Journal Prompts
“The starting point of discovering who you are, your gifts, your talents, your dreams, is being comfortable with yourself. Spend time alone. Write in a journal.”
— Robin Sharma
I know sometimes it can feel awkward to start writing in a journal. Some resistance I hear people say is, “what if someone finds it and reads it?” or, “keeping a diary is lame.” I understand both of those things. I also love journaling. Somedays, I feel anxious, and it helps to slow down my anxious mind because I am taking each thought out of my head and making it tangible. On those days, it is like a diary. On those days, I need to vent and find what Anne Frank said to be very true,
“Paper has more patience than people.”
And if someone finds it, I understand how vulnerable it feels to have someone read all your thoughts. You can try setting boundaries with people you live with.
Some nights when it feels like I can’t shut off my mind, I take out my journal and write down all my thoughts. Then I go to sleep. It’s the act of making your thoughts tangible, exploring them, and discovering more about yourself.
Most days, I answer questions like the following that I have broken up into different categories:
Review.
What went well today? What did not go so well today? What could I have done better?
Asking yourself what you were doing when you felt the most present is a good place to start learning things you like best. And the opposite for things you like least.
What would make today the most perfect, best day ever?
Reflect.
These are good to do together at the end of the week:
What do I need to stop doing so I can reach my goals/that is preventing me from being the person I want to be?
What do I need to start doing so I can reach my goals/be the person I want to be?
What do I want to continue doing, or is helping me reach my goals/the person I want to be?
Recharge.
You don’t have to go back and read your entries, but you can. It could help you find areas to improve that keep coming up, or you might discover a hidden strength of yours that keeps coming up. If you’re like me, you will find amusing notes you leave for yourself.
What actions are getting in your way from being your best self? What could you be doing instead?
What are small things you want to start doing every day to help be the best person/athlete you can be?
Where was I [something important to me] today? Example: Where was I kind today? Where was I patience today? Where was I humble today? Where was I present today? Where could I have been more [something important to you] today?
Even Better Prompts
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