Remember that feeling of anticipation you got as a kid when you raced your friends in the neighborhood or schoolyard? You'd stand anxiously at the starting line, heart thumping, awaiting the signal to start — then in a flash, you'd be sprinting toward the finish line.

Starting the search for your roots feels a bit like that interminable instant between “ready … Set … “and “go!” You're eager to experience the exhilaration of new family history discoveries. But you face an unfamiliar course, and without guidance, you're afraid you'll be running in circles. You're not even sure in which direction to head.