Book excerpt: We can get through life the easy way or the hard way. It seems most of us are trying the hard way. Yet we know people who seem to sail through life. What is it that they do differently? This is an introduction to the VitalSkills(TM) employed by those who seem to make life look easy. The skills taught within the field of Personal Development are often referred to as "soft skills". We call these "soft skills" VitalSkills(TM). Those who study these skills are looking for more in life. Human-beings have an infinite capacity for greatness. And that greatness manifests itself in an infinite number of ways in response to challenges and opportunities. The extent to which we fulfil our potential, i.e. overcome challenges and take advantage of opportunities, depends largely on our Self Esteem or Self Image. Having so far studied Personal Development for over 15 years, and read over 200 books, Alistair & Sue set out to identify, clarify and simplify the main concepts and skills they were taught.