Self-Talk Quiz: Are You Positive or Negative?

A Little Self-Talk Can Go A Long Way—Self-Talk Quiz

By Bill Fletcher

Here is a self quiz I received from Felicia.  I want to personally thank Felicia for contributing to the content of this post.

Let’s began by assessing you.  How do you handle small and big decisions or day-to-day issues?  Like most people we tend to “talk to ourselves”.  Things like, “I wish I didn’t do that” or “Maybe I could have handled that different”.  “Do I purchase that thing or not?”  “Does she or he like me?” Or a hundred other “voices”.

I was with a person just the other day and while we were visiting, he was actually talking to himself.  How do I know?  I could see it in his reactions and eyes. And just today I was walking outside.  Beautiful blue sky, 71 degrees and the air smelled sweet.  I talked to myself.  “Wow what a day, wish it was this way all the time”

What Type Of Voice Do You Hear?

So the question is: “When the voice in your head begins to chatter, what do you hear?” More importantly, how does it make you feel or your reaction?

We all have an inner discussion going on in our head. For some of us, it’s very chatty. It’s called “self-talk” and we have 100% control over the tone, volume & conversation. That’s great news because our self-talk plays a huge role in our feels, thoughts, moods, personal outlook and even behavior.

That self-talk can raise the roof on our enthusiasm or weigh you down to the deepest depths of loneliness and even depression.  Pretty powerful stuff, huh?

It’s like a motivation speaker who can get you very excited or some news story that can pull you down or cause a reaction.  The mind is an amazing thing.  You can choose to be positive or to be negative or anything in between.

Stacy Kaiser

I would like to introduce you to Stacy Kaiser.  Stacy is the author of “How To Be A Grown Up: The Ten Secret Skills Everyone Needs To Know.”

Stacy is a successful licensed psychotherapist, relationship expert and media personality.  She has said, “Those whose self-talk is mostly positive tend to be happier, more productive and have higher self-esteem. Those who are flooded with negative ruminations tend to be more depressed and angry, less productive, and have lower self-esteem.”

Stacy has a quiz to help you identify yourself.  I took the quiz and found that I am “happy” and “positive”.

Would you like a quick personal snap-shot? Run through this quiz that I borrowed from  Live Happy. This quiz will help you assess whether you are positive or negative.  You will find your results at the end of the quiz

Live Happy Quiz

There are 10 questions.  Read the question then write down the number (1 or 2) in each question.  This is the quiz from Live Happy or you can go to Live Happy here

Take the 10 question quiz: Important, write either 1 or 2

A.

1. If a friend cancels lunch with me at the last minute, I assume that person is angry with me even if he or she never said so.

OR

2. If a friend cancels lunch with me at the last minute, I imagine he or she is sorry because I am confident that friends enjoy my company.

B.

1. I tend to be hard on myself. I might be self-critical or overly judgmental about my appearance, behaviors or feelings.

OR

2. I tend to cut myself slack in difficult situations, and I try to accept my shortcomings and view them as opportunities for growth rather than flaws.

C.

1. If a friend is angry with me about something, I might think of even more things he or she might be angry about.

OR

2. When I have a conflict with someone, I think calming thoughts and remind myself that I am a good person and that things will be OK no matter what happens.

D.

1. I know my weaknesses and think about them often.

OR

2. I know my weaknesses, but try to focus on my strengths.

E.

1. I have been known to over think things to the point of upsetting myself unnecessarily.

OR

2.  I tend not to over think things because I feel comfortable and/or confident in my initial decisions.

F.

1. When I am challenged by adversity, I tend to feel hopeless and/or powerless.

OR

2. When I am challenged by adversity, I tend to feel strong and able to tackle the challenge.

G.

1. I don’t typically compliment myself, even privately or in my own mind.

OR

2. I am able to compliment myself and receive compliments.

H.

1. When I feel angry, sad or afraid, I panic because it’s hard to help myself feel better.

OR

2. When I feel angry, sad or afraid, I am OK with it because I know the tools to manage those feelings.

I.

1. If people could play a tape of my mind, they would be surprised that my thoughts are as negative as they are.

OR

2.  If people could play a tape of my mind, they would view me as a positive person.

J.

1. I am kinder to others than I am to myself.

OR

2. I am as kind or kinder to myself than I am to others.

Next, add up the numbers from your answers:

1–10: Your mind tends to be filled with an excessive amount of negative self-talk, which can be emotionally burdening. Try to work toward being nicer to yourself and making your thoughts more positive. Perhaps try to take extra time out to look for the good in yourself and in situations. Make an extra effort to listen to your self-talk so that you can identify what is causing the moments of dread or fear and attempt to shift your perspective and see things from a more objective point of view.

10-20: In general, you have good skills when it comes to positive thinking. You tend to be great at encouraging yourself and speaking to yourself in an affirmative and healthy way. When you hear yourself becoming negative, stop yourself and see if you can look at the situation (or judgment) from a different, more positive perspective.

– See more at: http://www.livehappy.com/self/quizzes/quiz-are-you-sabotaging-your-self-esteem#sthash.HxvcFZSY.dpuf

How’d it go …  Are you walking on clouds?

If you’re like most of us, your self-talk barometer bounces up and down.

If you find this post helpful, drop a comment below to share your thoughts. Also, click those social media buttons on the left or at the top and share this post with your friends.

Thanks for visiting

PS:  Whether you find yourself in the 1-10 or 1-20 group there is one common factor. Many of us talk to ourselves about how to improve our financial or health position.  We tend to talk about our job and relationships or our likes and dislikes.  The best part is that we can be positive or negative.  The choice is yours.  I prefer positive.