We strive for success. We want to be satisfied with our relationships, home, education, and careers. How we function as parents, professionals, students, and children is influenced by factors within us and outside of us. These factors result from a delicate interaction between our inherited traits, previous experiences and current circumstances. It is sometimes challenging to identify which of these factors optimize or interfere with our functioning. Our success depends on being aware of these factors, learning how to regulate their influence and ultimately learning how these factors influence our relationship with ourselves.