The first step in the journey towards personal growth is always self-awareness. Indeed, a person must first know his strengths, so he could enhance them, and his weaknesses, so he could work on them. In this regard, journaling is one of the best tools a person can employ in his quest for self-discovery. There are no rules to follow in journal writing. Just set a timer for 10 minutes, sit down and start writing.
Write what you don’t want to write about
The key objective of journal writing is for one to be completely truthful and vulnerable. People tend to write about only the good moments in their lives and skip or sugar coat those that are not. We want our lives to be perfect on paper when in reality, it never is. By writing about the things that you do not want to write about, you can get to the core of what aspect of yourself or your life needs work.
Write about who you are
Try to answer the question “Who am I now?” as honestly as you can. You can also write about who you were at different periods in your life, and explore the differences between who you were then, who you are now, and who you are becoming. Moreover, write about the inner you that stayed and never changed.
Write about what makes you happy
Make a list of all the things that make you happy and add to it on a regular basis. Write about the small things like a perfect cup of coffee, the expensive stuff like a summer getaway, or the priceless like your loved ones. Being aware of what truly makes you happy and gives you joy will give you a better sense of who you really are and what you want out of life.
Write about how amazing you are
Just as important as writing about the things about yourself that you need to work on is writing about the qualities that make you special. Talk about how intelligent, creative, funny, or hardworking you are!
Ask for advice from your 99-year old self
Pretend that you are having a conversation with your 99-year old self who is perfectly happy and satisfied with life. Ask your future self what things should you be focusing on, and what experiences would contribute the most to your goal of becoming the person you want to be in the future.