It's 25 years since I left school. I don't remember much of what I was taught, though I do get excited when I see an oxbow lake, because I can remember how it is formed and could draw it for you in a series of three neat diagrams. I can still remember how a large proportion of the teachers made me feel. The teachers I remember fondly are those who taught me to believe in myself, discover my strengths, find a path to develop those strengths and go for it. The activities in this book can help students remember the impact you had 25 years from now. In a nutshell:

The four suits each represent a step within the process of being and doing our best. I read recently about the next generation of computer games. It sounds amazing, they'll make the Wii seem as old fashioned as the computer tennis of the 1980s. There will be a helmet with sensors locked on to areas of our brain that are able to respond directly to our thoughts and put them on the screen. Think 'spider' and it will appear in front of you. At least, that's the prediction. Perhaps we're getting ahead of ourselves. This book is based on the idea that we should learn how to interact with the real world first. Most of us don't interact with the world nearly as well as we could do. Think of the four steps outlined here as a kind of dress rehearsal for the computer games of the future.

Diamonds – Believe in Yourself

Hearts – Know Your Strengths

Clubs – Have a Plan

Spades – Go For It

And one last thought for your journey through my exercises: a life based on doing and being is more fulfilling than a life based on having. Remember, the best way to inspire others to be their best is for us to be our best. I have always had an ambition to have a book published. When it happened, my children told me they were proud of me. Better still, my daughter said she would write a book when she was older.

'No offence Dad, but it will be better than yours,' she said.

Wow: just by observing me achieve my dreams she was growing bigger dreams for herself.

Jokers are a great place to start. Jokers appear in many cultures as tricksters, clowns or magicians. There are 'magic' tricks at the end of this book but we'll start with two activities that whenever I've used them ensured that a session got off to a great start. Laughter is the safe release of nervous energy and tension. Laughter in groups is special because it brings us all together in the present, alert and ready to be taken on a journey. When we laugh we feel like we're playing, and when we play we really learn. Purposeful play is as powerful in the classroom as it is outside. In The Fish Philosophy, Luden, Paul and Christensen describe the positive impact a playful attitude can have within organisations. When people adopt a positive playful attitude even potentially negative working environments, such as a smelly fish market, can be enjoyable spaces.

While setting up this element of a task some members of the group, usually the boys, will be thinking of a rude answer. I sometimes try and pre-empt this if I think there's a danger that some will not be careful over their choice of words. Not everyone will shout out a body part but those that do will usually provide you with an accurate idea of just how energised the group is for your session. If you hear replies above waist high you're doing well.

A longer version of this activity asks for three scores out of 10 for Energy, Openness and Focus. It's useful for adult groups and is described in full by Dave Keeling in The Big Book of Independent Thinking. High scores relate to flow and memorable experiences – when we're at our best. We remember vividly the times we reach 10, 10, 10. These are the best moments of our lives. How many do most people achieve? A dozen? How many have you achieved so far? How many more are you going to have? Why not go for more, what harm could it do to raise your game and aim for more golden moments? Go on, check your diary for this weekend! Curiously, three 10s can also explain how many a phobia is burned-in to the wiring of the brain. But more on that later…

This is a natural follow-up to the body parts activity. A great way to increase the energy in a room is to have fun with someone else, and tongue twisters are a quick way to achieve this. Tongue twisters are routinely used by speech therapists to help recovering stroke patients improve their speech. They develop concentration and links between important parts of the brain, and are surely more fun than Sudoku!

Most people, if they follow your instructions, will swear while saying this tongue twister. Then they'll laugh, usually quite loudly.

When they've finished you can remind the group that the energy level has risen. You can ask how many managed to say the rhyme five times without making a mistake, and praise with congratulations. Offer a swear box to the rest.

There are many other tongue twisters you could try. I like this one because it's a little bit naughty. It once kept my children howling with laughter for a 20-minute car journey, which is not to be sniffed at.

After this activity you've raised the energy and sense of anticipation in the group and they're now ready for y...