50 Journaling Questions to Ask Yourself for Ultimate Self-Reflection

The next time you have a few spare minutes while you’re waiting for the bus or waiting for your dinner to get out of the oven, put those moments to use for your own personal development. Getting real with yourself and asking yourself the hard questions is one of the best ways to learn more about yourself.

This may seem like a trivial goal, but knowing yourself on a deep level is incredibly powerful. Not only will you be more connected with yourself, but you’ll also be able to make more authentic decisions for your future. Even further, you’ll be more confident in the choices you’re making because you know that they align with all of your beliefs, goals, and values. Finally, getting real with yourself allows you to recognize what challenges you need to overcome and what flaws you need to address.

Without further ado, let’s delve into 50 questions you can ask yourself for some serious self-reflection. They’re broken into the following sections: your thoughts about yourself, your emotions, your goals and future, your thoughts about your past, your career and education, daily activities, and relationships with others. If you feel you need some extra thought in one particular section or if you feel like you know very little about one particular section, feel free to skip to those questions. Finally, if you’re all about this exercise and want even more questions, I’ve put together a list of 50 bonus questions just for you.

Your thoughts about yourself

Do you like who you have become?
What value do you bring to the world?
What are your core strengths?
What’s your favorite thing about yourself?
Which three words describe you best?
What’s your “why”?

Your emotions

What excites you?
How can you add more fun into your life?
What do you need to forgive yourself for?
What adventure would completely excite you right now?
If you’re feeling down, how do you cheer yourself up?
What’s your stress level like lately?
What has caused you joy this week?
On a scale of 1-10, how happy are you with your life right now?
How do you handle anger and frustration?

Your goals and future

What does your ideal day look like?
Are the obstacles in your path real or did you make them up?
Are you doing what you truly want to do?
What are your five-year goals?
What big changes do you want to make in your life?
When you’re telling your grandkids about your life, what do you want to tell them about?
What’s the biggest thing holding you back from your goals?
Which dream would you invest in first if you won the lottery today?

Your thoughts about your past

What challenge have you overcome in your life?
What regrets do you have?
What’s your favorite memory?

Your career and education

What’s a new skill you’ve learned recently, either personally or professionally?
What has allowed you to accomplish as much as you have in life?
What are your professional strengths?
What is something you’d love to learn?
If money was no object, what would you do all day?
When was the last time you did something for the first time?

Daily activities

What’s your favorite self-care activity?
How does minimalism play a role in your life?
How do you practice mindfulness?
How often do you practice self-care?
How productive are you?
Do you plan your day the night before?
What benefits do you get from self-care?

Relationships with others

If you could have dinner with anyone – dead or alive – who would it be and what would you ask them?
If someone else described you, what do you think they’d say?
Who are you craving a deeper relationship with?
If you had five minutes and the whole world was listening, what would you say?
What is your favorite topic to talk about?
How do you handle conflict?
Who do you look up to?
How similar are you to your parents?
What is the nicest thing someone has ever told you?
What do you believe is the most important characteristic someone can have?
How many people are in your inner circle?

By answering these questions openly and honestly, you’ll be on the fast track to knowing yourself on a deep level. Once you know yourself on a deep level, you’ll be able to make better choices for your future. Once you’re able to make better choices for your future… you get the picture.

If you’re feeling like a real go-getter and are ready to go ever deeper, snag this bonus list of 50 questions for free. You’ll be the most self-educated person on the block after you’ve worked through all 100 questions!