Britney Spears' Guide to Getting it Together

At this point it's almost cliche to call Britney Spears' life a train wreck. Her troubles have been well-documented in tabloid magazines and gossip Web sites: the custody battles, all-night parties, drug and alcohol binges, stints in rehab, head-shaving episodes and questionable choice in undergarments. All this has been capped off by her scantily clad "performance" at the MTV VMAs which did little to re-establish Spears as a viable pop star or fuel any kind of musical comeback.

But the fact remains, as easy as it may be to laugh at Spears' endless string of bad decisions, they're not all that funny, especially with the lives of her two young children undoubtedly affected by her irresponsible behavior. So here is what Spears needs to do to turn things around:

1. Flip the Script

Spears obviously has some problems going on, or else she wouldn't be engaged in so much self-destructive behavior. The answer is to discontinue the self-destructive behavior as an immediate measure. That would mean stop consuming drugs and alcohol, partying into all hours of the night, making impulsive decisions (such as shaving her head and firing managers and assistants on a whim), neglecting her children, showing up to performances in unflattering outfits with half-dead dance moves, and generally drawing negative attention to herself.

2. Implement Immediate Solutions

Spears' appearance at the VMAs didn't do much to help her tarnished image. If she doesn't turn things around, she will have worn out her welcome with the public as anything but a laughable shadow of her former self. More importantly, she risks losing custody of her children, something I'm sure no mother wants.

To avoid this unsavory fate, she needs to start implementing some short-term solutions for the problems she faces, whatever those solutions might be. This might include simple changes like improving her diet, exercising regularly and getting more rest to more complex measures like changing the people she surrounds herself with, hiring some trusted advisers, reconnecting with her family, attending rehab, taking a parenting class (as has been ordered by a judge presiding over her custody case), changing her daily schedule to focus on taking care of her children and making music, or any number of other possible changes that will result in a more productive, less self-destructive, lifestyle.

3. Set Goals

Apparently when she stepped out of the limelight, starting a family was her main goal. But now that her marriage to Kevin Federline has broken up, Spears seems lost, without a purpose. Clearly she neglects her children, parties too often and seems half-hearted about making music, as her performance at the VMAs proved. So it's time for her to set some new goals for herself, both personal and professional. Establishing some worthwhile goals and striving to achieve them will shift her from the haphazard antics she's engaged in to some kind of orderly progress.

Spears' marriage may have crumbled and the last year may have been a series of all-night parties and bad decisions, but the 25-year-old's future doesn't have to mirror her recent past. With two children and a legion of young fans who may still look up to her, Spears has the ability and the responsibility to set a positive example and turn things around.