Meaning, Pleasure & Strengths: A Guided Reflection to Strengthen Sense of Meaning, Wellbeing & Focus on Personal Strengths
The MPS (Meaning-Pleasure-Strengths) exercise is a simple yet deep reflection tool designed to help participants identify life elements that contribute most to their wellbeing.
By answering three core questions; What gives me meaning? What brings me pleasure? What are my strengths?, and then looking for an overlap of the 3, participants can identify their personal patterns and areas of overlap that point to their most fulfilling activities and relationships.
This exercise is ideal for coaching sessions, personal development workshops, workshops on the topics of meaning, wellbeing or personal strengths.
It helps participants gain clarity on how to live more aligned, joyful, and purpose-driven lives. It also gives insights into what truly matters to them, and into their values and strengths.
by Mirna Smidt from Trainers Toolbox Goal
Materials
Instructions
Step 1:
Reflect and brainstorm answers to these three questions (one at a time). Take around 3 minutes per question.
List down activities, situations, but also people or environments.
Question 1: What gives me meaning? (What provides me with a sense of purpose?)
Take your time. Avoid settling for the first answers that come to mind, dig deeper to uncover a broader and more authentic range of responses.
Step 2:
Question 2: What gives me pleasure? (What do I truly enjoy doing?)
Step 3:
Question 3: What are my strengths? (What am I good at?)
Step 4:
After you’ve written your answers, look for overlaps between the three lists.
Which people, activities, or environments appear in two or all three categories?
Step 5: Highlight the overlaps, these are your key contributors to wellbeing. Make a plan to engage with them more often.
Step 5 (Optional): Identify activities that show up in only two categories and ask:
- What would make this activity more meaningful, pleasurable, or aligned with my strengths?
Tips for running this activity online
- Provide participants with a digital worksheet (Google Docs, Jamboard, or Miro).
- Encourage participants to reflect quietly for 10 minutes, then share key overlaps.
- Suggest color-coding the three categories to visualize overlaps more clearly.
Background
Author
Trainers Toolbox is a place for trainers and coaches interested in creative, innovative methods that can bring a new twist, energy and deeper level of learning to their training. We provide workshop & courses for trainers, facilitators and coaches, build science based learning materials & share great new tools on Trainers Toolbox blog.
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