3 Inspirational Journal Topics to Get Your Juices Flowing
Sometimes, we get stuck. Not because we don’t have something to say, but because we don’t know where to start. If you’re feeling that way, here are 3 journal prompts to help you reflect, reconnect, and maybe even reshape how you see your life.
Prompt #1: What or who inspires you?
Does this person/idea impact how you make decisions in your life?
Prompt #2: Have you recently seen or watched something that sparked new inspiration?
How has your opinion changed about that new interest or new experience now that you’ve tried it?
Prompt #3: Do you see things you wish you could experience too?
How would that change how you feel every day — and why?
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Press the button below to download the Free PDF file!
My Reflection
Recently, someone asked me if I was jealous of my friend’s life and wished I could change my life to reflect something like hers. She just bought a big, brick home in a manicured development positioned in a great school district. Their neighborhood is within walking distance to their little downtown strip of family-owned restaurants, boutique stores, and a movie theater. Is it an ideal location where you can watch your children grow up and still be close enough to major highways to be at the shore in less than 2 hours? Sure.
It is a very cute house that they will grow into as this newly married couple expands their family and establishes roots in their new home. But, I can honestly say, I am not jealous of her life. For the first time in years, I genuinely love my life and the feeling of being settled in the life that I choose to live with my husband.
For years, I have dreamed about a different life and what an ideal everyday would look like that would make me happy. I wanted the white picket fence with a gorgeous, ambitious husband who drove the nice car and kissed me in the kitchen while I cooked us dinner. I dreamed about a group of girlfriends sipping martinis during happy hour while we gossiped about our jobs and big/small moments in our lives.
The job was the most common thing I dreamed about because everyone talks about their career and the jobs they love to work…I wanted to share how passionate I was about my job, how talented I am, and how I love what I do every day for eight hours a day, five days a week.
That was the crux that haunted me for years as I went to college for a bachelor’s degree that I wasn’t sure I’d use in the long run (surprise, I don’t use it), and went back to college for a master’s degree for more of a crash course on business components that I never learned in life or school.
But the beauty of it is that I no longer feel that pit in my stomach. The thoughts don’t keep me up at night as they swirl around saying, “Stephanie, how are you going to make money? You’ve always worked; what job are you going to do next? How are you going to balance a job and being a mother one day?”
That little voice in my head has been quieted down, and I’ve learned to tune it out. That voice doesn’t benefit me, and it doesn’t inspire me; it hinders me from trusting my gut and exploring other options. I have always bet on myself and tried every opportunity to find a job or find a passion project, so I’m going to continue betting on myself.
Do I feel inspired by other people online to live a different life, or do I experience adventures they are showcasing online? Yes and no.
I love watching YouTube videos from creators like Sailing La Vagabond, Kara and Nate, or KinginIt. Their adventures to remote locations, their challenges of overcoming tough moments, and their interactions with great humans inspire me to continue traveling. It speaks to the child inside of me who was an exchange student living in Poland with a host family at 18 years old, uncomfortable and scared, that pushed herself outside of her comfort zone to enjoy unforgettable moments.
The little girl in me relied entirely on herself to get through challenges, and I know that little girl beckons me to do it again. I hope to one day live on a motorized boat with my husband and cruise along the American Great Loop and beyond.
Maybe it’s the fact that I want to prove to myself that she’s still in there and I can make her proud again? Or perhaps it’s the fact that I want to show myself that anything isn’t that challenging, especially when you go into it educated.
In time, I’ll be cruising through the waterways with my children and my husband as we embark on an adventure to see the world from the water. Until then, I am enjoying my life on land, with moments on the couch with my husband watching another YouTube video, or traveling to another city or country we’ve never explored.
Final Thoughts: What Choices Are You Making Today?
The decisions we make daily shape our lives, and we will look back on the entire picture crafted by those little decisions. The choice to stay on the couch, within that job you hate, or within your community that you’ve grown up in is what shapes your life as a whole.
If that is what makes you happy, and the idea of doing anything different would make you unhappy, then stay! But don’t stay there due to comfort, or don’t let fear of the unknown stop you from trying.
Don't stay stuck just because it's comfortable. And don't let fear of the unknown stop you from trying something new.
Bet on yourself, always.
Want the journal prompts to keep in your journal or reference later?
Press the button below to download the Free PDF file!
