Dani

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Over the past couple of years I’ve been spending a lot of time getting to know myself. And now it’s your turn.

When you start any sort of personal growth or discovery journey, you’ll face challenges, make discoveries, and learn valuable lessons. You’ll see this happen in all areas of your life but one of the most profound things you’ll experience is making these discoveries and learning these lessons about YOU. 

On my journey, I’ve found that one of the most crucial parts of this whole process is self-reflection. 

If you read the words “self-reflection” and felt your entire body tense up (and maybe felt like you might be about to throw up a little bit), you’re not alone!

It’s one of the parts of the process that I refused to even think about for a long time. But let me tell you, friend, when I started doing this work, things started to shift MASSIVELY for me.

When I first started this work, I really struggled to know where to even begin with self-reflection. I found that using journal prompts and asking myself some tough questions was a great starting point to helping me understand my feelings, desires, and actions better.

So, today I have 12 important, deep questions for you to consider. Don’t rush through these. Take your time diving into each one and when you think you’re done, sit with it for a little longer!

1. What motivates me?

Identifying what truly motivates you can provide a clearer sense of direction in your life. Your motivation could be a desire for happiness, success, or even helping others.

Understanding this can help guide your future decisions and actions.

2. What are my strengths?

Knowing your strengths can help to boost your confidence and make the most of your abilities. It can also help you to identify new things to try. 

Whether you’re good at problem-solving, communicating, leading, or creating, recognise these strengths and use them to your advantage.

3. What are my weaknesses?

While it’s essential to know your strengths, acknowledging your weaknesses is equally important. 

This awareness allows you to work on these areas and turn them into opportunities for growth. It also gives you the opportunity to ask for help from others where you need it rather than simply trying to push through alone.

4. What are my core values?

Your core values are the guiding principles that shape your decisions, actions, and overall lifestyle. So you could say they’re pretty big!

Identifying your core values can provide a sense of direction, clarity, and purpose in your life which leads on to…

5. Am I living life according to my core values?

Once you’ve identified your core values, it’s important to assess whether your current lifestyle aligns with these principles. If not, it could be a sign that you need to make some changes. 

Each time you are faced with a decision, use your core values to help you decide which path to take.

6. What are my life goals? 

Having clear life goals can provide you with a strong sense of direction and purpose. But, a word of warning, don’t get too caught up with them. 

It’s great to have something to work towards but as we grow and change, so too can our goals. Life goals that you set for yourself 5 years ago may no longer be what you want and forcing yourself to continue towards them can be detrimental to your personal growth.

7. What steps am I taking to achieve my goals?

It’s one thing to have goals but something completely different to actively work towards them (trust me, I know!) 

This question encourages you to reflect on the actions you;’re taking to make your goals a reality and to take radical responsibility for what happens in your life too. 

8. How do I handle stress?

Understanding how you handle stress can help you to develop healthier coping mechanisms. Being able to identify which things in life trigger your stress response, or trigger it more easily, and also help you avoid those things where possible or have a framework in place to help you tackle those situations. 

Finding healthy coping mechanisms that work for you may include exercise, meditation, breathwork, or even talking to a professional. Don’t be afraid to try different things to see what works best for YOU.

9. What makes me truly happy?

Next up it’s time to identify what truly brings you joy in life. Knowing what makes you happy can help you create a life that’s filled with happiness, joy, and satisfaction. This could be anything from spending time with loved ones to pursuing a passion project and spending time on your hobbies.

10. Am I holding any grudges?

Holding on to resentment can prevent personal growth. 

This is a really tough question because we often deny that we are holding grudges, even to ourselves. So sit with this and be really honest with yourself. 

Notice any grudges that you’re holding on to and work on finding forgiveness where you can.

11. What am I most proud of?

Recognising and acknowledging your achievements and moment of growth is SO important. 

Not only does this reinforce a sense of accomplishment but it can boost your confidence and motivate you to continue on your personal growth journey.

Make a note of your biggest achievements even if you think they may seem small to others. This is all about YOU!

12. What does personal growth mean to me?

Personal growth can mean different things to different people. Defining what it means to you can help continue to guide you on your journey.

These questions aren’t a one-and-done thing. Remember to revisit them frequently and notice where things have shifted and grown for you.

Enjoy!