Instructions
Read the following carefully because this is rather an unusual quiz. First, we'll start with the answers (we said it was unusual). Here they are:
FANTASTIC
GREAT
GOOD
OK
INADEQUATE / BAD
AWFUL
ABSOLUTELY TERRIBLE
Choose one of the above answers to complete each of the statements in the six sections below... (Don't worry about the score boxes yet - scoring is done later.)
LOVE AND SEX
•When we go out, my partner makes me feel...
•My sex life is ...
•My man is ... in bed
•In bed, he makes me feel...
•Generally, as a person, he is...
• As a couple, we are...
Total score:
If you haven't got a partner (i.e. boyfriend or husband) but would desperately like to be involved in an intimate relationship, put the number 36 in the total score box. If you haven't got a boyfriend and are totally happy about it, put the number 0 in the total score box.
FRIENDS
•Most of my friends are...
• My best friend is...
• When I go out with friends, I usually feel...
• When I see my friends every night for a week, I feel ...
• Most of the time, my social life is...
• When I last went out with friends, I had a/an ... time
Total score:
FAMILY
•My childhood was...
• Memories of my family as a whole are...
• My parent/s was/were ... most of the time
•These days, I think my family are...
• When I spend time with them, they make me feel...
• Compared to other families, mine seems ...
Total score:
HEALTH
•Generally, I feel...
• In the mornings, I feel...
• After I've run up four flights of stairs, I feel...
• If I go out three nights in a row, I look...
• If I gave up drinking alcohol for a month, I'd feel...
• After a swim, my body feels...
Total score:
WORK
•The job I'm doing now is...
• When I put my mind to it, the work I turn out is...
• My salary is ...
• Compared to my friends' jobs, mine seems a/an .... job
•My friends and family think I've got a/an .... job
•My chances of promotion are...
Total score:
If you haven't got a job, but would desperately like one, put the number 36 in the total score box. If you haven't got a job and are totally happy about it, put the number 0 in the total score box.
SELF-IMAGE
•My hair looks...
• Naked, my body looks...
• First thing in the morning, I look...
• When I'm all made up and dressed up to go out, I feel...
• My clothes are...
• Without make-up, I look and feel...
Total score:
HOME
•The town/city/village in which I live is...
•The night life here is...
•When I look out of my window, the view makes me feel...
•My room/flat/house is...
•I think the world is a/an place...
•I think the saying "home is where the heart is" is...
Total score:
SCORING
0 points for every FANTASTIC
1 point for every GREAT
2 points for every GOOD
3 points for every OK
4 points for every INADEQUATE/BAD
5 points for every AWFUL
6 points for every ABSOLUTELY TERRIBLE
Add up the scores in each section and enter that figure in the total score box at the end of each section.
Which section has the highest score? The section with the highest score is the area of your life, which needs improving most.
If your lowest score fell in the LOVE & SEX section, here are a few suggested New Year resolutions:
• "I resolve to get myself a new lover..." or at least give the old one a good kick up the behind!
• "I resolve to learn to believe in myself." Love what's good about yourself, play down your bad point. Once you believe in yourself, you'll attract the right sort of partner, or encourage the one you've got to appreciate you more. If your partner is constantly putting you down, let him know how hurtful you're finding this. If he refuses to stop, you should seriously consider leaving him: Constant battering and damage of your self-esteem is a far more scary prospect than life without a man who clearly doesn't love and respect you anyway.
• "I resolve to do something constructive about my unsatisfactory sex-life." If you feel your relationship's worth hanging onto, but that your sex-life leaves a lot to be desired, you should consider seeing a sex therapist. Ideally, you should go with your man, but even going on your own to begin with would be a step in the right direction. If you're dissatisfied with your sex-life due to the fact you haven't got a sexual partner, you need to concentrate on learning to love yourself (see the previous resolution).
If your lowest score fell in the FRIENDS section, here are a few suggested New Year resolutions:
• "I resolve to look within myself before I end any friendships... because my friends are entirely to blame for the lull in my social life."
• "I resolve to make an effort to improve my friendships." There are many ways you can go about doing this. Here are a few suggestions... Maybe, with certain friends, you could do more listening and less talking - you'll learn a lot and may find that your friends will really begin to appreciate you and enjoy your company more. Maybe you could try to be more thoughtful where your friends are concerned and not take them for granted so much. OK, so maybe they're not always the most exciting people in the world, but try to curb any thoughtlessness by thinking carefully before you criticise anyone or comment on anything. Being bitchy can create problems too. Instead of pointing out people's bad points to others - which is an amazingly easy and not very clever thing to do - try to comment on the nice things about them. You'll be surprised how good you feel after complimenting someone - whether it's to their face or behind their back.
• "I resolve to make my own entertainment." Sitting around wondering why your social life is lacking, waiting for your friends to come up with the answers, isn't going to keep you entertained. Organise a few nights out youself, go somewhere different, or have the occasional party yourself if your funds can stretch to it.
• "I resolve to find new ways of making friends." Because the way you've been doing it in the past hasn't really worked, has it? You might have made some friends, but they're not really the sort of people you want to spend time with. Try to make friends this year by inviting people you like round to your place (see previous resolution), or by taking up a hobby that genuinely interests you, during which time you're bound to come across people with great mate-potential.
If your lowest score fell in the HEALTH section, here are a few suggested New Year resolutions:
• "I resolve to eat properly." Your diet is probably not as wholesome as it should be. Try to eat regular, balanced meals... and cut down on the junk food.
• "I resolve to exercise more regularly." Swimming is always a good all-round sport to take up. OK, so it's hard - especially at this time of year - to haul yourself out of bed and go for a swim before work, but once you've swum a few lengths, you'll feel brilliant for the rest of the day. But you'll have to try it to believe it. Counteract the chlorine in the water if you go to a pool, though, by conditioning your hair and moisturising your skin as soon as you're dry.
• "I resolve to give up one bad health habit." That could be smoking, eating junk food, or eating and drinking anything that's known to be bad for you (i.e., fatty foods, sugary foods, alcohol, coffee, and fizzy drinks).
• "I resolve to get my life into perspective..." because getting all stressed up over minor problems can actually make you ill. Step back, take a deep breath and try to view any setbacks objectively... and keep yourself sane and healthy in the process.
• "I resolve to sleep as much as I need." What's the point in sitting up all night, when you could be tucked up in bed? OK, so it may seem boring going to bed when there's an excellent late-night horror film on television, but just think how you'll feel in the morning if you do stay up to watch it. If you don't get the z's you need, you'll feel terrible, be more prone to catching colds and viruses, your work will go rapidly downhill, you'll become irritable with your friends - in fact, almost every area of your life will suffer. So take heed!
• "I resolve not to let myself become bored." Being bored can often be mistaken for tiredness, so if you always make sure you've got plenty of interesting things to do and think about - without overdoing it of course - you may, ironically, find yourself feeling less tired than if you just slob around doing nothing at all!
• "I resolve to have regular check-ups with my GP/health practitioner..." or at least I'll make an appointment as soon as I'm feeling rough.
-
If your lowest score fell in the WORK section, here are a few suggested New Year resolutions:
"I will change direction." I will make a determined effort to study a new subject and/or change direction in my career at the first opportunity. Don't wait too long for this opportunity to happen though - you may have to make your own.
• "I resolve to make the most of my job for the time being." Do this by getting more organised. If this means having to write lists, timetables and schedules, then do it - it'll help you to see things in a less jumbled, more straightforward way. Once you know what has to be done, you can work out jobs in order of priority, instead of just pushing them to the back of your mind and hoping they'll go away. Try to be as efficient as possible and your work will be less unbearable.
• "I resolve to put more effort into my work..." even if you hate it! No matter what job you're doing, there's absolutely no point doing it half-heartedly. By being more enthusiastic, concentrating harder, you can learn to enjoy what's good about it, and try to change what's bad about it.
If your lowest score fell in the HOME section, here are a few suggested New Year resolutions:
• "I resolve to make the most of my surroundings..." by improving them in whatever way I can. If you've got a bit slovenly about tidying, have an early spring clean. Or get your decorating overalls on and give your most lived-in room a New Year's slap of paint.
"I resolve not to be so negative." Stop concentrating on all the awful aspects of your surroundings - it's not going to make it any better.
If your lowest score fell in the SELF IMAGE section, here are a few suggested New Year resolutions:
"I will try to believe that the way I see myself is almost definitely not the way other people see me." Because you are your own worst critic - and you should stop being so unfair on yourself. You deserve better.
"I resolve to stop being so self-critical." (See previous resolution.)
• "I resolve to get a brilliant new haircut." And from this year on, you will have no more bad-hair days. Hurrah!
• "I resolve to keep my clothes looking good." And that means regular washing, ironing and mending. Set aside some time for mending all those clothes you wear even though the hem's hanging down or there's a button missing. Once you've done that, make a point of mending them as soon as they need mending.
And chuck out holey tights and greying knickers - they're enough to make a Supermodel feel dowdy!
• "I resolve to keep my wardrobe tidy." If you always have trouble finding what you're looking for in that bottomless pit known as your wardrobe, it's time for a clear out. Give all the clothes you never wear to charity shops, or organise a fund-raising event yourself and send the proceeds to a charity of your choice. After the clear out, if you still can't keep it tidy, resolve to have a "hanging and folding" session every couple of weeks.
If your lowest score fell in the FAMILY section, here are a few suggested New Year resolutions:
"I resolve to get counselling to help me come to terms with a family problem." There's probably a lot gone unsaid between you and your family (or maybe a particular member of your family). If you feel, it'd be too difficult to broach the subject face to face, maybe you could seek professional help.
• "I resolve to see my family more." Maybe your lack of understanding comes purely from a lack of contact. Maybe you've all lost touch with each other. if you want to re-establish that contact, you must make more of an effort to spend time with them.
• "I resolve to be more honest with my family." If you've spent a lifetime hiding your feelings from them, this won't be easy. Refer to the two previous resolutions (above) for further advice.
Read the following carefully because this is rather an unusual quiz. First, we'll start with the answers (we said it was unusual). Here they are:
FANTASTIC
GREAT
GOOD
OK
INADEQUATE / BAD
AWFUL
ABSOLUTELY TERRIBLE
Choose one of the above answers to complete each of the statements in the six sections below... (Don't worry about the score boxes yet - scoring is done later.)
LOVE AND SEX
•When we go out, my partner makes me feel...
•My sex life is ...
•My man is ... in bed
•In bed, he makes me feel...
•Generally, as a person, he is...
• As a couple, we are...
Total score:
If you haven't got a partner (i.e. boyfriend or husband) but would desperately like to be involved in an intimate relationship, put the number 36 in the total score box. If you haven't got a boyfriend and are totally happy about it, put the number 0 in the total score box.
FRIENDS
•Most of my friends are...
• My best friend is...
• When I go out with friends, I usually feel...
• When I see my friends every night for a week, I feel ...
• Most of the time, my social life is...
• When I last went out with friends, I had a/an ... time
Total score:
FAMILY
•My childhood was...
• Memories of my family as a whole are...
• My parent/s was/were ... most of the time
•These days, I think my family are...
• When I spend time with them, they make me feel...
• Compared to other families, mine seems ...
Total score:
HEALTH
•Generally, I feel...
• In the mornings, I feel...
• After I've run up four flights of stairs, I feel...
• If I go out three nights in a row, I look...
• If I gave up drinking alcohol for a month, I'd feel...
• After a swim, my body feels...
Total score:
WORK
•The job I'm doing now is...
• When I put my mind to it, the work I turn out is...
• My salary is ...
• Compared to my friends' jobs, mine seems a/an .... job
•My friends and family think I've got a/an .... job
•My chances of promotion are...
Total score:
If you haven't got a job, but would desperately like one, put the number 36 in the total score box. If you haven't got a job and are totally happy about it, put the number 0 in the total score box.
SELF-IMAGE
•My hair looks...
• Naked, my body looks...
• First thing in the morning, I look...
• When I'm all made up and dressed up to go out, I feel...
• My clothes are...
• Without make-up, I look and feel...
Total score:
HOME
•The town/city/village in which I live is...
•The night life here is...
•When I look out of my window, the view makes me feel...
•My room/flat/house is...
•I think the world is a/an place...
•I think the saying "home is where the heart is" is...
Total score:
SCORING
0 points for every FANTASTIC
1 point for every GREAT
2 points for every GOOD
3 points for every OK
4 points for every INADEQUATE/BAD
5 points for every AWFUL
6 points for every ABSOLUTELY TERRIBLE
Add up the scores in each section and enter that figure in the total score box at the end of each section.
Which section has the highest score? The section with the highest score is the area of your life, which needs improving most.
If your lowest score fell in the LOVE & SEX section, here are a few suggested New Year resolutions:
• "I resolve to get myself a new lover..." or at least give the old one a good kick up the behind!
• "I resolve to learn to believe in myself." Love what's good about yourself, play down your bad point. Once you believe in yourself, you'll attract the right sort of partner, or encourage the one you've got to appreciate you more. If your partner is constantly putting you down, let him know how hurtful you're finding this. If he refuses to stop, you should seriously consider leaving him: Constant battering and damage of your self-esteem is a far more scary prospect than life without a man who clearly doesn't love and respect you anyway.
• "I resolve to do something constructive about my unsatisfactory sex-life." If you feel your relationship's worth hanging onto, but that your sex-life leaves a lot to be desired, you should consider seeing a sex therapist. Ideally, you should go with your man, but even going on your own to begin with would be a step in the right direction. If you're dissatisfied with your sex-life due to the fact you haven't got a sexual partner, you need to concentrate on learning to love yourself (see the previous resolution).
If your lowest score fell in the FRIENDS section, here are a few suggested New Year resolutions:
• "I resolve to look within myself before I end any friendships... because my friends are entirely to blame for the lull in my social life."
• "I resolve to make an effort to improve my friendships." There are many ways you can go about doing this. Here are a few suggestions... Maybe, with certain friends, you could do more listening and less talking - you'll learn a lot and may find that your friends will really begin to appreciate you and enjoy your company more. Maybe you could try to be more thoughtful where your friends are concerned and not take them for granted so much. OK, so maybe they're not always the most exciting people in the world, but try to curb any thoughtlessness by thinking carefully before you criticise anyone or comment on anything. Being bitchy can create problems too. Instead of pointing out people's bad points to others - which is an amazingly easy and not very clever thing to do - try to comment on the nice things about them. You'll be surprised how good you feel after complimenting someone - whether it's to their face or behind their back.
• "I resolve to make my own entertainment." Sitting around wondering why your social life is lacking, waiting for your friends to come up with the answers, isn't going to keep you entertained. Organise a few nights out youself, go somewhere different, or have the occasional party yourself if your funds can stretch to it.
• "I resolve to find new ways of making friends." Because the way you've been doing it in the past hasn't really worked, has it? You might have made some friends, but they're not really the sort of people you want to spend time with. Try to make friends this year by inviting people you like round to your place (see previous resolution), or by taking up a hobby that genuinely interests you, during which time you're bound to come across people with great mate-potential.
If your lowest score fell in the HEALTH section, here are a few suggested New Year resolutions:
• "I resolve to eat properly." Your diet is probably not as wholesome as it should be. Try to eat regular, balanced meals... and cut down on the junk food.
• "I resolve to exercise more regularly." Swimming is always a good all-round sport to take up. OK, so it's hard - especially at this time of year - to haul yourself out of bed and go for a swim before work, but once you've swum a few lengths, you'll feel brilliant for the rest of the day. But you'll have to try it to believe it. Counteract the chlorine in the water if you go to a pool, though, by conditioning your hair and moisturising your skin as soon as you're dry.
• "I resolve to give up one bad health habit." That could be smoking, eating junk food, or eating and drinking anything that's known to be bad for you (i.e., fatty foods, sugary foods, alcohol, coffee, and fizzy drinks).
• "I resolve to get my life into perspective..." because getting all stressed up over minor problems can actually make you ill. Step back, take a deep breath and try to view any setbacks objectively... and keep yourself sane and healthy in the process.
• "I resolve to sleep as much as I need." What's the point in sitting up all night, when you could be tucked up in bed? OK, so it may seem boring going to bed when there's an excellent late-night horror film on television, but just think how you'll feel in the morning if you do stay up to watch it. If you don't get the z's you need, you'll feel terrible, be more prone to catching colds and viruses, your work will go rapidly downhill, you'll become irritable with your friends - in fact, almost every area of your life will suffer. So take heed!
• "I resolve not to let myself become bored." Being bored can often be mistaken for tiredness, so if you always make sure you've got plenty of interesting things to do and think about - without overdoing it of course - you may, ironically, find yourself feeling less tired than if you just slob around doing nothing at all!
• "I resolve to have regular check-ups with my GP/health practitioner..." or at least I'll make an appointment as soon as I'm feeling rough.
-
If your lowest score fell in the WORK section, here are a few suggested New Year resolutions:
"I will change direction." I will make a determined effort to study a new subject and/or change direction in my career at the first opportunity. Don't wait too long for this opportunity to happen though - you may have to make your own.
• "I resolve to make the most of my job for the time being." Do this by getting more organised. If this means having to write lists, timetables and schedules, then do it - it'll help you to see things in a less jumbled, more straightforward way. Once you know what has to be done, you can work out jobs in order of priority, instead of just pushing them to the back of your mind and hoping they'll go away. Try to be as efficient as possible and your work will be less unbearable.
• "I resolve to put more effort into my work..." even if you hate it! No matter what job you're doing, there's absolutely no point doing it half-heartedly. By being more enthusiastic, concentrating harder, you can learn to enjoy what's good about it, and try to change what's bad about it.
If your lowest score fell in the HOME section, here are a few suggested New Year resolutions:
• "I resolve to make the most of my surroundings..." by improving them in whatever way I can. If you've got a bit slovenly about tidying, have an early spring clean. Or get your decorating overalls on and give your most lived-in room a New Year's slap of paint.
"I resolve not to be so negative." Stop concentrating on all the awful aspects of your surroundings - it's not going to make it any better.
If your lowest score fell in the SELF IMAGE section, here are a few suggested New Year resolutions:
"I will try to believe that the way I see myself is almost definitely not the way other people see me." Because you are your own worst critic - and you should stop being so unfair on yourself. You deserve better.
"I resolve to stop being so self-critical." (See previous resolution.)
• "I resolve to get a brilliant new haircut." And from this year on, you will have no more bad-hair days. Hurrah!
• "I resolve to keep my clothes looking good." And that means regular washing, ironing and mending. Set aside some time for mending all those clothes you wear even though the hem's hanging down or there's a button missing. Once you've done that, make a point of mending them as soon as they need mending.
And chuck out holey tights and greying knickers - they're enough to make a Supermodel feel dowdy!
• "I resolve to keep my wardrobe tidy." If you always have trouble finding what you're looking for in that bottomless pit known as your wardrobe, it's time for a clear out. Give all the clothes you never wear to charity shops, or organise a fund-raising event yourself and send the proceeds to a charity of your choice. After the clear out, if you still can't keep it tidy, resolve to have a "hanging and folding" session every couple of weeks.
If your lowest score fell in the FAMILY section, here are a few suggested New Year resolutions:
"I resolve to get counselling to help me come to terms with a family problem." There's probably a lot gone unsaid between you and your family (or maybe a particular member of your family). If you feel, it'd be too difficult to broach the subject face to face, maybe you could seek professional help.
• "I resolve to see my family more." Maybe your lack of understanding comes purely from a lack of contact. Maybe you've all lost touch with each other. if you want to re-establish that contact, you must make more of an effort to spend time with them.
• "I resolve to be more honest with my family." If you've spent a lifetime hiding your feelings from them, this won't be easy. Refer to the two previous resolutions (above) for further advice.