21 Powerful Journal Prompts for Self Discovery

Knowing who you will be when you follow your heart can help you better understand the hurdles you need to overcome! Knowing what you are aiming for is critical in understanding yourself.

Can you identify what is stopping you? Once you understand this belief it is easier to change it  and move forward. Another great way to approach this, is what common themes are holding me back? Our beliefs usually impact more than one area of life, so if we can find the theme it helps.

Knowing where you need to go helps you to better understand yourself today. And helps you prioritize what you need to work on.

There is always positive from the bad. Even if you need to dig deep, it is there. Start with something simple, and then move to harder topics. For example, start with something like: I  missed my appointment because of the derailed train. But I ended up meeting the new manager and we had a great conversation. From there you can move into bigger topics such as, I lost my  job but it allowed me to explore self-employment.

Sometimes we don't even know why we are doing something. Stop and ask yourself what you are trying to achieve with the behavior that you are taking. Dig deep to figure out what your real motives are.

Trying to chase approval from others can lead us to not even knowing who we are. The best way to find ourselves, is to dig into the why behind your need for approval. Everyone's reason is different, so don't just look at surface answers. Explore what you experienced as a child and young adult that may have triggered a need for approval.

Challenge your current way of thinking. What do you assume is a truth that when you reflect it really is not? We are all raised with the truth of our family and society. But that does not mean it is the right truth for you as you grow up. Finding where you are clinging to old ideas helps free you. (For more on this idea, I recommend you read The Four Agreements.)

Sometimes we just need to get all our life questions listed out. Then we will be lead to the answers at the right time. Plus, just the act of writing your list can sometimes give you the answer. The answer can be in the knowing the problem!

I challenge you to think of reasons that you have not thought of for its existence. Do this without blaming yourself or anyone else. Look at this as a brain storming activity. Not necessarily that   everything on the list is the biggest issue!

As much as we want our dreams, it does mean change. What change would you not want if your                    dreams come true? For example, if you get the promotion then your co-workers will look at you                      differently. You won't be just one of them.

What would it accomplish? What do you want it to accomplish? Understanding all the actions you want to move forward with, will help you understand what drives you. And what you are striving for.

Put real words to the feeling. What is making you believe this? Were you told it? Are you just assuming? It is also helpful to define what good enough is.

Too often we stress ourselves out over things that really don't deserve time. Or they are for someone else and not you. Is it time to let go of some of those?

Make a list and start working on forgiveness. The power behind forgiving is life changing. For more onhow to forgive.

Many times we take on other people's feelings and assume they are ours. Especially if you are anempath.Identifying what is really your feeling can empower you to stress less. All because you are carrying less stress and worry. (Learn more about empaths.)

Everyone does it. Part of our journey is discovery what things we are telling ourselves that are not true.

Too often what we think is upsetting us is not the real problem. The real problem can be from issues building up over time. What else may be causing you to be angry?

We often take on too much responsibility that is not ours. Not just tasks, but also emotions and dreams. While there is a fine balance between not taking enough and taking too much responsibility. If you get clear about what is really yours it is easier to see the balance. Then you can start to set boundaries where you are taking more responsibility than you need to.

Are you constantly asking if you have done something right? Worried you are making a wrong decision so you seek advice - all the time? This need to be validated before action can block your growth. Explore why you don't think you can make decisions. Is it from past mistakes? Were you not given the opportunity to try things on your own? Finding the issues can help you start to make your own decisions!

Create a list of your priorities and then rank them. You can then take this a step further to explore if you are paying attention to those items that you have put at the top of your list.

It is easy to get stuck in patterns. We need to be aware of what we keep doing over and over, so that we can move on. Think about the issues you have that seem to keep reappearing. Is there a pattern in your behavior? Some other link to these issues? Patterns tend to show up in all areas of life, once you identify it you can clean up many things at once!