Best Journal Prompts for Self-Growth
Tired of staring at a blank page, wondering if your deepest thoughts are just "What's for dinner?"
Fear not.
These journal prompts, plucked from the daily gems of the PocketbookPrompts Newsletter are here to rescue you from the abyss of writer's block and catapult you into the dizzying heights of personal growth.
Grab your pen and prepare for a journey of self-discovery that's more exciting than finding an extra fry at the bottom of the bag.
10 journal prompts for self-growth
Pen at the ready? Let's get growing!
1. What experience/job/relationship/etc. have you deemed a ‘failure’ in your life? What did you learn from it? How did it change you?
Confidence is something most people struggle with.
And with imposter syndrome looming in the workplace and meticulously crafted highlight reels dominating social media, maintaining confidence becomes challenging in a world that feasts on self-comparison.
But now that I’m in my 30s, I’ve gathered ample life experience and realized that real confidence comes from succeeding and surviving failures.
Journal prompt: What experience/job/relationship/etc. have you deemed a ‘failure’ in your life? What did you learn from it? How did it change you?
2. What’s something you’ve accomplished lately that you want to celebrate and be acknowledged for?
Here’s a quote I’ve been thinking about lately: “Don’t be so humble, you’re not that great”.
Upon hearing it for the first time, I couldn't help but laugh out loud.
It seems to me that our society strives to maintain a facade of politeness, inadvertently dimming our own light in the process. Chances are you’re not the next Beethoven, Meryl Streep, or Mark Twain.
And this is a good thing!
Because now you have an excuse to not be so humble and brag a bit about yourself.
Journal prompt: What’s something you’ve accomplished lately that you want to celebrate and be acknowledged for? How can you make it known to the people around you that you’ve accomplished this thing? How will you celebrate yourself for it?
3. If you were watching your life as a Netflix movie, what would you want the main character (i.e. you) to do?
We've all heard that saying about obstacles being "opportunities in disguise." But let's be honest - when you're dealing with a real setback, it can be hard to see any potential upside.
That's why I find this movie analogy from life coach Marie Forleo so helpful for gaining perspective:
“Say you’re watching a two-hour movie, and 45 minutes in, all hell breaks loose. If you walked out at that very moment, you’d think the character was a total failure. But that’s just an inflection point. Their story isn’t over. And neither is yours.”
Obstacles and challenges are normal, unavoidable parts of any compelling story. Could you imagine how boring your favorite movies would be if the main character never faced any adversity or gave up at the first sign of trouble?
So instead of viewing obstacles as setbacks, try to see them as necessities for an interesting, meaningful life story to unfold.
Journal prompt: If you were watching your life as a Netflix movie, what would you want the main character (i.e. you) to do?
4. If you could go back in time (say 5-10 years ago), what advice would you give your younger self?
I turned 32 today. 🥳
Birthdays always get me feeling a bit sentimental. I can't help but use my birthday as an excuse to look back on the past year - the good times and the bad - and think about what kind of advice I'd give my younger self.
Journal prompt: If you could go back in time (say 5-10 years ago), what advice would you give your younger self?
5. What can you forgive yourself for? What can you do to signal to yourself that it’s forgiven and that there’s no need to hold onto it anymore?
Throughout my life, the thing I’ve learned that led to the most transformation wasn’t from the time I went to a healing retreat or when I did ayahuasca for 3 nights in a row (although, my god, did that bring up a lot).
The single thing that led to the most transformation was when I learned to forgive myself.
And really forgive myself.
Each of us has regrets from our past. However, dwelling on these moments isn't productive. Instead, it's crucial to grant ourselves forgiveness. After all, we're only human.
Journal prompt: What can you forgive yourself for? What can you do to signal to yourself that it’s forgiven and that there’s no need to hold onto it anymore?
6. Craft a one-sentence mantra that you can recite to yourself whenever you notice yourself slipping into old patterns of behavior that no longer serve you.
If people-pleasing were a sport, I’d have a gold medal.
It consumed most of my adult life, turning social situations into managing others' emotions while neglecting my own. Years passed until a therapist helped me realize that carrying on in this way wasn’t loving to myself.
With her help, we created a mantra that I could say to myself whenever I teetered on the edge of people-pleasing.
The mantra was this: “I’m here to have my own experience.”
This simple reminder has helped me dozens of times in catching myself mid-act and preventing the sabotage of my internal peace for the sake of making others feel comfortable.
Now let’s create yours.
Journal prompt: Identify an area of personal growth you're focusing on, such as cultivating more patience, setting boundaries against people-pleasing tendencies, or embracing a more open-minded perspective. Craft a concise, one-sentence mantra that resonates with you, which you can recite to yourself whenever you notice yourself slipping into old patterns of behavior that no longer serve you.
7. What have you changed your opinion on?
Our opinions and beliefs aren't set in stone - they evolve as we gain new experiences and perspectives.
And honestly, thank god. Could you imagine what it would be like to still have the same beliefs as when you were a hormonal teenager?
Part of being human is the capacity to learn, adapt, and update our viewpoints as we progress through life.
Journal prompt: What have you changed your opinion on?
8. How can you revise and refine your life story to better reflect the person you have become in this present moment?
This journal prompt was inspired by Donald Miller’s memoir, A Million Miles in a Thousand Years: How I Learned to Live a Better Story.
The book recounts Miller's experience collaborating on a movie script based on his life, which made him realize how he needed to start living a better story.
Essentially, our lives unfold as stories in real time, and we are the authors of our own life stories, giving us the power to make intentional choices to shape the narrative we want.
And just like any story, our life stories require ongoing editing and revision over time.
Journal prompt: Are you living out a first-draft narrative that no longer aligns with your authentic self? How can you revise and refine your life story to better reflect the person you have become in this present moment? What aspects need to be modified or rewritten so that the story you are living embodies a truer, more fulfilling expression of who you are?
9. What do you want vs. what do you yearn for?
We all have desires that motivate us.
However, there are different layers to our desires.
On one level, there are the surface wants, such as material possessions, accomplishments, or temporary pleasures.
Then there are the deeper yearnings that emerge from our authentic, truest selves. These can feel more subtle but also more profound - the longing for purpose, growth, connection, or contribution.
At times, our superficial wants can conflict with and pull us away from our deeper yearnings, even if the wiser part of us knows the superficial wants won't truly fulfill us.
Journal prompt: What do you want vs. what do you yearn for? Make two lists - one of the things you currently want (material items, achievements, experiences etc.) and one of the deeper yearnings you have (for purpose, connection, growth etc.). Reflect on the differences between the two lists. Do your surface wants align with or distract from your core yearnings? What might it look like to lead a life more oriented around your deepest yearnings?
10. How can you get to know yourself better so you feel empowered to vulnerably pursue creativity and “play the fool”?
Before you start writing to this journal prompt, watch this 9-minute video from Ethan Hawke.
The essence of the video revolves around the notion that creativity is not merely a luxury but a fundamental aspect of our existence and humanity.
And to be creative, you have to get to know yourself better.
But to get to know yourself better, you must follow your passions.
And when you do this, you’ll feel like a fool sometimes.
Paradoxically, it’s this willingness to appear foolish that paves the way for authentic self-expression and the realization of our creative aspirations.
Journal prompt: How can you get to know yourself better so you feel empowered to vulnerably pursue creativity and “play the fool”?
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