Are you struggling with juggling a successful career and family life? Or is your life in transition, and you're ready to make a change, but aren't sure how to go about it? That's where a new breed of professional — a life coach — can help. A life coach will work with you to discover your goals and design a game plan to help you reach them.

It's about problem-solving
Coaching is about problem-solving. Life coaches help you identify and then bridge the gap between where you are and where you want to be.

It's about life balance
Life coaches focus on enhancing the lives of clients, often talking about balancing or "integrating" one's life.

It's about forward motion
Life coaching is focused on actions, solutions, and moving forward — not looking at the past.

It's about your needs
The best part about life coaching is that it's based on your needs and wants. You'll probably be asked to fill out an extensive questionnaire and participate in "discovery" interviews to help the coach learn more about you. Then, expect to spend 30 to 60 minutes with your coach either weekly or monthly.

There are more than 10,000 life coaches working in the United States alone. Word-of-mouth recommendations are the best, but your local Yellow Pages and the Internet are great sources as well. Look under "Personal Coaching" or "Life Coaches." The International Coach Federation (ICF) and Coach U are also good places to start. This may be just what you need to help you develop a winning game plan for your life!