Last post I shared how I used to think that journaling was just keeping a diary of what happened in your day. While it can be that, there are so many other ways you can use journaling too! Check out that post here to find out some of the powerful ways journaling can help you to be happy.
When I was starting to use journaling for more than just keeping a record of my day, I found that I really needed some sort of prompt to help get me started and direct my writing. Otherwise, I was often there just staring at a blank page wondering what the heck to write!
If this is you, fear not! Luckily there are plenty of journaling prompts out there nowadays or you can even take a course in journaling to really kick off your habit with a bang.
Today I’m going to share with you 10 of my favourite journaling prompts that helped me to build and strengthen my mindset. Why not choose 1 (or 2!) to try out today?
Here they are!
10 Journaling Prompts for Mindset Success
1) Do a ‘brain dump’
Okay, so this one isn’t a prompt as such, but it is a good place to get started. A brain dump is where you write down all the thoughts running through your head (or your stream of consciousness).
Forget about needing a prompt and just write down whatever thought comes up (even ‘this is stupid!’ works). If you can tap into your flow of thoughts, it can be valuable in identifying what’s going on with your thoughts and feelings when you are perhaps suppressing these.
Relax your hand and let all those messy thoughts out. If this doesn’t work, move (quickly!) onto the next prompt 🙂
2) Turn limiting or negative beliefs on their head
Write down any limiting or negative beliefs you have about yourself or your life.
Then turn them on their head or flip them around to create positive statements that you can then use as affirmations. For example: “I’m pathetic” becomes > “I am not pathetic, I am unique and amazing, just as I am” Check out this excerpt from my own journal for more examples…
For bonus points, write them out and stick them up somewhere visible or add them to your phone as reminders that come up throughout the day.
3) What are you grateful for?
Write down what you are grateful for and why?
Sometimes when we are experiencing difficult times in our life, it’s easy to forget that there is anything good left in the world.
By taking time to specifically focus and appreciate the things we do have, rather than just focusing on what we don’t have, we shift our mindset from negative thinking to positive thinking.
Having trouble picking something? Try thinking about what your favourite moments or high points have been in life. If we lose the grey tinted glasses for a moment, we can usually find something to be grateful for.
Things that I am grateful for include my family, good health, peace, freedom, clean running water and other conveniences, nature, opportunities… the list could go on forever really!
4) What would you change in your life?
On the flip side of gratitude journaling, if you could change one area of your life, what would you change?
This question can really get you thinking about what the most significant or important change would be to you. How could you make this change? What are your non-negotiables?
5) Remind yourself that you are worthwhile, just as you are!
Use your journaling to remind yourself that you are enough, just as you are. Every single one of us is special in the unique way we have come together and how we go through our lives and the experiences we have lived. We are each capable of doing good things and helping to make a positive impact.
Remind yourself of this by crafting some ‘I am’ or ‘I have’ statements. For example: I am kind, I am worthwhile, I am loving, I am proud of myself, I have opportunities, I have choices, I have so much to give.
Once again, this focuses the mind on the positives rather than any negatives and these statements can be used as affirmations to give yourself a bit of a boost if needed.
You can also think up ways to honour yourself with self-love or self-care practices and how you can include these in your day.
6) Check in with yourself and how you are feeling
Ask yourself what’s making you happy at the moment? What’s making you angry? Is there something that’s going really well in your life at the moment? Or on the flip side, is there something that is causing you distress?
After noting down your answers, think about how you can include more of the good things in your life or how you can minimise the not-so-good things. Can you make some sort of difference?
7) Remind yourself you have power over your thoughts and feelings
Remind yourself that you have control over your thoughts and feelings.
YOU can decide what you place importance on and whether you give something your attention and thought space (and heart space). Remind yourself by writing this down.
For example: I have control over my thoughts and feelings, I have control over how I reacted to such-and-such, I have control over which feelings I pay attention too.
This can really amp up your positivity.
8) Get clear on your goals
Identify your current goals or targets by writing down your top life goal and top work/career goal. It might help to think about what you want to achieve over the next month or quarter (90-days).
Thinking about your top goal can be a good way to focus the mind on what is important and what action you need to take to achieve them.
To prevent overwhelm, list the goal, why you want to achieve it and what the next few steps towards that goal are, not necessarily ALL the steps you need to get there (I like to list my next 3 actions to take). You can then transfer these action steps onto your to-do list for the day, week, or month.
9) Visualise what you feel when you get there
As a follow-on step from the last prompt (or in conjunction with), take some time to dream about or visualise what it will be like when you have achieved your goals.
Write down how you felt (physically and emotionally) and what would be different or better when you get there.
This can be highly motivating!
10) Give yourself a pep-talk
Before you round-up your journaling session for the day, why not do a bit of a pep-talk to yourself?
Pretend you’re a personal cheerleader for yourself and write down some motivational words or phrases to get you excited to take action on your day.
For example: I’m going to achieve my targets today; Live my dreams; Taking action is the only thing that will get me there; Believe in yourself; Find the joy in as many situations as possible; Enjoy the journey; I am proud of myself; I can do it!!
Bonus prompt: 11) What would someone serious about success do?
Think about what someone serious about success would do in their day. Can you incorporate any of these into your daily routines? What new beliefs would someone who is serious about succeeding have? Step into the person that you want to be and act how they would act.
This prompt is one that my sister uses in her business, but it can just as easily relate to whatever you are wanting to achieve in your life. (See more business based prompts here!)
Maybe they would:
- Give thanks each morning for waking up to a brand new day;
- Eat a nutritious, babe-fuelling diet;
- Drink enough water to make them vibrant and healthy;
- Work out every day to provide their body with spark and be the strongest, healthiest version of themselves possible;
- Have feel-good moments every day;
- Be mindful;
- Maintain a positive mindset;
- Invest their time, energy and money into things that will feed their soul;
- Treat others as they wish to be treated;
- Have fun, soul-nurturing moments, etc…
Once you have thought about how someone serious about success would act, try to incorporate some (or all!) of these actions into your life.
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Want a print-out of these prompts? Grab it here!
I really hope you found this post helpful and that you can use it to take action to build up a positive mindset.
A good mindset is a real asset as you go through life. Not only does it help you to deal with difficulties thrown your way, it also gives you a headstart when working towards achieving your dream goals.
You’ve probably heard the expression ‘your mindset is half the battle’ and it’s true!
A positive mindset gives you a ‘can-do’ attitude and you are more likely to see the opportunities in any given situation. Especially if you use journaling to get clarity on your thoughts and feelings!
Use these prompts in this post as a starting point to create your journaling habit and then go from there. Once you get started, you can even come up with your own prompts as needed to maintain a healthy mindset.
Wishing you all the best with your journaling!
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