Become a more interesting you

I looked at myself in the mirror this morning and noticed someone with whom I was not satisfied. I want to be interesting, energetic and dynamic but I have developed into someone boring and uninteresting. Gradually I have crept into my shell. I would like to find ways to be more interesting. What help is there for me?

Once upon a time there was a king who had a valuable diamond. It was very beautiful. One day the diamond fell and got a huge scratch mark.

The king asked the best diamond experts to remove the scratch, but everyone agreed that they could not remove that mark without lessening the value of the diamond.

Eventually an expert convinced the king that he could repair the diamond. When the man returned a few days later, the king was surprised to see the scratch mark was gone. In its place, a beautiful rose had been engraved. The blemish had become the stem of the rose. A 'sore' area was now a work of art.

We all have our blemishes. What you want to do with that blemish and the way you turn it into something interesting is the exciting part to life. Everything that happens to us - whether it is positive or negative - offers opportunities for us to grow.

Be honest with yourself - identify those 'blemishes' in your life that are holding you back. This could include things like: 'I am too shy to speak in front of people; I don't have many friends; I don't like my appearance.'

Write these things down. Ask yourself: 'How do these things make me feel?' Now you have reality staring you in the face. This is wonderful!

The next step is the exciting part. To discover yourself, you must take responsibility.

What would make you feel interesting and good about yourself? When you're this person, how would people describe you? What would make you different from anyone else that you know?

Visualise yourself as the interesting person you want to be. Get a clear picture of that person. She is there, help her to find her voice.

Gather some pictures of interesting elements that you could hold as a visual reminder of the person you would like to be. Stick them somewhere where you could look at them every day.

What must you change in your life in order to be the person you want to be? Write it down.

Start working systematically towards that end.

Do something each month that you haven't done before. You will enjoy yourself thoroughly, and as a bonus, you will have gathered a lot of interesting stories to speak about.

Remember, each step you take is one step further from where you were - and one step closer to where you want to be. Craft those flowers out of your blemishes!