Self-talk assessment

How healthy is your self-talk?

We all have an inner voice in our heads. It’s like a running commentary on its favorite subject: you.

All day long, your inner voice is giving you positive messages (“Nice work!”) or negative ones (“Terrible!”) about what you’re doing, what you’ve done and what you can (or can’t) do. These messages can make you feel good – or bad – about your looks, abilities, decisions and relationships.

Positive self-talk focuses on your strengths. Negative self-talk focuses on your weaknesses. How much positive or negative self-talk do you give yourself? Find out in the quiz below.

Choose one answer for each question below. Your answers are confidential and for your own use.

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1. If I’m assigned a challenging task…

a. I put off starting it because I’m worried I’ll mess it up

b. I just get to work on it

c. I’m concerned about how others will judge my work but I give it a try

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2. When it comes to job performance…

a. I always feel someone else can do a better job than I can

b. I know I’m good at what I do

c. I’m nervous about my work product but I do my best

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3. In a meeting…

a. I don’t speak up because I’m concerned I’ll say something stupid

b. I make valuable suggestions

c. I speak at times although it can make me uneasy

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4. After I speak in a meeting…

a. I call myself an “idiot” in my head

b. I feel good about my contribution

c. I’m uneasy about how others will respond to my idea

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5. When I succeed…

a. I think it’s an accident

b. I’m proud of myself

c. I wonder if my success will last

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6. If anything goes wrong…

a. I feel I’m to blame even if I wasn’t directly involved

b. I feel disappointed

c. I wait to see if I’ll get in trouble for it

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7. Thinking ahead…

a. I’m certain I’m going to fail and lose everything I have

b. I see a bright future

c. I hope I can make it but I’m not all that sure

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8. If people could see through me…

a. They’d see that I’m a total fake and fraud

b. They’d know that I’m a good person

c. I’m not sure what they’d think

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9. At work…

a. I feel like the weakest link on my team

b. I do a better job than most people I know

c. I usually do an “okay” job on most things

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10. If I had to sum up my feelings about myself, I’d say…

a.I’m ashamed of myself

b. I know I have weaknesses, but overall I feel like a strong, worthy person

c. I don’t have a real handle on myself

Add up the number of "A," "B" and "C" answers you have.

Once you have those numbers, click the "Check your score" button below.