How High Is Your Self Esteem?
Are you your own cheerleader or your worst enemy? Your sense of self-worth and what you think about yourself determines a great many things. It shapes how you act and react, how others treat you, and what kind of people show up in your life. What’s your self-esteem quotient? Take this quiz and find out.
Please answer all questions before moving forward
1. When someone asks for your help, you most often:
- Stop and talk on the phone with that person for an hour
- Drop everything and hurry to help him or her
- Stick to your priorities and schedule a time to talk later
2. Your friends want to watch a new movie you don’t want to see. Do you:
- Let yourself be dragged to the movie but stew about it
- Tell them you’ll meet them after the movie
- Go with them anyway
3. When you work through your daily to-do list, you typically:
- Do something to nurture yourself only if all the other tasks are done
- Do at least one thing to nourish yourself during the day
- Don’t do anything for your own self-care
4. When someone compliments your appearance but you believe you’re having a bad-hair day, do you:
- Immediately object and say you don’t think you look good
- Smile but doubt that the other person is being honest
- Say, “Thank you. I appreciate that!”
5. If you’re faced with a challenging task with a tight timeline, you tend to:
- Feel helpless and give up
- Ask for help and guidance
- Do it yourself, even if you have to stay up all night
6. How do you react when a friend or family member doesn’t show up when agreed or breaks a promise? Do you:
- Act hurt the next time you see the person
- Let the other person know immediately that this behavior doesn’t work for me.
- Ignore it and assume you are the one who did something wrong
7.When a repairman does a sloppy job, you generally:
- Hesitate to confront him
- Ask a strong male partner or friend to contact the person
- Tell him you are not happy and you want it corrected right away
8.In a meeting, if a co-worker disagrees with you in front of everyone, you tend to:
- Roll your eyes while he or she is talking
- Speak up to correct misconceptions and give facts to support your case
- Slump down in your chair and wish you could disappear
9.When in a room with a mirror, you tend to:
- Frown at your image and quickly turn away
- Smile and give yourself a mental hug
- Obsess about the details of how you look
10.When you and your partner disagree about what to do on vacation, you:
- Toss a coin and grumble if you lose
- Make sure both of your needs are met during the trip
- Go along with what your partner prefers to do
11. A big project is finally over. The next day you:
- Indulge in overeating something that’s not good for you
- Reward yourself by celebrating in a meaningful, uplifting way
- Think about all the things you could have done better
12. When you make a mistake, you usually:
- Take action to correct the situation and move on
- Pick up the phone and talk it over for a long time with friends
- Criticize yourself and worry about what will happen for days
13. How do you make important decisions?
- You worry and often can’t make up your mind
- Call all your friends and get their opinions
- Spend time alone to tune in to what your heart says
14. A job you’ve always wanted opens up. You:
- Do nothing because you’re afraid you’re not good enough
- Grab the application and fill it out immediately
- Take a month to evaluate the pros and cons
15. When the food you ordered at a restaurant is cold and overcooked, you:
- Eat it and then complain to the waiter when the bill comes
- Flag down the waiter and ask for a different dish—pronto!
- Eat it anyway so you don’t embarrass anyone
Based on your answers, which statement best reflects your self-esteem:
You are doing great! Keep up the good work!
Congratulations. You’ve learned the importance of respecting yourself and drawing appropriate boundaries. You are the king or queen of your own castle and a good example to others of what it means to have a high sense of self-esteem.
You Are not getting all you deserve out of life.
You could benefit by being honest about how you are feeling and then asserting yourself in healthy ways. Don’t be afraid to ask for support when you need it too. By taking those steps, you’ll begin to feel more confident, energized, and fulfilled.
You Are in need of a self-esteem boost.
Self-doubts are holding you back. You are aware of your feelings but still tend to be shy about taking firm action to stand up for yourself. Learn to respect and express your own needs and desires and you could be an inspiration for others.