(Free Test) Do you have mild, moderate or severe low self-esteem? Find out now.

If we have low self-esteem, we can usually feel it in ourselves. We just know.

You might realise that you

• Don’t speak up when you want to

• Are often holding yourself back from going after what you want

• Let people (even your loved ones) berate or talk to you in a way you don’t like

• Can’t say ‘No’ because you are afraid of hurting another person

But what is the degree of your low self-esteem?

If you have mild low self-esteem, that’s great - you have lesser issues to work with.

If we have moderate or severe low self-esteem, we will want to tweak our mindset and decisions we make daily.

The first step to changing ourselves is always self-awareness.

I’ve done my research and found a self-esteem test which is reliable AND easy to complete.

You will find out at the end of the quiz whether you

• a) have fairly good self-esteem (good for you!)

• b) mild low self-esteem

• c) moderate low self-esteem

• d) severe low self-esteem
  
  

Click the button below to do this convenient Sorensen Self-Esteem Test which only needs you to check boxes.

(No number scaling, no deep analytical thinking needed - which is a bonus in my books)

It will tally your results automatically at the bottom.

And voila! You will be more aware of your own self-esteem levels.

Don’t be alarmed if you find out that your self-esteem is much lower than you thought!

You can always receive a 5-Day ‘Be Pretty Confident’ Plan to heal low self-esteem when the Be Pretty Confident program kicks off in July!

(Free Printable) Set Healthy Boundaries Today

What inspired me to create this Set Healthy Boundaries Today printable?

Background story

I will share one incident where an acquaintance wanted to meet me for dinner.

I was agreeable to it, at first.

However, she set her rules: “I can meet only tomorrow at 8pm and I will only be free for 30 minutes. We are going to meet at ABC Mall and eat at XYZ restaurant.”

I was appalled! Isn’t this a friendly catch-up dinner?

I was not in the mood to go out the following day. Neither do I like eating at XYZ restaurant.

And no way am I going to gobble up food and chat for 30 minutes and run off.

So I texted back a ‘No’ and a diplomatic sentence. ;)

It felt good, actually.

When someone headbutts our boundaries, we may feel angry at first. Having the guts to refuse someone takes a lot of confidence.

I don’t deny that I feel guilty and terrible saying ‘No’ sometimes. (Hello, self esteem!)

However, if the thought of meeting someone fills us with dread or exhaustion, it’s best to shelve the meetup for another day.

My logic is: My friend deserves to chat with a better-mood version of myself. And I need to attend to my exhaustion too.

I hope my Set Healthy Boundaries Today printable will help you pinpoint your boundaries, name the people who push them and outline what you can do about it.

You can download it below. Hope it helps!

(Free Printable) Raise Your Self-Esteem Now

I was inspired to create this Raise Your Self-Esteem printable when I felt angry recently.

Someone overstepped my boundaries and I did not retaliate. I felt hurt, and it hurt my sense of self-worth a little.

Hence, I sketched out this printable to make me feel better. And bring up my self-esteem again.

I hope it helps you in times of distress as well. I will send it to your inbox:

I will create a more in-depth version of this printable soon so all of us can keep a healthy self-esteem when we feel wronged, hurt, angry, pissed-off, belittled…you name it. :D

See you around!

(Free Printable) How to Increase Self-Esteem Before an Important Event

I’m sure you have felt discouraged or some other negative emotion before an important event before.

You might have had a disagreement with a loved one, experienced a criticism or any event which caused your self-esteem to take a plunge.

In this video, I’ll share a fast way for you to boost your self-esteem so that you can be on your A-game during an important event even when you are experiencing a dip in confidence!

If you need the Success Log printable I mentioned in the vid, click below!

(Free Printable) 4 Strategies to Stay Motivated & Keep a Healthy Self-Esteem

Having more achievements is one fast and foolproof way to keep a high self-esteem.

As a counsellor, I know that self-esteem should come from WITHIN ourselves and not from outside influences such as ‘achievements’.

I choose to be realistic in here - many of us get a QUICK boost of self-esteem from outside influences such as having a high-flying position at work, making lots of money, even toting a Chanel handbag, looking good and so on.

So in this blog post, I’m working with the flow and giving you 4 real strategies to stay motivated at work and in your projects, grab more achievements and maintain a high self-esteem - the fast way.

It’s normal to feel like giving up and quitting. Even successful people - and people on their way to success - have felt like giving up. But they have strategies to handle their emotions.

I’ll be sharing 4 strategies to handle and control the feeling of wanting to give up. What should we do when we feel like giving up?

Let’s start.  

Point #1: Remember Why You Started.

I like to keep things simple. Take a pen and a piece of paper and write down: Why did I start?

Why did you start this project, this business or choose this work in the first place?

If you feel happier writing on a pretty piece of paper, you can download the Why Did I Start? printable below.

This exercise will give you a fresh wave of inspiration and motivation about your work.

Motivation will keep you going and makes you feel empowered. Keeps you focused on your goals too.

When you are motivated + focused + all fired up about your work, you will enjoy achievements here and there.

This will keep your self-esteem high.

Point #2:  Remember the Faces of People who Said You’ll Fail

Remember their faces. Remember their words.

Their negative words might sound like this:

“I’m sure that you will fail if you do this project / business.”

“I’ve already said this - you can’t do this project. Everything you’ve done before has been a failure. This is no different.”

“You are not good enough. Who are you? You are a nobody - nothing special.”

“Who do you think you are? You don’t have what it takes to be successful in this.”

Are you going to prove to these people that you are the loser that they think you are? Are you going to prove them right?

What’s worse is that we unknowingly entertain these people’s words sometimes. And ‘obey’ these people by taking half-hearted actions towards our projects.

Remember these people. Have a list of their names and toxic comments.

For example: “Person A has called me a bimbo behind my back and that I will amount to nothing.”

“Person B said I am not confident and not smart enough to start a business.”

If you want to write this list on a pretty printable, you can download one I’ve created for you.

You might be curious and wonder: “Why would these people say such toxic things about me?”

You can re-frame the situation by thinking this way: It’s their ‘job’ to gossip or put you down.

These (toxic) people have ‘jobs’ to do. Their role in our lives is to motivate us and be the fire in our bellies. And their ‘job’ is to push us  - real hard - with their taunts.

Let them do their ‘work’!

Whenever you hear a negative comment, taunt or gossip about you - be grateful because these people remember us and have us in their minds. That is why we have become the subject of their stories and their gossips.

Be thankful that they remember us - even with their hectic and busy schedules.

If you are strong enough, forgive them and wish them success too.

Point #3:  Mindset Shift: Challenges Help Us Reach Excellence.

When something bad happens to us, we might sigh and think:

“Why do I always have problems? Look at my friend. She doesn’t have problems. Her life is so easy. Always successful and always happy”  

We might not know that that friend of ours might have already gone through the same challenges we are going through.

She might choose not to share her challenges with others. Not everyone wants to share such stories.

Challenges help us reach excellence. We have to twist our mindset.

One suggestion is to stop asking “Why me?” and replace it with “Try me.”

Also, ask ourselves: What is the lesson we can learn behind this problem?

Point #4: Listen to Motivational Podcasts and Audio Books

An easy (and addictive) habit to pick up is to listen to positive podcasts during our daily commute or whilst doing chores.

Listen to motivational podcasts or audio books to bring you closer to achievements - or perhaps to just shift our mindsets to be more positive.

Listening to uplifting material everyday will seep into our subconscious minds, change our outlook on life and boost our self-esteem over time.

I have been listening to self-help audio books, and searching for powerful podcasts for millennial women. (Do you have any suggestions? Tell me your favourite podcasts in the comments section below!)

I hope these 4 strategies will help you control your emotions when you feel like giving up.

In short, the 4 strategies are:

1. Remember why you started

2. Remember the faces of people who said you’ll fail

3. Mindset shift: Challenges help us reach excellence

4. Listen to Motivational Podcasts and Audio Books

If you like this blog post, pin it on your Pinterest board!

Or download the How to Stay Motivated printable :)

All the best,

Shikah