12 Journal Prompts to Help You Understand Who You Are

How well do you think you know yourself? I’m curious because, between social media, parenting, and our ability to become workaholics, we tend to lose ourselves more often than we think we do. And if I’m being completely honest, I think some people never find their way back to themselves.

Hell, look at the woman (me) in this photo. Pre-kids, certain of herself in so many ways. I know I’m not that woman anymore, and I’m grateful to that in so many ways, but in answering these questions I’m able to connect the dots between her and I. We may have slightly different values, a different career path and yeah maybe I am wearing a little more weight, but ultimately I know that we are both striving for the same thing. Happiness. Fulfillment. An ongoing passion to level up intellectually.

What am I getting at? You cannot become who you want to be if you don’t know who you are to begin with.

Knowing yourself isn’t about the personality quizzes in magazines, it’s about your values, patterns, fears, desires, beliefs, and your real inner voice. It’s about really getting to know yourself, which will feel uncomfortable, which is how you know it’s working.

Before we get started, you need to take a quick note as to how to use these prompts. This is not something to rush through (guilty), take your time! Sit with one each day or even one each week. Write unfiltered – no editing yourself! Remember, this is for you. And when you hit resistance? (You know, that feeling like stopping to check your phone, getting oddly tired, or suddenly thinking that maybe this process is done…) KEEP GOING. Ditch your phone, stay awake, and push through. It might just be the ultimate realization or wakeup call you didn’t see coming.

THE PROMPTS:

1. Who was I before I was striving to meet everyone else’s expectations?

2. What am I pretending to know about my life right now?

3. When do I feel most like myself and when do I feel most disconnected?

4. What’s something I consistently avoid and why?

5. What makes me irrationally emotional and what might that be trying to teach me?

6. What parts of my personality have I shrunk to make others feel more comfortable?

7. What am I proud of that no one has ever validated?

8. What does my jealousy reveal about unspoken desires?

9. What patterns keep showing up in my relationships?

10. If fear was no longer a factor in my life, what would I change immediately?

11. What do I need more of and what do I need less of in my life?

12. If someone were to describe the real me honestly, what would they say and what would I hope they’d say?

What Now? Once you’re finished answering these questions, it’s important to start focusing on patterns. Notice the emotions that might come flooding in. This is where real personal growth happens.

Remember, clarity creates responsibility. If you are comfortable right now, you may find yourself avoiding these questions because once you see things clearly, you can’t unsee them. But the beauty in knowing all of this is the fact that, with knowing who you are comes the ability to attain an unbelievable amount of happiness. You can single handedly craft your wildest dreams if you know what they are.

If these prompts stirred something in you, it’s not a coincidence! This is exactly the type of journaling you’ll find in The Creating Me Journals.

See you!
Amy