100 Journaling Prompts for Self-Reflection

A Great Way Organize Your Thoughts

November 29, 2024 | Healthy Thinking
By Adam Gragg

Keeping a journal is an often underutilized tool that provides incredible insight when done properly and consistently. It’s essential to clarify my thoughts and feelings and to identify the lies I’m believing.

I find that one of the biggest challenges to getting started with journaling (aside from literally putting pen to paper!) is coming up with ideas on what to write about.

Over the years, I’ve collected a variety of prompts from books, articles, blogs, and general life experiences that I have compiled below to share with you! Utilize them when you’re struggling to come up with ways to journal your thoughts and feelings:

100 Journaling Prompts

Prompts 1 – 25

What is something unexpected that happened to you recently? How did it impact you?
What does love mean to you? How would you describe it to someone else?
What was one of the best days of your life, and why? Also, what was one of the worst?
What are five small moments that you were grateful for in the past week?
What was one of the scariest moments of your life and why was it scary?
How did you come to live at your current residence and why are you living here?
How do you define personal success and how do you plan to achieve it?
How will you enjoy retirement when you no longer want to work?
How has the past year treated you? What can you do to make this year better?
How have your current habits been serving you? Are there any that need to change?
Why are you hesitating to take the next step on a personal project? What do you need to move forward?
Why is your current lifestyle satisfactory? If it isn’t, why not?
Why are you working at your job? How can you make your job better serve your needs?
Why should someone invest in you today? What do you want to accomplish?
Why haven’t you taken a risk recently? What do you need to take a calculated risk?
Who has had the greatest influence on your life? What did they do?
Who is pushing you to be the best version of yourself? Who is sabotaging your efforts?
Who has done a recent act of kindness for you? Who can you do a random act of kindness to today?
Who is your personal role model? Why are they your role model?
Who has invested in your well-being recently? Who could you invest in?
When life gets overwhelming what do you do to regain composure?
When was the last time you did an activity for only yourself? When can you do so again?
When did you last take a significant risk? What was it and why did you do it?
When was the last time you were genuinely curious?
When do you reflect on your life? Do you regularly schedule a time to reflect?

“People who have had little self-reflection live life in a huge reality blind-spot” – Bryant McGil

Prompts 26 – 50

What is your favorite time of the day and why?
How did you meet your first best friend? What are they up to now?
When have you exceeded your expectations? What did you do?
Of all living people, who would you most like to have a three-hour dinner with?
Are you a spender or a saver? Why?
Life is too short to tolerate __________________.
If you could get rid of any one bad habit, what would it be?
Describe a fear you overcame and how you did so.
What is the most valuable lesson you have learned? Who taught it to you?
If you could have any career what would it be and why?
What do you wish you were the best at?
How has fear held you back? What would you do if you were 10 times more confident?
Write down an interesting, insightful, or inspiring insight that changed you mind.
List down three goals you want to achieve within the next three months.
What is something unique about you that no one knows? Why haven’t you shared it?
Have you ever had a nickname? What is it and how did you earn the name?
What is your biggest regret? What is your greatest accomplishment?
Journal about your favorite artist, author, or creator. Why do you enjoy their work?
How would you behave if you didn’t care about other people’s expectations?
Other than money, what have you gained from your current job?
Who has made you laugh recently? What did they do to make you laugh?
List your favorite foods, drinks, snacks, desserts, and more. When was the last time you got to enjoy one of them with a friend?
Create a motto for your life.
When was the last time you overcame a difficult obstacle? How were you able to beat it?
Have you taken a day to disconnect from responsibilities? When was the last time you did so?

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Prompts 51 – 75

If you had a magic wand to solve any one problem what would it be and how would your life change?
If you were unapologetically loved and accepted yourself what would change moving forward?
What are you the best at? What do you love doing the most? How could you spend more time engaging in both activities?
What makes your heart happy? What gives you the greatest thrills?
What do you believe is holding you back in your life? What could you do to change it to serve you?
Where do you see yourself in three months, six months, nine months, and twelve months? Be specific.
What are your top five memories? Why do they hold a special place in your mind?
How would your life change if you woke up and stopped worrying about your past and your future?
What scares you the most and why? How can you tackle this fear so it controls less of your life?
If you could go back in time and tell yourself one piece of advice, what would it be?
What are three things you are looking forward to doing this week? Why?
Who do you need to forgive? What’s stopping you from doing so today?
What opportunities do you have in front of you right now? What’s making you hesitate to decide?
How would you like to be remembered when you are gone?
What energizes you? What drains you? How can you maximize your energizers and limit your drainers?
What is an assumption about yourself or the world that has been holding you back?
What is something that is worrying you at the moment? How have you tried to address it?
What was the last book you read? What about it was interesting or useful?
If you were happier, how would people know?
List five people you spend the most time with in your day-to-day life. How are these people helping you grow or live a fulfilling life?
What do you like about yourself? Why do you like these aspects?
What advice would you give to a random stranger?
When did you last spend time with your family or a close friend?
If there were no limits or obstacles in your way, journal about where would you be in 10 years.
When was the last time you were seriously sick? How did you heal yourself?

“Do not take life too seriously. You will never get out of it alive.” – Elbert Hubbard

Prompts 76 – 100

When was the last time you tried something you were not good at? How did it go?
What are you settling for in your life right now? How could you change that?
Journal about one controversial belief you hold and why you hold firm to it.
What is something you don’t want anyone to know about you and why?
List your favorite activities as a child. When did you engage one of those activities?
If not now, then when?
What is the last thing you’ve done that is worth remembering?
When you are 80 years old what will matter to you most?
Write about your last intense encounter and why was it fulfilling or nerve-wracking.
Would you break the law to hold to a personal value? What value and why?
If you could brainwash someone into believing something what would it be and why?
What would you require to be taught in schools if you were in charge of national education?
Which is worse, never making an attempt or failing while trying?
When was the last time you meditated or took a moment to focus on your surroundings?
What does the American Dream mean to you and how are you achieving it?
What is the most desirable trait that another person can possess?
How would you describe the good leader? How would you describe the good follower?
Are you more worried about doing things right or doing the right things? Journal about it.
What is one lie you believed for most of your life?
How would you describe yourself to a stranger?
Reflect on a moment that you stood up for yourself. What was the result?
What were you like as a 7 year old?
List 3 counterintuitive truths. “Most people think ______________, but the truth is ________________.”
Describe your ideal vacation in detail.
If you couuld give a gift to anyone, what gift would you give and why?

Download 100 Journaling Prompts PDF