She seemed to have it all.

By the age of 17, Lindsay Lohan had already starred in four major movies. Then came a platinum album, the hit movie Mean Girls, and numerous magazine covers. In fact, she was so “hot” that Hollywood wanted to mold her into the next Julia Roberts, Entertainment Weekly reported.

But then came the DUIs, a series of tumultuous personal relationships, stints in rehab and a few movies that weren’t exactly hits. The media raked her through the coals.

And Lindsay Lohan went from seemingly having it all to having a big mess on her hands.

“She’s done if she doesn’t pull it together,” said Eileen Koch, founder of Eileen Koch & Company, whose clients include Carmen Electra, Jamie Foxx and Milla Jovovich.

“She had the world at her feet,” a head of a major studio told Entertainment Weekly. “And right now, she’d have to pay a studio to get herself into a movie.”

Get behind a good cause
“She needs to get involved in charitable work,” said Allison Kugel, President of Allison Dawn Public Relations. Lohan should publicly support a feel-good cause like children, animals or the homeless, she added. Charlotte Novum, President of Novum Marketing agrees, saying that Lohan should consider “aligning herself with a non-profit” and carefully positioning herself in the “volunteerism arena.”

Develop self-discipline
Self-discipline is a key for Lohan to get her career back on track, says world-renowned career coach Jim Fannin. “She needs to display commitment and a willingness to do what it takes,” he said. “She needs to get back into her craft.”

Melissa Schumer, Executive Vice President of Cohn & Wolfe said that Lohan needs to exhibit “a change in behavior. She needs to become reliable and responsible.” She adds that Lohan should “erase the L.A. bar scene from her social life.”

Focus on doing her job well
“Lindsay Lohan needs to focus on doing her job. She’s an actress, yet all we know recently are her DUIs and relationship issues. Maybe that means taking jobs that may not be the best paying, but can build her acting credibility and gain her respect in the industry,” said Joe Ciarallo, Editor of PRNewser.

Network (and we’re talking industry events, not the L.A. bar scene)
Lohan needs to attend industry events and network with industry leaders so they can “see that she’s changed,” Schumer, said. Kugel agrees saying that Lohan should consider going to “independent fillm and music events” to show people that “she’s an adult now and this is her craft.”

Take a page from Angelina’s book
Angelina Jolie is a good example of how an actress can get her life and career back on track, says Kugel. Jolie put her life and career on a more positive track with extensive humanitarian work, rarely makes comments on her personal life, and does not let herself be consistently photographed on the “bar scene.” These acts helped turn the public perception of Jolie in a favorable way. Koch adds that Lohan might want to talk to Drew Barrymore, who also transformed her public reputation.

Use humor to her advantage
“It was smart for her to do the eHarmony item,” says Cooper Lawrence, author of the book “Cult of Celebrity.” The eHarmony item was a video clip satirizing her life for the FunnyorDie.com Web site. These kinds of things can help us like her again, she added. Ciarallo agrees saying that the eHarmony profile “got a ton of buzz and showed that she can poke a bit of fun at herself and not take things to seriously.”

Tone down the edge
“The edgy, grown-up thing has hurt her,” says Jordan McAuley, founder of Celebrity-PR. Lawrence agrees saying that Lohan should try to revive that sweet girl image, similar to the character she played in Mean Girls.

Take control of her personal life and how it’s portrayed in the media
“Lindsay should leave L.A. and slow down for awhile,” McAuley said. “She needs to clean up her life.” Her constant presence on the bar scene is not helping her image, Schumer adds.

Lindsay also needs to better control how her personal life is portrayed in the media. She also needs to “avoid discussing the volatility of her personal life with the media,” Schumer said. Kugel agrees saying that Lindsay should “never comment on her personal life. Look what this did for Angelina.”

Source: New York Daily News