Mining your life experiences

What is Mining Your Life Experiences?

With The Risk Assessment complete, you’ve mapped out the practical side of where you are today - your resources, how you use them, and the potential obstacles in your way. Now it’s time to dig a little deeper - not into your logistics, but into you.

Mining your Life Experiences is about exploring the strengths, interests and moments that have shaped who you are. Think of it as a little treasure hunt through your life - the hidden gems that hold the potential to guide your next steps.

Why Mining Your Life Experiences?

Too often, we simply find ourselves 'somewhere’ in our lives, without fully considering the path that brought us here. Life moves fast, and it’s easy to lose sight of the experiences that have made us who we are. Your past experience, strengths, and even fears aren’t just history - they’re powerful indicators of what you’re capable of and what really matters to you. Mining your Life Experience is less about creating someone new, and more about recognising and celebrating the value of who you already are.

What you’ll explore

This section includes four exercises designed to guide you through reflections. We’ll take a look at your:

  1. Hopes and Fears: Explore what excites you and what holds you back.

  2. Superpowers: Identify the strengths you may take for granted but others see clearly.

  3. Interests: Reflect on what energises you and sparks curiosity.

  4. Key Moments: Recognise the turning points in your life that have shaped your journey.

Each exercise builds on the last, helping you connect the dots between your skills, interests and pivotal experiences.

How writing fits in

At the heart of this section is writing. Each exercise invites you to write a 500-word piece to help you process your thoughts and articulate them. Here, writing isn’t about perfection - it’s about clarity. It gives you the space to see patterns and put your insights into words, turning abstract thoughts into something tangible.

The idea is that by writing consistently you’ll begin to build the muscle for effective writing and develop a strong writing practice. By the time you reach the Becoming the Expert section of the course, you’ll use these writing reflections as the foundation for thought pieces that highlight your unique perspective and expertise.

But that’s all in the future. For now, just focus on using your writing as a way to understand yourself better.

Getting started

As with the Risk Assessment, we recommend completing these exercises in sequence.

Your first exercise is Hopes & Fears.

MINING YOUR LIFE EXPERIENCES Exercises