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When something does not turn out the way you planned, what do you do?
Do you give up, or do you pick yourself up and try again?
It all depends on your mindset.
Put simply:
If you have a growth mindset, then you will try to learn from the experience and make another attempt with more experience and knowledge. But a fixed mindset will keep you down.
The truth is a growth mindset is key to overcoming challenges, but it takes effort to develop.
Creating a daily practice of writing and responding to growth mindset journal prompts is an excellent to change the way you think and approach challenges.
In this post, we will talk about 55 growth mindset journal prompts that students and adults can use to develop this attitude in their lives.
But first, let’s start with a quick definition…
What are Growth Mindset Journal Prompts?
Growth mindset journal prompts are questions to help you reflect on how you can overcome a fixed mindset and start implementing a growth mindset into your daily life.
Growth mindset journaling prompts are designed to make you think about change, challenges, mistakes and failures in new ways. These journal prompts can also help you explore ways to better use your talents, grow your skill set and find inspiration or motivation.
Before you grab a journal and a pen, you’ll need to understand a bit about growth mindset and the impact it can make on your life. In some ways, a growth mindset is about harnessing the power of positive thinking.
If you think you can’t do something, you definitely won’t. But, if you believe you can, you are already much closer to accomplishing your goal.
Cultivating a growth mindset is more than that. While a fixed mindset tells us that our skills, talents and knowledge are set. We have what we have.
A growth mindset encourages us to look for ways to learn, grow and overcome. A growth mindset is about learning from mistakes, turning stress into productivity, and turning obstacles into opportunities.
Developing a growth mindset is a key to success in everything from acing an exam to building a career because it reminds us that life is full of chances to learn, improve and find our own path to victory.
Also, living by a growth mindset doesn’t always come easy. Each of us has an inner voice, and sometimes that voice isn’t very kind. In fact, that inner voice can be downright mean. Too often our inner voice is telling us we aren’t smart enough, aren’t talented enough, aren’t fast enough and… just aren’t enough.
Our inner voices doesn’t have to be all bad. In fact, our inner voices can whisper encouraging words and be our biggest cheerleaders, if you teach them.
If you want to learn more about growth mindset and how it can help you, check out this video:
That’s where growth mindset journaling prompts come in…
Journaling is a tool to train your inner dialogue. When you sit down and contemplate questions about your mindset you can intentionally think about how you respond to challenges and overcome failures.
Journal prompts are also a good way to pat yourself on the back for your successes and consider ways to improve even more.
As you create a journaling habit with growth mindset prompts, the way you think will naturally start to change. If a fixed mindset has been holding you back, you will see it start to slip way and a new, more positive, outlook can take its place.
Okay, now let’s dive into the specific growth mindset prompts you can use…
55 Growth Mindset Journal Prompts for Students and Adults
- What is my inner voice? What is their name and personality? What is my relationship with my inner voice? Do I like my inner voice, or do I want them to change?
- Do I have a fixed mindset or a growth mindset? What will I do to improve my growth mindset?
- What does the word “challenge” mean? Do I welcome challenges or dread them?
- What are five things I am really good at? How can I improve and become better at these things?
- What are five things I wish I were better at? What steps can I take to improve?
- How do I feel about change? How can I turn change into opportunity?
- When was the last time I was intentionally kind to someone? What was their reaction and how did it make me feel?
- When did I miss an opportunity to be kind to someone? What will I do differently next time?
- What emotion am I feeling right now? Is that how I want to feel? How can I change that emotion, or how can I help myself feel like this way again?
- What is my greatest talent? What new thing can I try to nurture that talent?
- What is something I gave up on? Would I try it again? What would I do differently?
- What is my inner voice whispering to me? What so I want to say back?
- What fear is holding me back from accomplishing a goal? How can I overcome that fear?
- What brings me the most joy? How can I have more of that in my life?
- What changes are coming my way? Am I resisting or welcoming those changes and why?
- What limits do I place on myself?
- How is my physical health impacting my emotional health?
- What is my decision-making style? How can I try to make decisions differently?
- Do I mainly think about the past, present or future? How can I better balance being present in the moment while also honoring the past and planning for the future?
- What have I accomplished that makes me feel the proudest?
- Who is the person in my life that inspires me most? How can I thank them for that inspiration?
- How can I be an inspiration to someone else?
- When I feel unmotivated or uninspired, what do I normally do? Is there something else I could try?
- What is a mistake I made recently? What can I learn from it?
- When I make a mistake, what does my inner voice tell me? What do I want that voice to say?
- What is a long-term goal I have set for myself? What will I do today to get closer accomplishing that goal?
- What is the difference between a challenge and an obstacle? How can you change a change an obstacle into a challenge?
- What am I struggling with right now? If someone else were facing that struggle, what advice would I give them?
- What is something I am passionate about? How can I infuse some of that passion into other areas of my life?
- How do I feel about asking for help? What normally happens when I ask for help? Should I ask for help more often?
- How do I feel when someone else asks me for help?
- How so I define “success?” Do I consider myself successful?
- How do I feel about working with others? How can I invite collaboration into my life and work?
- What is the difference between constructive feedback and criticism? How do I typically respond to each? How I can I turn each into opportunities for growth and learning?
- What fixed mindset belief is holding me back? How can I transform it into a growth mindset belief?
- How can I turn a bad experience into an exceptional growth opportunity?
- Are traditions limiting my ability to fulfill my dreams?
- What are my core values, and do they need to change?
- Do I value my physical, emotional, and mental health?
- Do I allow others’ opinions to influence my growth opportunities?
- Do I allow chemical, emotional, or relationship addictions to control my decisions and actions?
- Do I seek out opportunities to learn and grow?
- When I fail at something, do I quit or repeatedly take it on again and again?
- Am I prone to negative or positive thinking?
- Do I spend too much time self-deprecating or feeling sorry for myself?
- What is the biggest missed opportunity of my life?
- Am I compassionate toward others, including animals?
- What is the one thing that nearly always distracts me from success?
- What do I believe is the main factor in the success of billionaires?
- Do I tend to take the short, fast track or the longer route with deeper insight and benefit?
- Do I view helping others as a component of opportunity and growth?
- Do I permit obstacles to hold me back from pursuing my dreams?
- Do I hold unrealistic expectations and beliefs?
- How often do I clean out my mental “house” and make room for the new?
- Do I manage and control my thoughts well?
Final Thoughts on Growth Mindset Journal Prompts
If you are ready to kick your inner critic to the curb and start turning obstacles into opportunities, growth mindset journal prompts are an effective way to start thinking differently.
Among the many benefits of journaling, the practice can help you achieve your goals and increase your emotional intelligence.
Of course, you could just spend a few minutes a day building a journaling habit, thinking about the growth mindset you want and freely jotting down your thoughts. But selecting a prompt from the list may help you focus your thoughts and explore ideas you may not consider otherwise.
Creating a growth mindset journal is a good place to start. But, just thinking and writing isn’t enough to jumpstart real change in your life. As your inner voice starts to change, be sure to take the next step by implementing the growth mindset concept you journal about into your daily life.
And if you're looking for more resources on journaling, be sure to check out these blog posts:
- 10 Tips for Mindful Writing and Meditative Journaling
- 37 Journaling Quotes to Draw Out Your Deep Inner Thoughts
- 53 Journaling Prompts to Help Your Anxiety
Finally, if you don’t know the “right” way to journal, then check out this seven-step process for building a journaling habit that sticks.
