If marketers are to be believed, then building your self esteem is an outside job - but it's not and I[m going to tell you why, and give you 3 powerful tips to solve your confidence problems. So, you buy expensive and fashionable clothes, the right make-up and perfume, you live at the right address, drive a nice car and hang out with the right people. Oh and let's not forget you have the right size and body shape. There, I think that should just about do it. Oh and one more thing - did I mention that being rich and famous won't do any harm either?

Well it all sounds so enticing, and if that's the case, why are so many of the beautiful, rich and famous have-it-alls such basket cases? How come even with the world at their feet, and leading glamorous and apparently desirable lives it seems to me they're a pretty insecure bunch and many of them would benefit from building their self esteem.

Why isn't it enough to have it all?

I'm sure it's nice to be pretty and have resources but why isn't that enough? What don't they have enough of? The answer is that building self esteem is an inside job. It doesn't start with possessions or how you look, it starts with how you feel about yourself on the inside. Exterior stuff can help but it's only going to be a temporary fix.

But when you tackle building self esteem from the inside out, one step at a time, then it can bring you a much more permanent peace of mind. Take these three steps:

Ignore what you have and all the exterior things you measure your worth by. Then look yourself squarely in the mirror and ask yourself what attributes you have to value. Is it your sense of humor? Your passion for living? Your kindness? Make the longest list you can and look at them often.

TIP 1.
Use the 'Act as if' principle. Ask yourself, if you were the most confident person in the world, how would you be different? How would you walk? Talk? How would you hold your head and what look would people see in your eyes? Practice acting as if you have all the confidence in the world.

TIP 2
Practice affirmations for confidence. State them in the first person and in the present tense as if what you're saying is already a reality.

TIP 3
And no matter was remember that you're an incredible and unique human being and that no-one can take your place and fill your place in the world.

Cari Corbet-Owen, Clinical Psychologist and author of 'The Joy-Filled Body' and 'Mind over Fatter.' Visit http://www.ditch-diets-live-light.com to sign up for free 'All Natural weight loss tips' tips. To do a powerful 3 minute daily esteem-building visualization exercise go to: http://www.ditch-diets-live-light.com/visualization-exercises.html