25+ Journal Prompts to Increase Self Awareness

Self awareness is a muscle, and one way to build that muscle is through journaling. Grab a notebook and a pen, and start exploring your answers to these questions aimed at increasing your self awareness and figuring out your path.

  1. If you were to take a gap year, what would you do? Where would you go, what would you learn? / If you had one year to go/learn/do whatever wherever you wanted, what would it look like?

  2. Describe your ideal day in as much detail as possible. What time do you wake up? What are you eating? How do you feel?

  3. If I were the character in a novel, what would the reader be thinking “why don’t they just do X already!”

  4. Write down all the things you think you SHOULD do, that you don’t want to do. Which ones on your list are things that you don’t actually need to do?

  5. What is your ideal lifestyle? Write about it as clearly as you can. Are you traveling? Where to? Who are you with? 

  6. If you knew for certain that you couldn't fail, what would you do?

  7. What is one thing that you would like to learn? Why do you want to learn this? 

  8. Think about a change you are afraid to make or something you want to do or try but are afraid. What is the worst that could go wrong and how would you face it?

  9. What emotion are you unwilling to sit with and why do you think that is?

  10. Describe the first time in your life that you remember feeling something was not right.

  11. Describe a specific time and place where you felt joy. 

  12. Think of someone in your life who you look up to. Write down why. Bonus: Tell them. 

  13. What unfair advantage do you have? 

  14. Think of a goal you have set for yourself. Write it down. Now describe what it will look like if you 10Xed that goal, and what you could do to get there. 

  15. What is true about you today that would make your 8-year-old self cry?

  16. What activity or activities do you love doing so much that you sometimes forget to eat?

  17. In what ways can you put yourself out there more? In other words, how can you better embarrass yourself?

  18. How are you going to save the world?

  19. List the 5 people you spend the most time with. Why do you spend the most time with these 5 people, and how are they affecting you? Think about how these people impact your behaviors, thoughts, lifestyle, etc.

  20. If you had to leave your house or apartment all day, every day, where would you go and what would you do? 

  21. What are your weaknesses? How can you turn these weaknesses into strengths?

  22. If you didn’t have to work a job for money, what would you do with your time?

  23. Write down 10 business ideas (no matter how silly or unpractical). 

  24. How can you use challenges you have faced or are facing right now to serve those around you?

  25. What are some things that you should STOP doing? These can be habits you feel aren’t serving you, such as checking social media.

  26. If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be and why? Why haven’t you made the change yet? Is there a step you can take to bring you closer to changing it?

  27. Describe one thing on your bucket list. Write about how you could plan to check it off in the next 12 months.

journal prompts self awareness

I hope you find these helpful, and that your responses illuminate something about yourself that you had forgotten or never realized.

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