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We collected various journal prompts and practices that are meant to help you intentionally reflect inwards. Find your personal motivations, likes, dislikes, and passions with these journal prompts for self discovery.
Medical Disclaimer: We do have to tell you that we are not medical professionals and the content of this document should not be considered professional advice or consult. Please see a professional if you have a medical or mental health condition which requires attention. This is for informational purposes only in which I will be speaking from personal experience. Relevant sources will be cited as needed.
Contents
Journal Prompts for Self Discovery
If you’ve made it this far, I am assuming you are looking to do some introspection. Whatever the reason, introspection can be a vital tool in acknowledging habits and tendencies, and setting intentional goals. It can help you address negative behaviors and cement positive ones. For me, journaling brings me clarity and has helped me move forward in my life in so many ways. From creating clear goals, gaining a deeper sense of self awareness, to enhancing my creativity and writing abilities, it has absolutely been transformational.
Journaling is a powerful tool for taking conscious control over your perspective, emotional processing, and mental health. While there is no replacement for professional help, we have to acknowledge that not everyone has access to a good therapist. Also, sometimes you might just feel more comfortable sitting with yourself, in your privacy, and venting on your own.
Before we begin. You will need:
A sheet of paper
A pen
Access to the Internet
If you prefer to write on a word processor, that’s totally fine too!
Self Discovery is the art of learning about yourself: your values, your needs, your wants and your purpose.
This can seem like a daunting task, but the good thing is to know that you’re not meeting a new person. In fact, you’re just learning to directly acknowledge the person who has been with you the entire time.
Values
VIA Institute on Character
The VIA Institute On Character offers a free quiz you can use to rank your top five 'character traits'. Their research has identified 25 core strengths, which you can use as a basis for reflection. Specifically, consider how you can align your skills and strengths to your goals. It may also provide insight on how you can determine what’s important to you.
Here are some journaling prompts for people who want to reflect on their skills assessment results. You can also look through a description of the skills on their site and use this to determine your skills, if you don’t want to take the quiz.
Describe a time when you used one of your top strengths effortlessly.
How do each of your top 5 strengths show up in your daily life?
How do your top strengths align with your personal values?
Reflect on a time when you overused or misapplied one of your strengths.
How can you use each of your top 5 strengths to enhance your relationships?
How can you leverage your strengths to work toward a current goal?
Choose one strength and brainstorm three ways to develop it further.
How does using your strengths impact your well-being?
How do you want your top 5 strengths to be remembered?
How might you apply your strengths to navigate a new or unfamiliar challenge?
Myers–Briggs Type Indicator
If you’ve ever seen someone saying they are an: ESTP, INTP, ENFJ or other compilation of seemingly random letters, what they are referring to is their Myers-Briggs Personality Type.
Look up and take a Myers Briggs test to see how you score. The scale is as follows:
Introverted vs Extroverted (I vs E)
Defines the way you spend your time and feel most energized. Focus on the inner or outer worlds can shift our perceptions, interactions, and comfort level in certain situations.
Sensing vs Intuitive (S vs N)
Do you focus on the information you take in from the outer world, or do you try to analyze, add meaning and interpret?
Thinking vs Feeling (T vs F)
Describes the process people use in decision making. Do you think logically, perhaps making long lists of pros and cons, or do you prefer to ‘go with your gut’?
Perceiving vs Judging (P vs J)
Do you remain open to new information or do you prefer to make concrete decisions and stick with them?
This is just a very brief overview of the dimensions, and you will have to take an official test to know your type for sure. There are sixteen possible combinations of these ‘personality traits’. For self-discovery purposes, it can be useful in understanding yourself, what you value, and your preferences. Again, this is not a definitive test, it doesn’t work for everyone, but it can’t hurt to give it a try and see what resonates with you.
Enneagram
The Enneagram is another personality assessment which establishes the idea that there are nine central types. Each type has its own tendencies for growth and self-sabotage. The enneagram focuses on how your 'type' responds to various stimuli like stress and relaxation. It is extremely specific and can be a useful tool for reflection, plus, it’s fun to try out! It was originally developed by Naranjo, a psychiatrist, and, Ichazo, philosopher.
Needs and Wants
Journalspeak
Nicole Sachs created JournalSpeak, a type of writing therapy. Sachs believes this tool can help address chronic pain, anxiety, and depression. The idea is simple. Make three lists:
Things that have caused you stress in the past
Things that cause you stress in the present
Aspects of your personality than can contribute to stress
Then, write about one topic (on any of the lists) it in a raw and unfiltered way for about 20 minutes. Repeat every day with a new topic on the list. After writing, do a 10 minute self soothing meditation to ease back into everyday life. The reason for this is that the writing can bring up intense emotions and the meditation will calm us down, but also show the brain how it can calm down after reliving the experience.
Huberman Journal
For lack of a better title, this is a scientifically-supported journaling protocol popularized by Andrew Huberman; a Stanford-based neuroscientist known for his work on the Huberman Lab Podcast. This protocol involves four consecutive days (or one day across 4 consecutive weeks). Set a timer for 20-30 minutes (keep all the same length), pick something that’s bothering you, and write about these three things.
The facts of the situation
How you felt in the moment and how you feel now
Any links that come to mind, regardless of how insignificant it may seem.
Write until the timer goes off and repeat. This protocol can be particularly effective for addressing traumatic events and the past. It is also recommended to do a meditation after writing in order to ease back into regular life.
Vision Board and Goal Setting
Visualization and goal setting are amazing tools to use to propel you forward in life, in your career, and get you closer to being where you want to be. Having a clear vision of the future and creating steps to get there requires you to get very clear on your needs and wants.
What is it you want to achieve in life? Take the time to visualize it, and consider creating an inspirational board to bring it to life. It can look something like this:
Once you can visualize and figure out what it is you want, you can start to take steps and create actionable goals to getting yourself there. We would suggest creating SMART Goals.
Wondering if your goal is SMART? Ask yourself these questions.
Is it specific?
Is it measurable? What will you use to track or evaluate progress?
Is it clearly actionable (is there an action item)
ie. not ‘be fit’, rather ‘go to the gym twice weekly’
Is it relevant to your overarching purpose?
ie. do you care about this goal?
Is it time-bound? Is there a set end-point where you will evaluate your goal.
For example, ‘go to the gym twice weekly’ isn’t SMART. Instead, try ‘go to the gym twice weekly until I can run a mile in under 7 minutes.’ or ‘...for three months.’
Purpose
Personal Brand
Personal Brand is the way you intentionally present yourself to the world, reflecting your values, skills, personality, and unique strengths. In thinking about your personal brand, consider how you currently present yourself to others. This can help you understand what you value and want other people to acknowledge.
When we classify personality, we often use a set of traits which can then be developed into brand personalities. They are as followed:
Sincerity: Honest, genuine, cheerful, and down-to-earth
Excitement: Daring, spirited, imaginative, and up-to-date
Competence: Reliable, intelligent, successful, and efficient
Sophistication: Glamorous, charming, romantic, and upper class
Ruggedness: Outdoorsy, tough, strong, and rugged
But what does this mean for you?
Think about the person you are and which resonate the most with you.
How can you convey this in your personal brand? The way you show up in life, in work, online, and for yourself?
You can use this as a basis for building out who you want to be and developing a better self-understanding.
3rd Person Journaling
This form of journaling can be a good way to shift your self-perspective and gain a better understanding of how other people see you. This method was inspired by social media and the way it created a shift in social perceptions.
First, set a 15-25 min timer and write about your own perspective on the different aspects of your life: health, career, relationships, interpersonal, etc. Most of the time, we tend to focus on the negative parts of our own life and that's ok. Next, wait a day or two and then sit down to write about these same dimensions from a third-party perspective. Someone who knows about you and your life, but maybe not as intimately as you and your close friend. Think of it as an optimistic view of your own life.
I tried this for my own life and found that it was an insightful practice for finding things that I was taking for granted. This journal practice takes advantage of the phenomenon on social media where people are only posting about the positive aspects of their life. They appear to have 'perfect' lives while in reality, there is more that is not shown. Try this practice to find things that you might undervalue or take for granted to get a more well-rounded self perspective.
Ikigai
I once received amazing advice about choosing a career. It has stuck with me ever since. Here it is:
Choose a career not just for the work itself, but for the lifestyle it enables you to live.
Ask Yourself: Who lives the life you want to live? What is their career?
I think this brings us to the concept of Ikigai, or purpose. This is a tradition from Okinawa, Japan, which references the idea that we all have a 'calling'. This calling lies at the intersection of.
What do you love?
What are you good at?
What does the world need?
What can you get paid for?
Taking time to reflect and creating a list under each of these questions can be a good journal prompt for self discovery. Find something that is on all of the lists, and consider how you could incorporate that into your daily life.
Having a 'reason for being' has been associated with increased life and health span. It can be a valuable thing to think about for yourself. What can you do to give your life a sense of purpose? Where do you feel valued and valuable?
Conclusion
These are all important questions to reflect on in terms of self discovery. By analyzing and resolving the past, acknowledging our present self, and planning for an amazing future, we can not only learn more about ourselves but learn to become our highest and most fulfilled self. Journal work is important for anyone looking to introspect, learn more about themselves, and organize their thoughts.
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