Ten Journaling Topics For Self Discovery
- By Sharon Ball
- Published 01/18/2012
- Self Help
- Unrated
Sharon Ball
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There comes a time for most of us when we ask, "Is this all there is?" We may realize that we are just reacting to events around us, day after day, instead of living according to a plan. We may be satisfying everybody's needs except for our own. Something seems missing in our life, but we can't quite identify what it is. Maybe we have always had a dream but felt that we had plenty of time in the future to pursue it and suddenly we realize that maybe time is running out. Sometimes people ignore these feelings, burying them deep inside for months, years, even forever. I am going to suggest you take a different route, one of reinvention. Reinvent your life, reinvent yourself. And the most important thing is to start today. The second most important thing is to plan a different path from what you have done in the past when trying to make changes in yourself and/or your life.
There are many different ways to reinvent yourself but they all begin with self discovery. Journaling is an excellent mechanism to discover more about yourself and clarify what you really want out of life. Many successful people use journaling to create happier and more successful lives. Benjamin Franklin for example was a consistent journaler.
Journaling is writing down your thoughts and feelings periodically as a means of getting to know yourself better, gaining a wider perspective regarding yourself and your life, and problem solve. The very act of writing seems to help crystallize thoughts, ideas, concerns, worries, and conflicts. Writing down our thoughts and feelings help us be objective about subjective information. Journaling can help us focus and identify subconscious thoughts we may not have been aware of. It can help us organize our thoughts and ideas and often causes solutions to problems to "Just appear out of nowhere".
Journaling allows you to go back later and reconsider what you wrote about our thoughts and feelings on a deeper level. Journaling can be used to rid yourself of anger and hostility. We can write an angry letter to someone we'd really like to tell off and rid ourselves of those angry feelings. Then we can leave that anger behind us. Over time a journal can give us a picture of where we have been, where we are now, and where we want to be in the future. It can help us identify goals and track our progress as we complete those goals. Journaling has even been used as a self-therapy too and allows us to relive through troubling events of our childhood and reevaluate them according to the more mature understanding we have as adults. Our adult thinking may allow us to let go of these troubling events and heal our subconscious. Journaling can help us with decision making. When we write down our thoughts and problems both our left and right brain get involved in the process. We can organize the pros nod cons and all of a sudden everything makes better sense to us.
For those of you that are not yet into journaling, you may be unsure how to get started or what to write about. There are few rules related to journaling. You don't have to spell or punctuate correctly and you can be as messy as you want. You don't even have to use complete sentences. No one is going o read what you write except for yourself so do it YOUR WAY.
All you need to get started journaling is some paper and a pencil or pen or even a computer. Some journelers want an inexpensive notebook, hardbound or even loose leaf, that they don't have to worry about being messy in and they can throw it out and start over whenever they want. Other people want an attractive book that will inspire and motivate them to write in. Some people even want to decorate their journal book themselves to express their personal creativity. You want a book that will make you feel good about writing in. A pretty book and a special pen can make writing fun. Maybe you want to use colored ink or even sparkly ink. You may want to experiment over time to find the best type of journal and pen for your personality. Use whatever will make you comfortable about the idea of writing in it regularly. Consider journaling on a computer which will allow you to rearrange thoughts and ideas whenever you want to.
Once you get your writing materials you are ready to get started. I recommend you set up regular times to write
in your journal. Write the last thing at night before you go to bed or in the morning after a second cup of coffee. Find a quiet place to journal where you will be uninterrupted. Eliminate distractions as much as you can.
You don't have to write everyday but it is a good idea to plan for at least three or so times a week for your journal. Make a date for your journaling in your datebook or on your calendar if you have to. You don't have to schedule a lengthy period of time, 5 to 15 minutes will do unless you fell like writing longer. Just be consistent and write in your journal fairly consistently. Write whatever pops into your mind. Don't spend time editing your writing or worrying about spelling or sentence structure. Whatever you are thinking is acceptable and Ok to write about. By expressing thoughts you feel a little uncomfortable with will allow you to focus, clarify, and even problem solve. Use your imagination freely. Song lyrics, quotations or poems that resonate with you are good to add to your journal. You may even want to cut pictures from magazines and turn a journal page into a vision board. For self discovery or problem solving you will want to write quickly and not think through what you are writing. Just allow the words to flow. Don't stop to correct spelling , or cross out or erase words Be sure to date each entry for future reference. Rereading your entries at a later date often provide great insight to what is happening in your life or to your subconscious thoughts and feelings. Write about your hopes for the futures, painful events in the past, what you see as your strengths and weakness, make a list of favorite things and a list of things you'd like to avoid in life. Vent when you feel angry or sad. Be sure to write about happy things also. Just be sure your journal is kept in a safe and protected spot so you don't have to worry about someone finding it and reading it. The information in your journal is for your eyes only. If you find that days or weeks or even months have passed since you wrote in your journal, don't berate yourself. Just get started again as soon as possible.
Ten possible topics for self discovery journaling include:
1- List ten types of things do you LOVE? consider events, situations, circumstances, or sensations when considering things you LOVE. Write about what is it in particular that you love about each of these things? The way they look? The way they feel? The way they make you feel?
2- Identify ten kinds of activities would be worth staying up all night for? What resonates with your soul? How do these activities make you feel? What makes you feel excitement and joy? What do you enjoy talking about more than anything? How would you feel if you were doing this activity? Are there any other activities that would give you the same feeling?
3- Write about things you loved to do as a child? When you were playing make believe, who were you? How did they make you feel? Do any of your current activities make you feel that way?
4- List five favorite television programs, five favorite books. Are there any similarities in between these programs and books? How do these programs and books make you feel?
5- List ten of your favorite people (they may be real or fictional, people you actually know or just those you have read about). Then list five characteristics or personality traits that each of your ten favorite people exhibit. Are there some characteristics or traits that all or most of your favorite people have? Are any of these characteristics or traits something you’d like to have?
6- List ten places you love to visit or would live to visit. Why do these places appeal to you? How do you feel when you are there? (Or how do you think you would feel if you were there?)
7- Identify five things you’d love to create and write how it would make you feel after you were finished with the project.
8- Identify 10 material objects that you love or would love to have. Write about why you love them or how they make you feel to own them. (Or would make you feel if you don't have them now).
9- Identify ten ideas, concepts, and areas of knowledge that fill your mind, spark your imagination, excite your curiosity and would generate interesting conversations. Can you identify any common themes between these ten ideas, concepts, or areas of knowledge?
10- If you died tomorrow, what kinds of regrets would you have?
Remember, you have to actually write down your answers for each exercise. If you’re not willing to put forth that time and effort, you are not going to reap the benefits.
There are many different ways to reinvent yourself but they all begin with self discovery. Journaling is an excellent mechanism to discover more about yourself and clarify what you really want out of life. Many successful people use journaling to create happier and more successful lives. Benjamin Franklin for example was a consistent journaler.
Journaling is writing down your thoughts and feelings periodically as a means of getting to know yourself better, gaining a wider perspective regarding yourself and your life, and problem solve. The very act of writing seems to help crystallize thoughts, ideas, concerns, worries, and conflicts. Writing down our thoughts and feelings help us be objective about subjective information. Journaling can help us focus and identify subconscious thoughts we may not have been aware of. It can help us organize our thoughts and ideas and often causes solutions to problems to "Just appear out of nowhere".
Journaling allows you to go back later and reconsider what you wrote about our thoughts and feelings on a deeper level. Journaling can be used to rid yourself of anger and hostility. We can write an angry letter to someone we'd really like to tell off and rid ourselves of those angry feelings. Then we can leave that anger behind us. Over time a journal can give us a picture of where we have been, where we are now, and where we want to be in the future. It can help us identify goals and track our progress as we complete those goals. Journaling has even been used as a self-therapy too and allows us to relive through troubling events of our childhood and reevaluate them according to the more mature understanding we have as adults. Our adult thinking may allow us to let go of these troubling events and heal our subconscious. Journaling can help us with decision making. When we write down our thoughts and problems both our left and right brain get involved in the process. We can organize the pros nod cons and all of a sudden everything makes better sense to us.
For those of you that are not yet into journaling, you may be unsure how to get started or what to write about. There are few rules related to journaling. You don't have to spell or punctuate correctly and you can be as messy as you want. You don't even have to use complete sentences. No one is going o read what you write except for yourself so do it YOUR WAY.
All you need to get started journaling is some paper and a pencil or pen or even a computer. Some journelers want an inexpensive notebook, hardbound or even loose leaf, that they don't have to worry about being messy in and they can throw it out and start over whenever they want. Other people want an attractive book that will inspire and motivate them to write in. Some people even want to decorate their journal book themselves to express their personal creativity. You want a book that will make you feel good about writing in. A pretty book and a special pen can make writing fun. Maybe you want to use colored ink or even sparkly ink. You may want to experiment over time to find the best type of journal and pen for your personality. Use whatever will make you comfortable about the idea of writing in it regularly. Consider journaling on a computer which will allow you to rearrange thoughts and ideas whenever you want to.
Once you get your writing materials you are ready to get started. I recommend you set up regular times to write
You don't have to write everyday but it is a good idea to plan for at least three or so times a week for your journal. Make a date for your journaling in your datebook or on your calendar if you have to. You don't have to schedule a lengthy period of time, 5 to 15 minutes will do unless you fell like writing longer. Just be consistent and write in your journal fairly consistently. Write whatever pops into your mind. Don't spend time editing your writing or worrying about spelling or sentence structure. Whatever you are thinking is acceptable and Ok to write about. By expressing thoughts you feel a little uncomfortable with will allow you to focus, clarify, and even problem solve. Use your imagination freely. Song lyrics, quotations or poems that resonate with you are good to add to your journal. You may even want to cut pictures from magazines and turn a journal page into a vision board. For self discovery or problem solving you will want to write quickly and not think through what you are writing. Just allow the words to flow. Don't stop to correct spelling , or cross out or erase words Be sure to date each entry for future reference. Rereading your entries at a later date often provide great insight to what is happening in your life or to your subconscious thoughts and feelings. Write about your hopes for the futures, painful events in the past, what you see as your strengths and weakness, make a list of favorite things and a list of things you'd like to avoid in life. Vent when you feel angry or sad. Be sure to write about happy things also. Just be sure your journal is kept in a safe and protected spot so you don't have to worry about someone finding it and reading it. The information in your journal is for your eyes only. If you find that days or weeks or even months have passed since you wrote in your journal, don't berate yourself. Just get started again as soon as possible.
Ten possible topics for self discovery journaling include:
1- List ten types of things do you LOVE? consider events, situations, circumstances, or sensations when considering things you LOVE. Write about what is it in particular that you love about each of these things? The way they look? The way they feel? The way they make you feel?
2- Identify ten kinds of activities would be worth staying up all night for? What resonates with your soul? How do these activities make you feel? What makes you feel excitement and joy? What do you enjoy talking about more than anything? How would you feel if you were doing this activity? Are there any other activities that would give you the same feeling?
3- Write about things you loved to do as a child? When you were playing make believe, who were you? How did they make you feel? Do any of your current activities make you feel that way?
4- List five favorite television programs, five favorite books. Are there any similarities in between these programs and books? How do these programs and books make you feel?
5- List ten of your favorite people (they may be real or fictional, people you actually know or just those you have read about). Then list five characteristics or personality traits that each of your ten favorite people exhibit. Are there some characteristics or traits that all or most of your favorite people have? Are any of these characteristics or traits something you’d like to have?
6- List ten places you love to visit or would live to visit. Why do these places appeal to you? How do you feel when you are there? (Or how do you think you would feel if you were there?)
7- Identify five things you’d love to create and write how it would make you feel after you were finished with the project.
8- Identify 10 material objects that you love or would love to have. Write about why you love them or how they make you feel to own them. (Or would make you feel if you don't have them now).
9- Identify ten ideas, concepts, and areas of knowledge that fill your mind, spark your imagination, excite your curiosity and would generate interesting conversations. Can you identify any common themes between these ten ideas, concepts, or areas of knowledge?
10- If you died tomorrow, what kinds of regrets would you have?
Remember, you have to actually write down your answers for each exercise. If you’re not willing to put forth that time and effort, you are not going to reap the benefits.