The whole idea of self-improvement and personal development hinges on a desire to become better in some way in order to get what you want. It is easy to recognize that your life is not how you want it to be; perhaps you want financial freedom, relationships that are more rewarding or a successful career. Whatever the dream, many people believe the first step in allowing it to manifest in your life is working out what changes need to be made.

There is, however, a crucial step which many people overlook. How can you make changes without first knowing yourself well enough to recognize where you are going wrong? The phrase ‘getting to know yourself’ is a tricky one. What exactly does it mean to ‘know yourself’? Surely, everyone knows himself or herself?

If you’re like most people interested in self-improvement, it’s probably been a year or more since you first heard of The Secret – the runaway best-selling program that explains how to use the law of attraction to create the life you want.

If you’ve seen the movie or read the book, you’re probably still vividly inspired by the people who shared their stories of how they magnetized large sums of money, physical healing and other wonderful miracles by focusing on what they want in their lives and thinking positive thoughts.

Yet if you’ve tried applying the principles in your own life, they may not have worked out quite as neatly – or consistently – as they did for those featured in the program.