Journal Writing Prompts for Success at Work and Career

• 1. Write down three things you are grateful for. You will soon notice how it helps you keep your focus on what is important and positive.
• 2. What would you like to accomplish this week? Set small goals to achieve big results. This will motivate you to stick with your plan.
• 3. Write about your dreams. It’s not enough just to dream, you must act! Create an action plan that includes all the steps needed to make those dreams come true.
• 4. Make a list of everything that has happened over the past month. This can be a great way to reflect on your strengths and weaknesses, as well as your accomplishments and failures.
• 5. What is one thing you want to change about yourself? Identify the areas where you need improvement. Be specific so that you can make a real impact on your life.
• 6. Describe an ideal version of yourself. Believe in its existence. Tell others about it. You will quickly realize that living it out will create more opportunities for you to become the person you wish to become.
• 7. Write your favorite part of your job. Think about how your work affects other people. Does it make their lives better? Does it inspire them? Is it fun?
• 8. Which parts of your job make you feel most fulfilled? Why do you enjoy doing that part? What could you do differently to increase your satisfaction?
• 9. Plan your schedule for the next few days. Map out each task, including which ones need to be done first. This makes sure you stay on track and meet deadlines.
• 10. Who do you admire most in your field? If you’ve been following your passion lately, why did you choose that career path? Do you think you could pursue another line of work?
• 11. What does success mean to you? For example, happiness, money, comfort, health, family, or time freedom. Share the importance of each component in your definition.
• 12. Describe your top five values: honesty, trustworthiness, accountability, integrity, respectfulness. Explain how you display these values in your daily activities.
• 13. List the qualities you appreciate the most in people. This is your opportunity to share your personal philosophy of how relationships should function.
• 14. When was the last time you felt truly loved by someone? How often do you show love to others?
• 15. Where do you see yourself in 10 years? Be honest about what your priorities will be then. How will this affect your current lifestyle now?
• 16. Give yourself a weekly reward for reaching milestones along your road to success. Reaching milestones gives you self-confidence.
• 17. Imagine the best possible outcome if you were able to use your talents and abilities for the benefit of humanity.
• 18. How much time do you give yourself to relax? Choose a relaxing activity. Maybe taking a bath, reading a book, or listening to music.
• 19. Create a “Why I Am Happy” file. Include your reasons for being happy such as friends and family, hobbies, financial security, good health, etc.
• 20. What do you most value in human relationships? Does anyone have a positive influence on you? Describe how they help you grow.
• 21. Write about a challenging situation you faced recently. Now write about the solution you used to overcome this obstacle. Did the result achieve your goals? Why or why not?
• 22. Describe the happiest moment in your life. It may have included a new job assignment, a promotion, or winning a prestigious award.
• 23. Have you ever seen anyone who made a difference to your life? How did you respond when you saw them? What did you notice about the differences between their personalities?
• 24. Write down three words that describe the kind of boss you hope to be someday. This is important because if you aspire to be a leader or a business owner one day, it helps frame your thoughts and prepares you for the inevitable challenges ahead.
• 25. You are responsible for creating the future of your own destiny. What’s your plan for the next two years? What can you control? What can’t you?
• 26. What are your top three priorities in life right now? Make a list of all the ways you spend time trying to reach those goals.
• 27. How are you spending your free time? Are you building toward your big goal or just enjoying small things?
• 28. In order to be successful you must first believe you can succeed. Write an affirmation for today describing how it feels to make your dreams come true.
• 29. Create your own motivational quote that can guide you through difficult times. Consider writing it down outside your bedroom door so that you’ll read it every morning before leaving the house.
• 30. When has adversity helped you accomplish something great? Think back over your past experiences. What is it about some events that allowed you to turn negatives into positives?
• 31. How would you like to be remembered after you’re gone? Would you want people to say you lived a meaningful life? Or would you rather leave behind little more than a footnote on the history books?
• 32. Look back at your previous failures. Were there lessons learned from these situations? Do you still believe that failure is only temporary?
• 33. Remember a time you were disappointed with yourself. Was there any way you could alter your perspective in a positive manner? If not, what would you tell your younger self?
• 34. What was your greatest achievement? If you didn’t win a college scholarship, or you failed the bar exam, think of other accomplishments that changed your life forever.
• 35. What advice would you give your children if you had only one piece of advice to impart? Think about the question seriously; then write down everything you know about giving good advice.
• 36. If you knew you couldn’t fail, what would you try? Make a wish list of ideas that might lead you to success.
• 37. Create a list of your ten best achievements. What made each accomplishment possible?
• 38. What do you consider your biggest strength as an individual? Which areas of your personality help you excel in this area?
• 39. For most of us our weaknesses are our strengths elsewhere. What is your strongest weakness? Could you learn to use it to achieve greatness?
• 40. What do you like doing better than anything else? Can you create a system around it that will become your lifeblood?
• 41. Imagine you’ve already accomplished all of your goals. What changes do you see on the horizon?
• 42. Do you feel like you always have to prove yourself to others? Be honest with yourself because often we don’t like hearing ourselves talk.
• 43. What happens when you focus all of your attention on a problem? Is it possible to solve a complex situation by concentrating on just one thing?
• 44. What’s your favorite movie and why? What’s your favorite genre of movies? Why do you love them?
• 45. Do you think the world would change for the better if everyone followed a few simple rules? Give examples from everyday living.
• 46. As you look forward to tomorrow, what do you expect? What would you hope to experience?
• 47. Describe a typical day in your life. Include details like: where you go and what you wear. Also include every instance of excitement you encounter, large or small.
• 48. Where can you find opportunities to shine today? Are you aware of them?
• 49. Have you ever been able to resolve a conflict without arguing? Explain your strategy for dealing with those conflicts.
• 50. Have you taken advantage of your imagination yet? Consider ways that you can utilize the power of your own creativity.
• 51. How much effort do you put forth to avoid thinking about problems? Have you ever discovered an effective solution by allowing the problem to take care of itself?
• 52. What is your view of happiness? Does “living happily” mean being perpetually content? Is happiness based on circumstance alone?
• 53. Do you believe people should strive for perfection? Would you be willing to follow through with some perfectionist ideals?
• 54. What would happen if you allowed your personal beliefs to affect how you live? Look back over the past year. Were some decisions influenced by your beliefs? Did they work out well?
• 55. What is your idea of the perfect job? Do you want more responsibility? Less stress? More money? Fewer hours? Or something completely different?
• 56. List four things you’d do differently if given the chance again. Name three times in history when someone made similar changes in his or her life.
• 57. What is the first thought that comes into your mind when you wake up each morning? Write down everything you can remember about this thought. Then write down its opposite.
• 58. When was the last time you felt truly alive? Was there something special about this moment? What did you experience?
• 59. If you had to choose between winning and losing, which would you pick? Why?
• 60. What is your definition of success? What does it involve?
• 61. What is something you could never get enough of? Do you enjoy consuming it? Enjoyment creates interest and desire in anything you consume.
• 62. What would you do if you knew you only had one chance to make a positive impression upon someone today?
• 63. What is your most treasured possession? Why?
• 64. Think about the events that occurred during the past week. What did each event teach you? What was important to learn from each happening?
• 65. Are you willing to admit you don’t know something? Can you explain why you have confidence in one area, but not another?
• 66. When was the last major decision you took without considering all sides? Why didn’t you consider all views before making a choice?
• 67. In the course of living, what proportion of your total experiences have been positive and what proportion negative? Has any aspect of your daily life brought you great joy?
• 68. Do you think life has been fair to you? Give reasons for your opinion.
• 69. Why are you so attached to certain philosophies? Could you change your belief system?
• 70. Imagine you were granted a second try at life. Would you like to change what you’ve done? If yes –which aspects of your past behavior would you alter?
• 71. What kind of person do you feel you are? Do you agree with these descriptions? How could you change to better fit the description?
• 72. What is the most important thing you learned in the previous week? Why? What other lessons and experiences will help you succeed in the coming weeks?
• 73. Is there something you have always wanted to do but haven’t tried because you weren’t sure you could accomplish it? Describe the circumstances under which you might take action.
• 74. Have you ever failed to fulfill an obligation just because you couldn’t afford it? Explain why.
• 75. What percentage of your waking moments have been wasted? Where did you spend them?
• 76. In your most recent conversation, how well did you understand your partner’s point of view? Did you share your own perspective?
• 77. To what extent am I responsible for my successes and failures? Am I totally responsible? No, some things happen outside of our control.
• 78. What is the best way to handle disappointment? How can we use disappointments to create opportunities?
• 79. What makes people interesting? How can you become more interesting and interesting people?
• 80. How much of your day is spent waiting? Do you prefer to be productive, unproductive or somewhere in between?
• 81. Which qualities do you look for in people? Which ones do you lack? What are you doing to improve yourself in order to meet their standards?
• 82. What percentage of the time have you played it safe, just doing what everyone else says to do? Explain why.
• 83. In the course of working this year, what have you changed? What have you left as the same?
• 84. In the last few days, have you found anything to challenge you intellectually? Do you enjoy challenges? Why or why not?
• 85. Will you let go of things that no longer serve you? Is it possible to hold on to something you need while letting go of something less essential?
• 86. Who have you helped recently by telling them something they needed to hear? What impact did the act of helping others have upon your self-image?
• 87. Have you ever had the opportunity to talk with someone who seemed completely unapproachable? In what ways was he different from other people?
• 88. What are your personal values? Are they clear? Does anyone else know about them?
• 89. From whom have you received the most satisfaction in this year? Why? Whom are you trying to please right now?
• 90. What new talents have you discovered in the last couple months? Were they easy to develop? What skills made developing them easier?
• 91. What are you willing to give up for a goal that means something? Is it worth giving up the current situation for a future one?
• 92. What advice would you give someone attempting to change careers? How would you help him define goals, objectives and priorities?
• 93. What mistakes have you made in relationships? Describe the circumstances surrounding both the mistake and its resolution.
• 94. As much as you try, sometimes life doesn’t cooperate with your plans. When has it happened? Tell us about the experience.
• 95. If you were given another chance to start over again, knowing all that you know today, where would you stand? Could you find the courage to make changes?
• 96. Has anyone ever told you that you are hard on yourself? Explain how you react. Is it true? If so, does this affect the way you treat others?
• 97. Can you describe a single event in your life when everything seemed hopeless? Describe what happened then. Was there any good outcome? Explain.
• 98. Can you remember a time when you felt like everything was going wrong but it turned out okay in the end? Explain.
• 99. Is there an emotion that you fear most? To overcome it, is it necessary to confront it directly and honestly? Or is it better simply to avoid it?
• 100. Where are you emotionally strong? Where could you use improvement? Do you feel confident enough to ask for what you need?
• 101. Write down three words that sum up what you think success should mean. Explain how you came up with these words.

Conclusion

I hope that these journal writing prompts have helped you in your professional life, as well as inspiring you to dream bigger in every aspect of life.

Best of luck!