MOST of us have some aspect of our lives that we want to change - go on admit it.

Are you really happy in your job? Is your Mr Right really Mr Right or is he Mr Nearly There But Not Quite?

And has your New Year's pledge to ditch those excess pounds or pack in the fags gone astray?

Well, even if you're not willing to fess up, it seems there's a whole host of us out there secretly seeking the answers to achieve our miracle weight loss, fantastic new job, or relationship of our dreams.

For our desperate quest for happiness, fulfilment and a healthy lifestyle has seen sales of self-help books soar through the roof, with website Amazon reporting a 38 per cent increase in demand.

And they're proving so popular that Waterstone's bookshops are running a special 2005 self-help book promotion.

Amazon's senior books editor Fiona Buckland said: "Five years ago, most of these sort of books were the ones that were kept hidden, as people feared others would regard them as failures for even having them.

"That's totally reversed and huge numbers of people are turning to these books as trusted companions.

"The perception seems to be that those who question the status quo and are prepared to put in effort to improve their lives are now seen as winners."

And the titles sound promising - such as Paul McKenna's I Can Make You Thin and Change your Life in Seven Days, or Lynda Field's Weekend Love Coach.

But can they really offer us a miraculous cure to our problems?

According to Worcestershire life coach Jennie Barnes, they could certainly provide the catalyst.

"I read self-help books a lot myself," she confessed, adding she has just finished McKenna's I Can Make You Thin while enjoying a trip to Barbados.

"I don't think you should pin all your hopes on them but they get you thinking in the right sort of way and encourage you to take action.

"They can become a little bit too addictive, though.

"It can get to a point that you spend all your time reading them but no time putting the principles into practice and taking action.

"You can read the book and think some of the ideas are great, but then, of course, life takes over and it gets put to one side and you don't actually do anything.

"I think that if you really want to do it, you should read the book then see a life coach who can guide you and support you through the goals you are trying to achieve."

Jennie specialises in helping people to lose weight, and like hypnotist McKenna, she believes diets are not the answer.

"It's a matter of getting the right thought processes going through your head," said Jennie, of Alfrick, near Worcester, who runs regular life coach courses at Bromsgrove Golf Club.

"Instead of thinking 'I'm on a diet and can't eat anything I want', you should be thinking of making changes to your lifestyle that aren't restricting you but improving your quality of life, like drinking more water, and doing exercise and learning to eat only when you're hungry."

Jennie, a former Weight Watchers leader, says she has used her own philosophies of "positive mind over matter" to help herself lose weight, so she is confident in teaching what she practises.

And she was not surprised when I told her the recent self-help book sales figures.

"I think over the years, people have tried many, many things to try and make changes in their lives and they have worked for a while then it's stopped," she said.

"They're looking for the answers and instead of looking externally they're now looking internally, and realise self-help books or life coaches are a way of finding those answers."

But Fiona at Waterstone's believes their growing popularity is more down to an increasingly competitive society.

"Emotional intelligence - recognising and understanding how our behaviour and that of others affects our life - is much more widely recognised and valued now," she said.

"Many of these books give an insight into that.

"Life is so competitive that people are seeking anything that will help to give them an edge, and make them more successful."

And fellow Waterstone's buyer Alex Ingram, thinks it's all about having fun.

"Self-help books have become a lot more positive and less worthy," he said.

"Now there's more focus on enjoying yourself as well as feeling better.

"We're seeing a huge rise in sales in this area."

To find out more about Jennie's courses, call her on 01886 884022.