Help Others Be Their Best SELF
To be completed by the person receiving feedback
My Name:
Name of person giving feedback:
My key realized strengths
When I am at my best, I am:
What I love most about my role is:
The tasks I would love to get more involved in are:
The tasks I would like to do less of are:
My greatest work challenge is:
To be completed by the person giving feedback
My Name:
Name of person receiving feedback:
At your best, I see you:
What I appreciate most about you is:
What I would love to see you do more of is:
The tasks I see you struggle with are:
I can help support you by:
The strengths I will use to support you are:
Best Possible Self (Optimism) Intervention
Week 1
Please take a moment to think about your best possible family life in the future (say in the next ten years). Imagine that everything has gone as well as it possibly could. Perhaps you have a supportive partner or strong relationships with your children. Furthermore, perhaps you now live close to your parent(s), friends, or sibling(s) and can spend time with them. Think of this as the realization of the best possible family life you could hope for yourself.
For the next 10 minutes, please write continuously about what you imagined. Use the instructions below to help guide you through this process:
Be as creative and imaginative as you desire.
Use whatever writing style you please, but remember to imagine your ideal life in the FUTURE (say in the next ten years).
Do not worry about perfect grammar and spelling.
Use as much detail as you want.
Week 2
Please take a moment to think about your best possible career or job in the future (say in the next ten years). Imagine that everything has gone as well as it possibly could. Perhaps you have your “dream job” or manage your own business – whether it’s full-time or only a few hours a week. Think of this as realizing the best possible career or job you could hope for yourself.
For the next 10 minutes, please write continuously about what you imagined. Use the instructions below to help guide you through this process:
Be as creative and imaginative as you desire.
Use whatever writing style you please, but remember to imagine your ideal life in the FUTURE (say in the next ten years).
Do not worry about perfect grammar and spelling.
Use as much detail as you want.
Week 3
Please take a moment to think about your best possible physical and mental health in the future (say in the next ten years). Imagine that everything has gone as well as it possibly could. Perhaps you exercise regularly and eat a healthy diet to feel strong.
Furthermore, perhaps you feel less anxiety and don’t worry about things so much anymore. Think of this as realizing the best possible physical and mental health that you could hope for yourself.
For the next 10 minutes, please write continuously about what you imagined. Use the instructions below to help guide you through this process:
Be as creative and imaginative as you desire.
Use whatever writing style you please, but remember to imagine your ideal life in the FUTURE (say in the next ten years).
Do not worry about perfect grammar and spelling.
Use as much detail as you want.
Week 4
Please take a moment to think about your best possible romantic life in the future (say in the next ten years). Imagine that everything has gone as well as it possibly could. Perhaps you have an amazing wife/husband or partner, and everyone is impressed by your relationship. Think of this as realizing the best possible romantic relationship you could hope for yourself.
For the next 10 minutes, please write continuously about what you imagined. Use the instructions below to help guide you through this process:
Be as creative and imaginative as you desire.
Use whatever writing style you please, but remember to imagine your ideal life in the FUTURE (say in the next ten years).
Do not worry about perfect grammar and spelling.
Use as much detail as you want.
Week 5
Please take a moment to consider your best possible hobby or interest in the future (say in the next ten years). Imagine that everything has gone as well as it possibly could. Perhaps you can spend as much time as you like on this activity, whether gardening, reading, traveling, golfing, or quilting. Think of this as realizing the best possible hobby or interest “set-up” you could hope for yourself.
For the next 10 minutes, please write continuously about what you imagined. Use the instructions below to help guide you through this process:
Be as creative and imaginative as you desire.
Use whatever writing style you please, but remember to imagine your ideal life in the FUTURE (say in the next ten years).
Do not worry about perfect grammar and spelling.
Use as much detail as you want.
Week 6
Please take a moment to think about your best possible social life in the future (say in the next ten years). Imagine that everything has gone as well as it possibly could. Perhaps you have established an amazing group of friends and neighbors, and you are never without people who offer support and with whom you can socialize. Think of this as realizing the best possible social life you could hope for yourself.
For the next 10 minutes, please write continuously about what you imagined. Use the instructions below to help guide you through this process:
Be as creative and imaginative as you desire.
Use whatever writing style you please, but remember to imagine your ideal life in the FUTURE (say in the next ten years).
Do not worry about perfect grammar and spelling.
Use as much detail as you want.
Best Possible Self
In this activity, be as creative as you can be in answering the questions below. You can use any kind of writing style you want. Don’t worry about spelling or grammar, but focus on being as descriptive and detailed as possible.
Take a moment to imagine your life at 40 years of age. Things have gone we well as you possibly could have hoped.
What will you be doing? Why?
Who will be in your life? Why?
What will be most important to you? Why?
What will you be doing professionally? Or in your career?
What will you be most passionate about?
What matters most in the long term?
How could your long-term goals and priorities affect others?
I At My Best
Take the VIA Strengths test and look at your top five strengths. Think of a time or period in your life when you had a “peak” experience, made a difference, succeeded at something important, or others told you they admired how you had done something specific. Think of how your strengths played a role in this experience and write a few paragraphs about it, singling out each one and where you see its role.
It is helpful to come up with several examples of your “best” self, including how they have emerged in relationships, professionally, or when you’ve pursued a favorite hobby. The more we become familiar with our strengths and when they sparkle, the more we begin to identify the people, places, situations, and emotions that stimulate our strengths to emerge optimally for optimal outcomes. We also get better at spotting strengths in others!
The overuse of these same top strengths can be a weakness. Some situations or people could cause honesty to become mean feedback, kindness can become obsequiousness, and bravery can become recklessness.
Imagine Your Best Possible Self
Help students consider their purpose by imagining their future selves. Created by Greater Good Science Center at UC Berkeley.
This activity helps students envision a positive future for themselves, energizing them to work through challenges and placing them on a path of purpose and hope.
Steps: (Prep time needed: 10 minutes) (Est. time to complete: 30 minutes)
Begin by telling students that they will imagine their lives at the age of 25. Let them know that this practice will help them answer the questions: What am I meant to do? What gives my life meaning? How do I want to contribute to the world? In other words, it will help them identify or put them on the road to discovering their purpose.
Tell students what purpose is: Having a sense of purpose means being committed to something meaningful and making a difference to something bigger than yourself. How you want to leave your mark on the world and make it a better place, how you want your life to have mattered—that’s what purpose is.
Model thinking and speaking about your purpose. Share your answers to the following questions: How do you contribute to the world? Who is most important in your life? What is most important to you?
Invite students to close their eyes or look at a spot on the floor in front of them and take a few deep breaths in and out through their noses.
Say: Take a moment to imagine your life at 25 years of age. Things have gone as well as they could have gone in your life. Silently visualize your answers to my next questions. What will you be doing? Who will be in your life? What will be most important to you?
Next, give students the Best Possible Self handout and ask them to complete it independently, imagining themselves at age 25.
When students have finished, allow them to share either their writing or their thoughts about this process with each other or with the whole class if they feel comfortable doing so.
Tips for Educators
For this activity, consider the overall culture of your classroom and between and amongst students as you decide how to have students share.
As this activity can be challenging for students and draw out new and unexplored thoughts, it might be best for students to share their exploration with just one other student, as opposed to small groups or whole class, particularly for students at the secondary level.
Additionally, consider naming for students at the onset that this activity might be challenging at first and that there are no right or wrong answers or a perfect way to state their purpose.
Consider stating that understanding one’s purpose in life is a life-long journey, that it often changes over time, and that it is informed by many things such as life experiences, family, religion, personal interests, etc.
As an educator, you are in a powerful position to encourage your students’ development of purpose. You may notice inclinations and talents that are out of the awareness of students’ parents and even the students themselves. Without intervention, students’ interests may go unrecognized and wither away. Research has shown that the support of teachers, mentors, and other adults outside the family is often crucial to young people’s development of purpose, particularly in the early stages.