- How long have you been working on the same issues, be they in the area of your career, health, intimate relationships, or finances?
- A. Less than twelve months
- B. One to three years
- C. More than five years
- D. More than ten years
- 2. In the past twelve months, how many times have you misplaced something important, gotten a traffic ticket, had an accident, or destroyed something of value?
- A. None
- B. Once or twice
- C. More than five times
- D. More than ten times
- 3. How often do you feel phony, inauthentic, or find that it takes a lot of effort to get people to perceive you in a certain way?
- A. All the time
- B. Occasionally
- C. Almost never
- D. Never
- 4. If your friends, coworkers, and family members were interviewed, would they say that you complain…
- A. Seldom to never
- B. Maybe once a day
- C. Frequently
- D. All the time
- 5. In the past twelve months, how many times have you said something or done something that you later regretted, whether immediately or over time?
- A. None
- B. Once or twice
- C. More than five times
- D. More than ten times
- 6. After you’ve achieved a personal goal—reached your desired weight, paid off your credit cards, organized your home or office, etc.—which of the following emotions are you more likely to experience?
- A. Relieved that you made it but wary that you may backslide into old behaviors
- B. Entitled—you deserve a reward for all your hard work!
- C. Inspired by your success and committed to keeping up the good work
- D. Resentful that you had to work so hard in the first place
- 7. How often do you notice yourself feeling inadequate, not good enough, unloved, or unworthy?
- A. All the time
- B. Occasionally
- C. Almost never
- D. Never
- 8. On a scale of 1–10, how willing are you to speak your truth, even if it runs contrary to the opinions of others?
- A. 8–10; I am very willing to speak my truth.
- B. 5–7; Most of the time I am willing to speak my truth.
- C. 3–5; I am occasionally willing to speak my truth.
- D. 1–2; I am almost never willing to speak my truth.
- 9. What is the primary focus of your life right now?
- A. Advancing your career, improving your health, building wealth, or deepening your relationships
- B. Managing strained relationships or “putting out fires” at work and at home
- C. Making measurable progress toward your goals over a reasonable period of time
- D. Trying to avert or avoid immediate disaster in the area of your finances, relationships, health, or career
- 10. What percentage of the time can you count on yourself to keep your word and uphold your promises—whether to yourself or to another?
- A. Less than 10%
- B. Less than 25%
- C. About 50%
- D. Most of the time
- 11. How much time each day do you spend gossiping—whether talking about someone you know, reading tabloids, or watching gossip TV?
- A. None
- B. Less than one hour a day
- C. More than one hour a day
- D. More than three hours a day
- 12. Which of the following statements would you use to describe your life?
- A. Most of the time, things work out fairly easily for me.
- B. I have many talents and gifts, but do not use them to their fullest potential.
- C. I am riddled by bad luck and find myself in one bad situation after another.
- D. I have to work hard just to maintain the status quo.
- 13. How much time a day do you spend working toward your long-term goals?
- A. None
- B. Less than twenty minutes per day
- C. An hour or more per day
- D. You have no long-term goals
- 14. How frequently do you feel mistreated, misunderstood, or taken advantage of—in either your personal or professional life?
- A. Every day
- B. Frequently
- C. Occasionally
- D. Seldom to never
- 15. When asked to do something that you have no interest in doing, you are most likely to…
- A. Say no with a clear conscience
- B. Say no but feel guilty about it
- C. Say yes but not follow through
- D. Say yes, do it, but feel resentful about it
- 16. Imagine that your life is a house with many rooms—some you like, some you feel ashamed of. How many people do you allow to see all of your rooms?
- A. Nobody
- B. One significant person—a spouse, lover, best friend, parent, etc.
- C. A small handful of people know me that well
- D. There are many people in my life who know me that well
- 17. When you feel hurt by someone or something, what do you tend to do?
- A. Keep it to yourself
- B. Reflect, forgive, and move on
- C. Confront the situation head-on
- D. Talk about it to everyone but the person involved
- 18. When you get an impulse or an idea about how to improve some aspect of your life, what do you do?
- A. Ignore it completely
- B. Take a few steps in the right direction but rarely see the project through to the finish line
- C. Tell yourself that “I’ll get to it one of these days”
- D. Create a support structure around yourself to ensure that you take action
- 19. The last time you found yourself with a block of unexpected free time, what did you do?
- A. Squandered it by catalog shopping, watching TV, or surfing the Internet
- B. Used the opportunity to move forward on an important project
- C. Relaxed and rejuvenated yourself by taking a nap, meditating, or reading
- D. Your life is so hectic that you can’t recall an occasion when you had an unexpected block of free time
- 20. When you make a mistake, what are you most likely to do?
- A. Be gentle with yourself and resolve to do things differently in the future
- B. Put things in perspective by acknowledging yourself for what you did right
- C. Fall into a downward spiral of self-criticism
- D. Interpret your misstep as evidence that you are incompetent, and stop trying
CALCULATING YOUR SCORE:
Below, circle which answer you chose for each question.
Question 1
A = 1, B = 3, C = 5, D = 8
Question 2
A = 1, B = 3, C = 5, D = 8
Question 3
A = 5, B = 3, C = 1, D = 0
Question 4
A = 0, B = 1, C = 3, D = 5
Question 5
A = 0, B = 1, C = 3, D = 5
Question 6
A = 0, B = 5, C = 0, D = 3
Question 7
A = 5, B = 3, C = 1, D = 0
Question 8
A = 0, B = 1, C = 3, D = 5
Question 9
A = 0, B = 3, C = 0, D = 5
Question 10
A = 8, B = 5, C = 3, D = 1
Question 11
A = 0, B = 3, C = 5, D = 8
Question 12
A = 0, B = 3, C = 5, D = 3
Question 13
A = 5, B = 3, C = 0, D = 5
Question 14
A = 5, B = 3, C = 1, D = 0
Question 15
A = 0, B = 3, C = 3, D = 5
Question 16
A = 5, B = 3, C = 1, D = 0
Question 17
A = 5, B = 0, C = 1, D = 5
Question 18
A = 5, B = 3, C = 3, D = 0
Question 19
A = 5, B = 0, C = 0, D = 3
Question 20
A = 0, B = 0, C = 5, D = 5
Total Score = ___________ (calculate by adding up the answers you circled)
Then turn to the next page to discover how the shadow effect is at work in your own life.
THE SHADOW EFFECT ASSESSMENT:
If you scored 3–37 points: You are in the neutral zone, which means that you are free (for now) from many of the internal beliefs and wounds that give rise to destructive behaviors caused by your shadow. You have high self-esteem, your actions are closely aligned with your values, and you are most likely making great forward progress toward your long-term goals. Keep on loving and listening to yourself.
If you scored 38–75 points: You may not be experiencing the full weight and impact of the shadow at this moment, but you are likely expending a lot of effort to repress and hide parts of yourself and your life that you do not like. The energy you are using to keep things from spinning out of control—whether at work, at home, or with your health and well-being—would be put to better use if it were directed toward achieving your goals and desires.
If you scored 76–112 points: Either you spend a lot of time and energy trying to manage other people’s opinions of you, or you are deeply resigned about the conditions of your life. This is the shadow at work and it paralyzes you from taking corrective actions. If left unchecked, the internal chaos you are experiencing may lead you on a crash course for disaster. The good news, however, is that every act of self-sabotage presents an opportunity to awaken you to what is truly important. Open your heart, explore the shadow, and you’ll begin to see how your deepest pain, when digested and understood, is designed to lead you to your greatest destiny.
Shadow work is the work of the heart warrior. If you’re ready for more love, more peace, more satisfaction, and more success, visit us at www.TheShadowEffect.com.