Heidi’s Cake
Heidi is a seventeen year old High School student, who lives at home with her family.
Heidi’s great-grandmother was famous for her delicious cakes and puddings, and now, Heidi wants to follow in her footsteps and learn how to bake.
Heidi has set herself a specific personal goal to learn how to bake a cake good enough to win the annual baking competition held by her school. That event takes place in just over seven months time. As no-one else in her family has any special baking skills, Heidi must start at the beginning and teach herself the basics of how to make a really good cake!
Heidi calculates that she has 26750 of her 33thou days ahead of her. The school baking competition is 225 days away. In the meantime, however, there are some very important examinations coming up in 105 days which Heidi must study for. She accepts that she will not be able to start baking seriously until these are over. Also, due to some pre-arranged other family commitments, after the exams she only has 95 days free to prepare herself for the competition. Heidi believes that she can still probably do some minor research to get her plans moving without interfering with her exam preparations.
Clear on her goal, Heidi starts to compile her 33thou Roadmap. To help her focus on her goal, Heidi borrows an old photo of her great-grandmother holding one of her delicious cakes, which she hangs on the wall by her bedside.
Heidi starts her research. She finds an on-line recipe for a simple, English sponge cake which appears quite straightforward, with ‘easy to follow’ instructions. The ingredients are quite basic and are readily available at the local store. Heidi prepares a Goal Gap listing of all the ingredients that she will need. The recipe which Heidi has chosen measures the ingredients in ounces which Heidi will need to convert to grams, as she has always been taught to use grams at school. Heidi’s research locates an on-line conversion table that will help her to do this easily. Also, the recipe calls uses oven temperatures given in degrees Fahrenheit. As Heidi has always used Centigrade measurements, she researches and finds an on-line app which she can use to also convert these numbers.
Browsing through the cake instructions, Heidi researches the equipment that she will need for her cake. She already has some utensils, but she is missing both a baking tin and a bowl large enough to handle all the ingredients when mixing the cake. Checking on-line, there are some options available but the delivery costs for these are quite expensive, meaning she would pay nearly double the cost of buying the same goods at the store in town. Heidi decides that, as she is not yet ready to bake her cake, she can pick up her items when she next goes into town. Both obtaining and understanding the recipe, and obtaining the utensils Heidi needs to bake her cake all form part of her Enabling Assets. Heidi updates her Goal Gap and her 33thou Roadmap.
Heidi wants to decorate her cake just like the one made by her great-grandmother, in the photograph. For this she will need both frosting to ice the cake and some edible florets and sprinkles to finish it. Again, Heidi adds these to her Goal Gap and updates her 33thou Roadmap. Heidi’s research so far hasn’t revealed anything that is a great obstacle to her. Through her research, Heidi now understands what she requires to bake her first ever cake, and she is quite excited!
Heidi has now reached the stage where she can confidently declare “I Can!”
and, as a reward to celebrate her efforts, she treats herself to some chocolate.
Heidi now must commit some of her time to ensure that her cake becomes a reality. At this point she has a wonderful idea and, full of new confidence, she decides to alter her plans, slightly. In 27 days it will be her own mother’s birthday, and Heidi thinks that she will surprise her. She will bake her mother a birthday cake! This now becomes her revised goal, and because she has already completed her research, Heidi thinks she has compiled enough information to do this. Heidi will also get some birthday candles to set on the cake for her mother’s special day. She believes that to address the items on her Goal Gap and to bake and ice her cake, she will allocate five of her 33thou days to achieve her goal. Heidi commits three days to obtaining all her equipment, plus two days to make and decorate her mother’s birthday cake. Heidi updates her Roadmap with her new plans, and cannot wait to get started. She now knows that she can and will achieve her (new) goal.
©2025 33thou
Heidi visits her Aunt and tells her of her plans. Her Aunt is delighted. She presents Heidi with an old fashioned cake knife. “That belonged to your great Grandma!” she proclaims as she hands it to her. “It’s yours now, so be sure to use it to serve your mother’s birthday cake!” Heidi is so thrilled that she thanks her Aunt and gives her a great big hug. She is now really determined that she will bake the best cake that she possibly can!
As a result of all her research, Heidi follows her Roadmap, and bakes her first ever cake! The sweet smell of fresh baking fills the house when she opens the oven door, and Heidi beams at her success. “I Do bake cakes!” she says.
Heidi enjoys decorating her cake, and her mother is thrilled to receive her special gift! She says “It tastes just as good as the cakes her own grandmother used to make!” On hearing those words Heidi goes and blows a kiss to the photo by her bedside. “Thank you, great-Grandma!” she says, before returning to join with all her family in the celebrations.
Heidi really feels “Great!”…. and she is now feeling even more confident about entering and winning that school baking competition!
Well done, Heidi!
oooOOOooo
