I guess my most productive self-help idea was when, 5-8 years ago, just after the new millenium and my 50th birthday (I was born in 1950 :-) etc. I did the exercise where one is "older" (I picked 85 as that's about the "average" my grandparents/ancestors lived to) and looking back over one's life to see what one would "regret."

I realized then that though I had changed majors in college, in 1971, and gotten a degree in a different subject, I still loved my original subject that I'd wanted to major in. I questioned, in my "regret" thinking, "What happened with my love of _______?"

I began to do some research and found my current school has/had the same course that frightened me into changes majors then and that, since it had been 30+ years, I was no longer the frightened, inhibited person I was at 30 so I decided to take that course and see what I could see. I did, got an "A," loved the course, and decided to get a second degree in that major. I made up a tentative plan then and I graduate in 4-5 weeks now :-) with a degree in that major, my original love since high school.

There were many additional benefits to this idea/plan; my school is 100% online so a great deal of writing and I have always loved to write and research and so I have been truly enjoying my courses from that aspect also and realizing how my 30+ years experience in life has affected me and truly been "My" life and how it has all fit together well. Too, I was a mediocre student 30+ years ago but now I get straight A's so, while there was no hope of my going to graduate school back then ever, now I could if I desired.

The added confidence following through on this idea has given me have only added to my self-esteem and life as a whole :-)