere fast?

The 21st century is an age of rapid changes working at an accelerated pace, people are so busy, they are practically running on auto pilot as they aspire to be better people both professionally and personally. With so many family responsibilities at the top of our to-do list, it is easy to see why our professional goals often lie by the wayside and our dreams of a promotion stay buried under mounds of paperwork, but does life really have to be this way?

Life was meant to be enjoyed the way that we envisage it. Whatever makes our hearts flutter, motivates us, fulfils us is what we are meant to be doing. But how do you lift yourself out of this rut? If you truly are agitated, desperate, ambitious and at the point in your life where you are ready to make some big changes, there may be an earth angel out there in the form of a life coach who could help you turn your dreams into reality.

Are you ready for a life coach?
Taking this step is not going to be a walk in the park. In order to make these changes, you need to be able to take constructive criticism, act on suggestions and become fully committed to completing set schedules and plans. You also need to face up to your own weaknesses and faults and stop using them as a defence mechanism.

If you think of a life coach as someone who will pander to your every whim and give you the encouraging nod whenever you hint for one...you are wrong. A life coach is there to take an outside look at the way you have been conducting your life. He will be honest and frank with you and is not being paid to be your friend. Therefore, be prepared to see yourself as you really are and then watch the transformation take place as you carefully peel back the layers of your inner self to find hidden strength and talents you never knew you had.

Another misconception people have of life coaches is that they are merely paid listeners and offer very little in the form of active changes. Unlike a therapist, life coaches are not concerned with the mistakes you made in your past, they are more focused on changing your mind set into one of positivity for the future. They are not concerned with the cause of your career procrastination; instead they look for ways to stop this happening. So a life coach will support you and help you to realise that there are solutions to all of your problems.

The benefits of a life coach
As you work with a life coach, you will open up more and more and share things that even your nearest and dearest do not know about you. This "insider" knowledge is used constructively to come up with a personally tailored plan constructed around you and your needs, aspirations and personality to help you to quickly move forward in your career by restructuring your negative traits into positive steps forward.

You will be shown the road map to your success but it is up to you to walk the route in the way that you are shown. You will become a newer improved version of yourself who is free of distractions and able to keep your goals at the forefront of your mind.

A good life coach will provide the following:

A sounding board to vent your angers and frustrations
A motivator who will keep you focused and successful
A mentor who will reveal the hidden skills and traits you never knew you had
A business consultant who will teach you how to lead and prove that you are capable of that executive position you have always dreamed of.
A teacher who will provide the tools you need to move forward

A coaching program reflected around your career will show how you can look at your personal life and work life and accept that both sides are interdependent. This means that if you are unhappy in your work life, you will feel the same in your personal world. Career coaching isn't just about succeeding in your chosen career; it is also about balancing it with your personal life so as you can achieve the best of both worlds.

If you hate the thought of having to attend face to face meetings with a coach, there are many ways to receive the same training through seminars, books and taped courses. Of course, these methods will not be customized to your exact needs but are a great way to have a thousand pound life coach in your living room at a fraction of the cost. After all, you want to be the one earning a million, not losing a million.

Seminars: A great way to listen to many top coaches in a social setting. Hear what they have to say and find one that truly inspires you.

Books: There are hundreds online and in the high street. Flick through the opening pages and if you like the language, the inspiration, the energy and the projection that it offers, you will certainly pick up some positive steps to implement in your life.

Taped courses: Find the subject matter relevant for you and listen over and over again until you subconsciously start to make positive changes.

Out of the box: These are newly qualified coaches who are looking to get a foot in the door. They sometimes often offer free coaching in order to add testimonials to their website.

Free trials: Nearly all professional coaches offer a complimentary half hour. Take advantage to see if they make you tingle with enthusiasm.

Free bumph: Many coaches offer free e-books or CD's, take advantage of these by applying and testing their strategies. This way you can view the coach from an outside perspective to see if you like his way of teaching.

A life coach will help you identify the steps you need to take to catch up with your core desires, you will perform in such a manner as to earn a promotion, start our own business or even change career. You will define set goals that you wish to achieve and use that goal as your target line. You will also get to know yourself as you break down obstacles and destructive thinking barriers, manage your time effectively and make focused positive steps forward. You will in effect, manage your life from every angle.

Although a life coach cannot make a firm promise that you will fulfil your dreams and desires, he is there to teach you how to hone into a more resourceful ways of thinking. You will learn how to hold yourself accountable for your emotions, thoughts actions and the results that you achieve. You will learn how to cope with the problems that life can throw at you and become aware of obstacles that are holding you back such as anger, guilt, low self-esteem, instilled fears of not being good enough, smart enough, clever enough etc.

If you started working with a life coach today, three months from now you could feel a renewed sense of freedom, appreciation, more love and determination.