We all read the headlines. We all see celebrities as flawless people or at the very least we see them as better than us. They seem to live the fairytale life with riches and glamour.

I want the fairytale. I deserve the fairytale. How often do you say this to yourself?

I suppose we all should stop putting our heads in the clouds and come down to earth with a reality check. Who really wants their life told in the headlines of the local paper or a blog on the internet discussing their failed marriage or a failed movie?

Maybe just being a cut above the rest of the world would be good enough. Just enough better to gain some glamour but also to stay under the radar screen and not lose one's sense of self.

So what does it take to be a cut above the rest? Here is a seven day program to self-improvement. Just concentrate on one point each day of the week and soon you will feel the results.

1. Know your purpose in life. Some people just are not meant to be great actors but are the best teaching or serving dinners. Everyone has a purpose in life but the difficult part is finding what that is. Are you wandering through life with little direction hoping you will find happiness and prosperity somewhere along the way? Identify your purpose or mission statement and you will find the compass that will point your way to real, true fulfillment.

2. Know your values. What is most important to you? Make a list of your top 5 values and, as you determine your goals for 2007, make sure they agree with your values in life. If they don't, you may want to reconsider that goal or change it to better suit your ideals.

3. Know your needs. Take care of yourself. Unmet needs can cause you to live dishonestly. Be honest, do you need to be loved, in control, to be right all the time, or acknowledged? List your top 4 needs and get them met or deal with them before it's too late. Many go through life depressed and stressed out because they are missing an essential need.

4. Know your passions. Find out what you truly enjoy in life and stick with it. Express your enthusiasm and also honor those that have helped you and inspired you on your journey to become the person you are.

5. Live from the inside out. Increase your awareness of your inner vision by regularly reflecting in silence or communing with nature. Breathe deeply to get rid of stress and quiet a distracted mind. Often, just sitting in a dimly lit room and listening to classical music will work the same.

6. Honor your strengths. What are your strengths? If you do not know ask someone close to you for answers. Pick out three positive traits that you possess and share them with others. You will be amazed how much self-confidence you will gain by just by expressing your authentic self through your strengths.

7. Serve others. Give back to the world. When you live authentically and honestly you may find you develop an interconnected sense of being. There is no greater reward or satisfaction then sharing your talents with the world.

There you have it; a weekly guide to achieving becoming a person who is a cut above the rest. All it takes to succeed is to truly want self-improvement and then honestly look at yourself through the eyes of others.