What's Your Response to Failure? - Self-Compassion Assessment

1. When you make a significant mistake at work or in your personal life, your first thought is usually:

"I'm such an idiot. I always mess everything up." "It wasn't that bad. Other people make bigger mistakes all the time." "That didn't go as planned. What can I learn from this?"

2. After experiencing a setback, you tend to:

Replay the failure over and over, attacking yourself for not being better Quickly move on without processing what happened Give yourself time to feel disappointed, then explore what you can do differently

3. How often do you share your failures with trusted friends or loved ones?

Rarely or never—I'm too embarrassed to admit my mistakes Sometimes, but only after minimizing how bad it really was Often—I find it helps to talk through what happened

4. When you think about past failures, you feel:

Deep shame and a sense that something is fundamentally wrong with you Indifferent or detached—you don't dwell on the past A mix of regret and gratitude for what you learned

5. If a friend experienced the same failure you did, you would:

Be far kinder and more understanding to them than you are to yourself Tell them it's not a big deal and to just forget about it Offer the same compassionate perspective you try to give yourself