101 Journal Prompts to Discover Yourself

How often should I write down my thoughts or journal them?

Journal writing has been around since ancient times. The practice was originally meant to help us remember important events and lessons from our lives. Nowadays, however, it’s also used to reflect on our daily life and gain insight into ourselves.

Writing down your thoughts helps you organize your ideas and feelings. This way, you can better understand your emotions and see things from another perspective.

As a result of this, you might be able to identify areas where you need improvement; or maybe even find out which actions are the best ones for yourself at certain moments in time.

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Journal Prompts to Discover Yourself

1. Write down one thing you appreciate about yourself, as well as five things that could be improved.
2. On what occasions do you feel most energized? When is your favorite moment of the day? What makes you happy?
3. Describe three words that describe you perfectly. Which one is easiest for you to say? Why is it so difficult for other people to pronounce?
4. Think back through your childhood years and list all the qualities you valued most. Were they positive or negative? What did those traits teach you?
5. In what ways have you changed over the course of your life? How does this make you different than when you were younger and more naïve?
6. Define happiness by listing three things you enjoy doing. Do any of these activities require a lot of money?
7. On what occasions do your friends seem happier than usual? Is there anything special about the moment that you notice?
8. Tell someone else why you love him/her. Then tell him/her how much you hate him/her. Make sure to end with a smile. Was it tough telling each person out loud? Did you need to prepare yourself beforehand?
9. List three things you admire about others, including their family members if applicable. Are you impressed by the character they project? How does this show up in their appearance?
10. Describe one dream you’ve had in your lifetime, both good and bad. What advice would you give someone who wanted to achieve this dream?
11. What’s your most significant failure? If you didn’t fail, what would you like to accomplish?
12. What were the biggest challenges you faced during your last year of high school? How did you overcome them?
13. What are your top three regrets? Has anyone ever told you that it’s too late to change something?
14. What’s the worst mistake you made in your life? Has it helped shape you into the person you are today?
15. Who has been a huge influence on your life? Tell me more about them. Does it mean anything to know you inspired such a powerful being?
16. Describe a time in your life when you felt lost and alone. What happened next? How did you survive?
17. Look back over a recent period in your life (for example, the past week) and think about the first time you experienced an emotion. What caused this feeling? Was it a pleasant experience? A painful one?
18. Reflect on a situation where you made someone angry. What message did you send? Did it get across?
19. Explain the connection between your life aspirations and goals. What keeps you going? Where do you want to go?
20. Describe the best day you can remember from your teenage years. What was happening at the time? How did you feel? What were you thinking?
21. Identify two accomplishments that meant the most to you while growing up. What lessons did you learn from having achieved them?
22. Remember four events in your adult life that made you proud. Why are you proud?
23. Write down all the reasons you believe you are extraordinary. What makes you unique?
24. What advice would you share with someone who just started college? How will this help them succeed? Would they agree with your strategy?
25. Imagine a future age and write down what you would like to see happen there. Do you foresee changes or stay the same?
26. Think of a time in your life which you would never forget. What is it about that event that stands out?
27. Why did you decide to come to college? What do you hope to gain from your education? Are you ready to commit yourselves fully to learning new skills? What are you willing to put in to make this possible?
28. What are some positive aspects of your personality? Have you always known them this way? In what ways have you grown because of them?
29. What has impacted you the most in your life? Be as specific as possible. Don’t leave out details!
30. Describe the happiest day you have ever had. Share it with us!
31. Think back to a moment in your life when you were very happy. What led you to be so excited, thrilled, or triumphant?
32. Write down one thing you learned in high school that is helping you now.
33. Write down one lesson you learned from being with friends. Is it something you still use today?
34. What’s one positive aspect of yourself? What negative qualities could you eliminate if you wished? How might you do this?
35. How would you describe yourself in five adjectives?
36. What are the most important words you have used to describe yourself?
37. What are your favorite activities? Why are they fun to you?
38. When was the last time you felt truly loved? Give three examples of love.
39. What causes a strong feeling of affection towards any person? Describe how you feel when you are surrounded by these people.
40. Choose a memory you have of childhood. How did those feelings affect you?
41. What is one thing you would change about your life? If you could choose another path, what would it look like?
42. Explain why you are not satisfied with your current lifestyle – money, job, health, family, etc.
43. Name three things you do regularly that others find difficult. Can you think of a reason why you do them?
44. What are the top 10 mistakes that adults make and how can we avoid them?
45. What would you do if asked to give advice to the next generation? To whom would you direct their attention?
46. Write down an embarrassing incident from your past. Tell the story exactly as it happened.
47. Think of a time where you failed to meet someone’s expectations. Were you able to accept criticism freely?
48. What do you consider to be a “dream career?”
49. Create a list of your ten best friendships. For each one explain why you value it so much.
50. Do you know anyone who is more intelligent than you? Who is smarter than you?
51. What two characteristics would you want to instill into children? Why?
52. What quality distinguishes you from other human beings? What quality do you need to cultivate in yourself?
53. What role models have inspired you in life? What qualities does each inspire in you?
54. What are the main principles behind your philosophy on living?
55. Think about how you define success.
56. List five achievements or milestones in your lifetime that you are extremely proud of. Describe them briefly.
57. What has been your greatest accomplishment? How many years ago was it?
58. What keeps you going in spite of obstacles? Does anything else help you get through tough times?
59. What is the biggest influence on your character? Are there traits you admire? Dislike?
60. What do you hope for your future based on what you are doing now?
61. Write about a moment in your life which stands out clearly—an event or encounter.
62. What makes friendship special to you? What does it mean to you?
63. What motivates you to achieve goals?
64. What is the secret for happiness?
65. Which part of your identity feels strongest? Explain.
66. What are some ways you express emotions differently?
67. How do people view you?
68. How do you deal with adversity?
69. What are your personal strengths and weaknesses?
70. What is your idea of home? Write about it.
71. What is your goal in life?
72. How will you cope with loneliness?
73. How has self-esteem affected your relationships?
74. Is there something you regret having done? Have you ever changed a decision because of something you regretted?
75. What do you enjoy most when you read?
76. What kind of person would you like to become?
77. What do you do to ensure your longevity?
78. Why should people respect you?
79. What advice would you give someone who wanted to start his own business?
80. How can you enrich the lives of others?
81. What are your hobbies?
82. What are the limits of your patience?
83. Think of three accomplishments you feel good about: write about each one and describe its meaning to you.
84. Think about the last time you made a sacrifice. Write about the experience. Was it worth it?
85. What do you believe is the key to achieving success? Do you think any other things matter only if they fit within this framework?
86. What do you find difficult? Can you see ways to improve?
87. What do you like to do for fun? Tell me about it.
88. If you could live your life over again, what changes would you make? Why?
89. What is important to you?
90. Write down all the negative aspects of yourself. Then write down all the positive ones too. Compare the two lists.
91. Make a list of all your friends. Who is missing?
92. What is the best thing anyone has ever said to you?
93. What did you learn through the course of your life?
94. How could you be a more effective listener?
95. What has kept you going so far in life? Give thanks.
96. What kinds of things are you interested in?
97. Do you want to change your mind? Why not?
98. When you were little, did you make up stories about your parents or siblings? Did those characters still exist after several days?
99. Who do you trust most in the world?
100. What have you learned from the people who didn’t deserve to teach you anything?
101. What are your core values and biggest lesson in life?