I have a friend, let's call him Atticus, who I met at a retreat for aspiring filmmakers at USC in California. Atticus was a funny, intelligent, talented fellow, who seemed to know just how to behave in every situation, social and otherwise, and was consequently very popular. Somehow we became friends. Now, Atticus was the ideal example of someone striving to be a "better you" all the time. And he did it with class, too; you hardly noticed he was striving. I just want to mention one little anecdote that I think sums up the spirit of this article. One night we were all gathered in my dorm room, and Atticus was the center of the show as usual - not that he tried to be, he just was naturally - and we were all admiring his wit and verbal skills when suddenly he noticed a pack of playing cards lying out on a desk near where he was sitting. Casually, he reached out and took them, slid the cards from the box, and began shuffling them, in a desultory way, as he continued to joke and converse.

Now, remember, this article is all about being a better you. You want to be a better you; I want to be a better me; your wife or your girlfriend or your husband or your boyfriend wants you to be a better you; you boss wants you to be a better you; but again, to end where we started, you want to be a better you, and that's what counts most. All of the other good things will follow.

So, Atticus had the playing cards in his hands, and was shuffling them back and forth casually, no big deal, when suddenly - he transformed into a wizard. He didn't literally transform, but he might as well have. He performed card tricks that left us gasping. His dexterity with the cards took our breath away. He could fan them to their full extent in one direction, and then with a flick of his wrist reverse them, in a manner that my words simply can't do justice to.

This is an article about how to be a better you. You might be wondering at this point, what do card tricks have to do with this subject. Well, they don't, specifically. It's the principle I'm trying to elaborate; the feeling of what happened in that room. We all loved, admired and respected Atticus as much as was possible, we thought. We all considered him one of the most talented people we'd ever met. And then, without any fanfare, he displayed a new talent, that none of us had witnessed, that none of us had heard a word about, and the effect was just astonishing. He did it for our delight.

One way to think of being a better you might very well be taking something you've always been interested in, like magic or playing the guitar, and really going for it. And going for it in secret; without bragging to anyone, or calling attention to yourself. Such behavior is sure to take the wind out of your sails. No, the most effective way of being a better you in this regard is to go about improving some skill quietly. You don't have tell anyone about it for it to fill you with confidence. You'll know you're a better you in your heart, where such knowledge is most valuable, because it gives you the courage to be a better you in a myriad other ways. Consider, in your quest to be a better do, devoting a little time each day to practicing a skill you've long admired but never attempted because it seemed too hard, or your schedule was too full. You'd be shocked at how quickly one can pick up a skill such as the guitar. It's painful to start, sure, and for the first few months it won't seem as though you're heading in any direction but down. But keep at it, and it's written in stone that by year's end you'll be surprising and delighting your friends around the campfire with this new and better you.