And Still I Rise

People who have healthy self-esteem cope with life's problems better than people whose self-esteem is poor. Furthermore, they don't tend to get themselves into situations that are damaging or difficult.

In fact, many of society's pressing problems - such as alcohol or drug abuse, unhappy marriages and violent relationships - would be vastly improved if more adults rated themselves more highly.

Interestingly, a lot of men and women who appear confident actually have quite low self-esteem. For example, the recent Celebrity Big Brother demonstrated only too clearly how 'stars' who have the confidence to present television shows often feel unsure - deep down - about who they are, and what their value is.

And of course the late Princess of Wales who appeared poised and confident on the outside clearly had dreadful self-esteem - even though she was globally adored.

Self-esteem is all about how you estimate yourself. And the fact is that if you don't rate yourself very highly, others won't either.

So have a go at testing your own self-esteem - and if it's not too good, vow to do something about it.

Take the test

I got 65.

What your scoring means

You have excellent self-esteem. You may well have had problems with valuing yourself in the past, but you have become a confident person with a proper appreciation of yourself. You are almost certainly someone who other people like and admire, and your belief in yourself helps you to make good friendships and relationships. However,your inner confidence also enables you to feel happy and relaxed when you are alone