Mirna Smidt from Trainers Toolbox

A playful and reflective group exercise that helps participants recognise and appreciate both their own and each other's signature strengths.

By anonymously sharing top character strengths and guessing which list belongs to whom, the group engages in a positive exchange that promotes self-awareness, team bonding, and mutual appreciation.

This activity is based on the VIA classification of character strengths developed by Peterson & Seligman (2004), and is ideal for team-building, coaching, or personal development workshops.

Year Compass is a very well-designed self-reflection and planning tool that helps teams and individuals to review the past year with mindfulness and intention, and set meaningful goals for the year ahead.

A Japanese concept that translates roughly as your reason for being; the sweet spot where four core dimensions of a meaningful life overlap: what you love, what you’re good at, what the world needs, and what you can be paid for.

Note: While the naming for this exercise is a bit off from it’s original meaning, it is the name under which this concept is known.

This exercise guides participants through a structured 4-circle Venn diagram reflection to explore these four life dimensions, identify overlaps, and uncover areas to develop toward a meaningful, purpose-driven life. Ideal for personal development, career coaching, or team wellbeing sessions.

A personal reflection activity designed to help individuals discover their core strengths and intentionally apply them in daily life. Using one's strengths is proven to enhance well-being, boost confidence, and increase motivation.

This short but powerful exercise helps participants reflect on their talents and brainstorm meaningful ways to use them more regularly.

Note: You can also replace the first with a quick brainstorm to name 3-5 their strengths, without the list, and it will make a full exercise very short - 3 minutes or so - yet still effective.

Ideal for self-coaching, wellbeing programs, and strengths-based personal development.

Best Possible Self is a reflective visualization and journaling exercise coming from positive psychology that puts in the spotlight participants' positive orientation towards themselves and their best characteristics.
It invites participants to imagine themselves in the future, living their most fulfilling and meaningful life; a life aligned with their values, strengths, and passions.

This activity helps boost optimism, motivation, positive perspective towards self and clarity on values.

It is great in the context of personal development, coaching, goal-setting, personal strengths or wellbeing workshops, as it encourages participants to make a vivid and inspiring picture of their ideal self and to consider what daily actions might help bring that vision closer to reality.
It can be followed by e.g. step-by-step plan towards that future, or goal-setting exercise.

A guided visualisation activity that is designed for deep life reflection and thinking about what truly matters to oneself, through future-oriented thinking.

Strengths Spotting is a reflective coaching exercise in which participants uncover personal strengths by engaging in deep, meaningful conversation with a partner. Using guiding questions, each person interviews the other and listens for clues about their natural talents, motivations, and flow states.

This coaching-style activity boosts self-awareness and is particularly useful in personal development, team-building, or coaching sessions.

A short daily reflection practice that boosts self-awareness, emotional clarity, and inner balance. By focusing attention on the body, emotions, thoughts, and energy, participants learn to recognize their needs and regulate their internal state more effectively.

Ideal for daily routines, mental well-being programs, and resilience-building workshops, this exercise supports emotional intelligence and mindful presence.

A positive psychology exercise that helps participants discover and apply their core character strengths in new and meaningful ways. Based on research by Seligman and colleagues, this activity boosts long-term well-being and reduces depressive symptoms by encouraging daily strength-based action.
Participants complete the VIA strengths questionnaire, reflect on their top strengths, and develop practical ways to apply one of them in new contexts during the coming week.

Ideal for personal development, coaching, and strengths-based workshops, this exercise promotes increased motivation, happiness, and a more conscious relationship with oneself.

"Ikigai" is a Japanese concept that translates roughly as your reason for being; the sweet spot where four core dimensions of a meaningful life overlap: what you love, what you’re good at, what the world needs, and what you can be paid for.

Perfect Day is a reflective writing exercise that helps participants visualize and design their ideal future lifestyle.
By imagining a single “perfect average day” five years from now, they explore what truly makes them happy & what is important to them across work, relationships, health, and adventures.

This activity guides participants to dream big without limitations.
The outcome is a vivid, detailed description of a day that reflects their most authentic, joyful life.

The MPS exercise is a simple, deep reflection tool designed to help participants identify life elements that contribute most to their well-being.
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.