Ali Brown is an entrepreneur mentor and CEO of Ali International, a company that ranked in the 2009 Inc. 500. She was named one of Forbes’ Women to Watch, one of Ernst & Young's Winning Women for 2010, and was featured in the 2011 season finale of ABC’s Secret Millionaire. Ali provides business and success advice and resources to 50,000 members globally via www.AliBrown.com.

TFW Today - June 28, 2011

We all have days when we feel less than on top of our game, shrinking and self-doubting, but are you spending too much time on the bottom?

Take this quiz to find out how confident you really are.

1. You’re face to face with a potential client who loves your product or service, but they want you to reduce your quote by 20%. You’ve been chasing this client for months. What do you do?

a. I politely thank them for their time, decline, and leave.
b. I tell them that I need to re-work the figures and consider some options, and I’ll get back to them the following day.
c. I say, “Sure. Okay.”

2. How do you feel about your ability to achieve your goals in life?

a. Excellent, I’m well on my way.
b. I could use a lot more focus… and maybe some talent to boot!
c. There is no point in setting goals for myself. I hardly ever follow through.

3. You’re at a networking event and you desperately want to meet the keynote speaker. What do you do?

a. I walk straight up to the speaker, smile, and introduce myself.
b. I ask someone to introduce me to them.
c. Nothing. I wouldn’t know what to say.

4. How do you view your body?

a. I’m where I want to be and am comfortable with myself.
b. I could lose a few pounds.
c. I’m ashamed to be seen in public.

5. You’ve been planning a trip with your honey for a while, but now your family is asking you to do something with them that weekend. Their task could easily be rescheduled. What do you do?

a. I stand up for what I want to do and ask my family to reschedule.
b. I try to take care of my family’s demands before I set out on my trip, delaying it if necessary.
c. I cancel my plans—family comes first, no matter what.

6. How would your rate yourself in terms of how critical you are to your clients?

a. They need me more than I need them.
b. They will never replace me because I constantly keep in contact with them.
c. I’m not sure.

7. How do you view your future?

a. I’ve accomplished every one of my goals and have established a pleasant life for myself.
b. I’ve accomplished some goals, but others I had to let go. Life is about compromise, after all.
c. I’m not sure where I’m going and what I really want.

8. How well do you trust yourself to make decisions about your future?

a. No one knows what’s best for me but me.
b. My own opinion has weight over everyone else’s.
c. I think that other people often have more insight than I do on how to best navigate my future.

9. I’m a person who gets what she wants.

a. Right on!
b. Well… sometimes. When I deserve it.
c. I try to be satisfied with what I already have.

10. My overall feeling about my life is:

a. Contentment and excitement.
b. Worry and courageous resolve.
c. Frustration and regret.

Your Score:

For every “A” answer, award yourself 3 points. For every “B” answer, 2 points, and for every “C” answer, you get 1 point. Add them all together and find out your results below!

26-30 “The Warrior”: You’re quite the confident one! There is no task that you fear, no obstacle that can stand in your way, and no challenge that you’ll let go unmet. Your confidence may in fact be your greatest asset in life, so hold on tight to it!

16-25 “The Waffler”: You have a fairly healthy degree of confidence in yourself and your abilities. While you might sometimes hesitate, not knowing whether or not you’ll succeed at a task, you always give it the old college try. If you want to succeed, work to strengthen your inner resolve and learn to trust yourself more.

10-15 “The Wallflower”: You may be suffering from a serious lack of self-confidence in your life. No doubt this is holding you back from the success you deserve. Take some time to re-assess your life and focus on those things that you like about yourself, and your proudest achievements

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© 2011 Ali International, LLC