42 Powerful Journal Prompts for Self-Discovery

Getting to know yourself is the most important thing you can do in this life. It is a gift the Universe gives you and a gift you give to the Universe.  It is the most valuable thing you can give yourself. Your pure honesty.

These 42 journal prompts for self-discovery will help you explore the depths of your soul.

No one will judge you. Just you. Your favorite writing tool. And a notebook. 

But what if you don’t know where to begin? What if you don’t know how to be honest? No, I don’t mean that you are a liar. 

But everything in life feels fuzzy right now; your thoughts are unclear, and searching deep for answers within yourself is as foreign as the backseat of Rihanna’s brand-new foreign car. 

Whether you’ve recently closed a chapter in your life, experienced a traumatic life event, or never learned how to look inside for answers, it’s time to discover yourself. Or, technically, rediscover yourself.

The Universe is calling for you to connect with your soul, and Manifestaire is here with you on your soul-searching journey. So don’t worry. It’s a beautiful and painful process, but ultimately a rewarding one. Promise.

How Do You Start Journaling for Self-Discovery

There is no right or wrong way to journal. You can choose to free-write and write what comes to your mind or answer your own questions. Or, I have a list of self-discovery journaling questions below to get you started. 

You can choose to journal for 5 minutes, 15 minutes, or 2 hours. Go HAM if you want and are really feeling it, but a 30-minute session is a typical journaling session.

Journaling is a powerful self-care practice if you build a consistent habit. Schedule it in your calendar as you would any other self-care habit. 

As you find consistency in your journaling practice, you’ll feel a deeper connection with yourself and a newfound awareness. You wake up. You become a better friend, a better confidante, and your very own best guide. And that is valuable, my friend. 

So are you ready? It’s already all there inside, waiting to burst out like a starburst shower. (I know, cheezy, but I can’t help it 😬) Let’s go.

36 Journal Prompts for Self-Discovery and Soul Searching

1. What are your biggest strengths?
2. What are some of your weaknesses?
3. What are your most important values?
4. What ticks you off and why?
5. What makes you happy and why?
6. What makes you sad and why?
7. What was your biggest heartbreak?
8. Where do you see yourself in a year, five years, or ten years?
9. Name a turning point in your life and how it made you the person you are today.
10. What are the themes that run through your life?
11. How do you want to be remembered at your funeral?
12. What are the lessons that recur in your life?
13. What are your passions and why? 
14. What personality and character traits do you want to develop?
15. Who are the most important people in your life, and why?
16. How can you better your relationships with them?
17. What are your life dreams?
18. How would your best friend describe you?
19. How would a stranger describe you?
20. How would a family member describe you?
21. How would you describe yourself?
22. What does the perfect day look and feel like to you?
23. What does your ideal life look and feel like?
24. What does your ideal job look and feel like?
25. If you are stranded on an island, what five books would you take with you and why?
26. If you knew you would die in a year suddenly, would you change anything about the way you are living now? Why and how?
27. What excites you most about the future?
28. What scares you most about the future?
29. What is the biggest risk you’ve taken in your life? 
30. What are you feeling emotionally and spiritually at this moment?
31. What is the last challenge you’ve overcome?
32. Write a bucket list of everything you want to do in your life.
33. Name three public figures you admire, what qualities you admire about them, and why.
34. Name a person in your life that has impacted you the most and why.
35. Is there a person you despise in your life, and what about them makes you feel that way?
36. What makes you valuable and why?
37. What choice are you proud of that you made despite everyone’s opposition?
38. What does intuition feel like for you?
39. What is the one thing you can’t live without?
40. What are five things you are grateful for right now?
41. What are you most proud of?
42. What’s your favorite childhood memory?