Everyday Strengths Cards

focusing on strengths

The cards are designed to help us notice and name our strengths, building our ability to develop and share them.

Illustrator Trace Balla gifted a set to a friend who loves using them for reflection and creative activities. At her Rivertime book launch, Trace thanked her choir by spreading cards on the floor for each member to choose—sparking stories and conversations that filled the room.

Life coach Donna McGrory used Everyday Strengths for storytelling with a group of long-term unemployed participants. Each chose a card representing their “happily ever after” and wrote a story from “once upon a time” to that perfect ending. The activity was transformative—some were moved to tears, and the group left feeling lighter and more connected.

small wonders in singapore

Elizabeth Quek, a social worker in Singapore, shared a moving story about using Everyday Strengths cards with Diyana, a young single mum who has faced homelessness and family challenges.
Elizabeth supported Diyana in building confidence, writing a ‘letter of reference’ to affirm her strengths—curiosity, adventure, and the ability to cherish joyful memories. Diyana also spoke about her daughter Sarimah, whose resilience was a constant source of strength.When shown the cards, Diyana chose ‘Wonder,’ seeing herself and Sarimah in the image. Tearful, she reflected on her daughter’s strong character. Elizabeth also created a ‘Winning in Hardship Certificate’ to honour Diyana’s progress.Life remains challenging, but Diyana now feels more confident and determined to create a brighter future for them both.

crisis hotline training for aware workers

Kumar, our go-to man in Singapore, is a social worker and manager of government-funded services who loves experimenting with Innovative Resources’ tools. Recently, he trained staff at a leading women’s rights agency—the first male trainer in their 20-year history!

His session focused on family and marital issues. For the closing exercise, Kumar used Symbols and Everyday Strengths cards. Participants first chose Symbols to represent the pain and worries of women calling the crisis hotline, creating an “inner circle.” Then they selected cards showing how callers might feel after healing—the “outer circle.”

Finally, Kumar lined Everyday Strengths cards around the circles and asked staff to pick a strength or hope they’d like to bring to their work. Each card was placed between the circles as participants shared their intentions. The feedback was excellent, and Kumar continues to find creative ways to use the cards.