The Decided You — Youth Self-Authoring Audit

Part One

Part 1 of 5

Your Current Habits

A system is a decision you make once so you don’t have to make it again every time. Answer for how things actually go — not how they’d go on your best day.

1. When a friend asks to borrow money (or your stuff), what happens?

I have a rule I stick to, and I say it the same way every time. I have a rough rule in my head, but I bend it for close friends. I decide each time, based on how the conversation feels. I usually say yes. Saying no feels like risking the friendship.

2. How do you decide what your time is worth (babysitting, tutoring, lawns, odd jobs, content work)?

I have a set rate and I don’t move off it. I have a rough rate, but I adjust depending on who’s asking. I guess, job by job, based on experience. I say yes to whatever’s offered and hope it’s fair.

3. When a group project, chore, or plan suddenly needs more from you than agreed, what happens?

Nothing changes until everyone agrees on the new plan. I usually flag it, but let small changes slide through. I absorb the small stuff and get annoyed about the big stuff later. I just do the extra work. Speaking up feels awkward.

4. If your phone died for a week, what would happen to the things you’re responsible for (chores, a job, a group project)?

They’d run fine — people know the plan and don’t need me for every step. They’d mostly hold, but people would want to check in with me. Things would stall. Most decisions wait on me. Everything would stop. I’m the one holding it together.

5. How do you handle it when someone owes you money or a favour (a friend, a sibling, a customer)?

Clear terms upfront, and I follow up without feeling bad about it. I mention it, but chasing it depends on the friendship. I bring it up only when I really need it back. I avoid it. Some things just get forgotten on purpose.

6. Which decision do you make over and over that you’ve never actually set a rule for? Name it.

Write the actual decision — or the last thing someone talked you into.

Part Two

Part 2 of 5

What You Believe About Getting Ahead

Every habit that keeps getting negotiated is held up by a belief you’ve never really examined. Answer honestly — not how you’d defend it to your mates.

7. “Always saying yes is what keeps people liking me.”

Disagree — people respect consistency, not people who bend to everything. Mostly disagree. Mostly agree. Strongly agree — being agreeable is my advantage.

8. “If I set a firm rule (a price, a boundary, a limit on my time), I’ll lose out — friends, opportunities, fun.”

Strongly disagree — a rule you’d lose something over is the only rule people actually believe. Disagree — some yeses cost more than they’re worth. Agree — you take what you can get. Strongly agree.

9. “Saying yes more / trying harder is how I get ahead.”

Disagree — things improve when a decision stops repeating, not when the hours go up. Mostly disagree. Mostly agree. Strongly agree — effort is everything.

10. “Being busy means I’m doing well.”

Disagree — busy is often the most expensive way to avoid one hard decision. Mostly disagree. Partly — busy at least proves people want me around. Agree — free time makes me nervous.

11. “If I ask for what I’m actually worth (fair pay, credit, respect), people will walk away.”

Disagree — I’ve never actually tested it. The belief is older than the evidence. True for some — and those might be the ones costing me the most. Probably true for most people. Agree — that’s just how it works for me.

12. Where did your strongest belief about money or self-worth come from? Name the person or the moment.

Most beliefs about worth are inherited, not chosen. Whose voice is in the room?

Part Three

Part 3 of 5

Self-Image — Who’s Actually Running Your Life

You can’t hold a rule you don’t believe you’re allowed to hold. This part is about that quiet sense of what you think you deserve.

13. When you state a price, a boundary, or a rule out loud, what happens in your body?

Nothing. It’s just a fact, like the weather. Slight tension, but I hold my ground. I talk past it — explaining, justifying, softening. I often back down before anyone’s even pushed back.

14. Which sentence is closest to the one in your head?

“This is how I work. It suits some people and not others.” “I know what I’m doing, but I still need them to see it.” “Who am I to ask for that?” “I’m lucky anyone wants my time or help at all.”

15. When you imagine holding a rule and losing something because of it (a friend, a sale, a plan), what do you feel first?

Relief. The rule did its job. Acceptance — short-term cost, long-term gain. Anxiety about what I’m missing out on. Something close to shame, like I let someone down.

16. Complete the sentence: “The kind of person I’m becoming is one who…”

Write it in the present tense. This is the one question where aspiration is allowed.

Part Four

Part 4 of 5

The Monthly Truth — A Simple Money Plan

Money you haven’t decided about will get renegotiated with yourself every single month. Fill in your real monthly numbers — allowance, jobs, whatever applies to you.

Money In

Allowance / pocket money

Part-time job or side hustle income

Gifts / other money in

Money Out

Savings — set aside first, every time

Subscriptions & apps

Spending money

Sharing / giving

Everything else

Total In

$0

Total Out

$0

Surplus / Shortfall

$0

Savings as % of Income

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Part Five

Part 5 of 5

Your Result

The score measures one thing: how much of your life is decided on purpose, and how much is still being worked out in real time, in front of whoever happens to be there.

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