Goal: Identify one personal strength or interest of yours, and take a small, concrete step this week to build on it.
Why it matters:
- Mentorship and skill-development research emphasise that helping youth identify their own abilities, aptitudes and interests is key to directing career and life paths in a positive way.
- Recognising strengths helps counter feelings of hopelessness or being “stuck” — you begin to see possibilities rather than only barriers.
- Taking a small action builds momentum. Even tiny progress helps you feel more capable, ready, and positive about your future.
What to do this week:
- Reflect on your strength or interest.
Ask yourself:- What is something I’m good at (even if I don’t always believe it)?
- What do I enjoy doing when time passes and I’m into it?
- What have others said I do well (friends, family, teachers, peers)?
- Pick one short-step action you can take this week.
Examples:- If you’re good at drawing/interacting with people, you might volunteer for 1 hour at a community or youth group this week.
- If you enjoy tech/phones, you might watch one free tutorial on a skill (e.g., basic graphic design, social-media posting) and try it.
- If you’re a good listener, you might mentor or support a peer for just 15 minutes (listen to them, share your interest) and see how you feel.
- Take the action.
- Schedule it — pick a time and date this week.
- Make a note of how it went: what you felt before, during and after.
- If something got in the way (fear, lack of confidence, distractions) note that too — that’s useful.
- Reflect.
At the end of the week, ask:- Did I do the action? If yes, how did it feel? What did I learn about myself?
- If I didn’t do it, what stopped me? What might I adjust next week?
- How did identifying my strength affect how I feel about myself and my future?
- Plan one follow-up.
Based on what you learned, choose one small next step for next week. Maybe deepen the action, or pick a new strength to build.
- Be honest — if you struggle identifying a strength, ask someone you trust to tell you one of yours.
- Remember: “short-step” means manageable. The aim is progress, not perfection.
- It’s okay if the action doesn’t go perfectly. What matters is you tried — the reflection is key.
- Keep a journal or note on your phone of your action and feelings — this will help when we revisit next week.