Knowing yourself is the foundation of self-esteem, self \rconfidence and personal development. Man has been \rseeking himself since the days of the Oracle of Delphi. \r"Know yourself" said the Oracle, but she spoke in riddles \rand the men who had come a long way to get a simple \ranswer from her wise lips went away even more confused.

Yes, it isn't easy to really understand a human being. And, to \runderstand others, we need first of all to understand ourselves \rand to gain self-esteem and confidence.

How can we do this? There are ways to work on this and we can \rdo it in the comfort of our home if we don't want to attend \revening courses in self confidence and self-esteem and meet \rothers in similar situations.

Some tips:\r* Write down your positive achievements, all that you can \rremember; educations, jobs, loves and relationships (even if they \rended, you still achieved them), friendships, children, driving \rlicence... Look at what you already have and realize you have \rdone rather well.

* Write down good things that others have said about you. Read \rthrough old documents from former employers or teachers that \rstate all your strong sides. Maybe you forgot you had them?

* Make plans. Ask yourself what can be done. What can you \rchange to make things better? Write down precise goals and \rwrite a step-by-step plan on how you intend to achieve your goals.

*Decision. Make a decision that tomorrow you will start dealing \rwith the first step of your plan.

When you read what you have written you will realize that you \rhave grown and developed over the years. That also means that \ryou can grow and develop further.

Ingela Berger\r\rLifestyle Plans

Ingela Berger started her own Internet business \r\rLifestyle Plans in 2003 out of a desire to inspire and encourage others to make reality of their dreams of a personal, healthy and fulfilling lifestyle. Ingela has studied theatre directing, history of art, and leadership psychology. After some years working with art exhibitions and the theatre she is now back at school to become a health and lifestyle consultant.