Are you vain?

Very well said!

You need a considerable amount of self-esteem and a healthy self-image to help you move around with ease and confidence. Checking on the mirror too often and making excessive efforts to impress are signs that you are obsessed with how you look. Showing off what you have accumulated and bragging about them indicate that you are conceited.

This stuck-up attitude is stressful because you are trying too hard. Your smugness can result in people judging you as shallow. And your self-centeredness is the easiest route to lose friends, respect and influence. It can turn you into a lonely person in the long run.

If you are aware that you are vain and want to get rid of it and change, try to study those who are humble.

• Smart people don't boast about what they possess or have achieved. They don't need to seek attention or expect approval. Yet others notice and acknowledge them. People will seek them out to listen and learn.

• Superior people don't compare themselves to others. Instead they look at their strengths and acknowledge their weaknesses. They measure their performances against their potentials. And they look for ways to improve for personal satisfaction.

You should remind yourself of your success and remember your proud moments. They are triggers that can help you. But remember that people are not interested in you. They are more interested in themselves. Applaud and acknowledge your accomplishments only to yourself.

You must differentiate between being proud of yourself and being egotistical. If you want to look good because it makes you feel good, then do it. If you think plastic surgery is the answer, go ahead. If wearing designers' clothes is a way to reward your efforts, then wear them. The reasons should be personal.

When you feel the urge to flaunt your toys or accumulations, pause for a moment and ask what it is you are trying to accomplish.

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