Writing your own obituary might seem a morbid form of therapy, but it can be a creative way, says life coach Annabel Sutton, of focusing the mind on what you want to achieve in life.

It's one of the suggestions in her book 52 Ways to Change Your Life: A Life Coaching Year, published by Neal's Yard Remedies. She points to the example of Roz Savage who, in 2005, became the first woman to complete solo in the Atlantic Rowing Race.

Rowing across 3000 miles of ocean for 103 gruelling days, alone and unsupported was not the most obvious course of action for a London investment banker working her way up the corporate ladder.

But, Annabel says, Roz had a niggling sense of something missing in her life and one day sat down and wrote two versions of her own obituary - one based on the life she currently led and the other what she would like written about her. Words like courageous, fearless and adventurous cropped up, setting her on course to make changes in her life to make the second obituary a reality. Annabel, who lives in Tisbury with her partner, Don Hartridge, has been a life coach since the 1990s.

She has lived both in Britain and overseas and worked in broadcast journalism and theatre studied for a masters degree in counselling while in California.

Moving back to Britain and living in Cheshire, she found herself temping for a life coach and things fell into place. It was one of those serendipity things - it's like pieces of a jigsaw," she says. I started training immediately."

She says clients come to her for different reasons, but they are all linked by the desire to make changes, whether small or radical, to their lives.

"A life coach will give them objective support and help to make those changes," she explains. "Objectivity is the key - family and friends can listen and advise, but they may have a vested interest in the outcome. When I start working with someone, I help that person work up a plan helping them get clear about what they want and then produce a vision of where to get to." She describes it as step-by-step chunking down process. "They do the work - I make that clear - but I support them along the way. Often people stumble or procrastinate, but I'm there to keep them accountable and on track."

With clients all over the country and some abroad, Annabel conducts her business by telephone. Life coaching skills can be put into practice at any age.

Annabel works part-time as an admissions officer at the Trafalgar School at Downton, and has also been working with the school's "golden" group of GCSE pupils. "They are students who could do very well, but need help with motivation. Last year was incredibly successful and it's great I can use my coaching skills there."

Annabel's book, which is divided into 52 practical coaching tips to stimulate thought and action. The idea is that it can be dipped into on a weekly basis or as often as required. Like the Johnny Mercer song, it's all about accentuating the positive and eiminating the negative. And she practices what she preaches. "Yes, ever since I started training, I've always had my own coach," she confirms. "I'm a procrastinator, I tend to drift, so I absolutely put this into practice."

nAnnabel Sutton runs a life coaching workshop at Neal's Yard Remedies tonight. Some places are still available and the workshop may be repeated later if there is demand. 52 Ways to Change Your Life is available from Neal's Yard Remedies, price £6.50.