How to use journaling to find your purpose in life

3min read

Putting pen to paper is a mystical way to access your most profound truths
Marie Forleo

Writing is powerful!

I say this a lot and I will continue to say it, maybe I’ll even have it tattooed on me one day, who knows! By using journaling prompts and techniques we can dig deep into the meaning of so much in our lives.

We all know that finding meaning and understanding our purpose in life and therefore living with purpose is a sure-fire way to live a fulfilled and happy life. But for some of us - understanding what that all means can be a great sticking point.

So, what is the secret to living a fulfilled and happy life I hear you ask? Well for me - it’s living in my truth, helping others and doing things that bring me joy. Understanding that although there are bound to be negatives in life, we can always find a positive out of a negative if we look hard enough. Developing a growth mindset is key to living an authentically happy life - understanding that every day is a school day, every day we are becoming better, we are learning and we are growing. Ultimately if we are not moving forward and growing, we are standing still and dying - as morbid as that sounds it’s the truth. But living in the Present, in the Now and embracing the life you have right now, is just as important as moving forward and growing.

the power of now

Living a happy, fulfilled life is therefore very individualistic. Each person will see this differently, but ultimately do more of what brings you joy, and accept that with joy there also does come sorrow - but if we learn to embrace it, learn from it and move forward then we will be much more grateful for the life we have. Develop healthy relationships with everything in life, incorporate healthy habits into your daily routine and ensure that you are sharing your gift with the world and I believe you will feel happy, fulfilled and content with your life. Do not dwell on the past, learn from it. Have goals for the future, but be sure to not simply be a daydreamer, focus also on living in the Now, focus on Being - you can understand this more by reading Eckhart Tolle’s The Power of Now.

So, how can I use writing to find meaning and purpose in my life?

When we write we can be truthful without judgement from others. When the pen hits the paper we can allow ourselves to write what we feel and ultimately let our feelings flow onto the page. Journaling opens up our ability to be creative, to imagine and to understand our desires. A journal is a perfect place to start documenting what you really want from life and how those things will bring you joy and fulfilment. It may be that there are things that already bring you joy in your life, documenting those is just as important, especially writing about how they make you feel.

As I already mentioned journaling is a powerful tool and used in the right ways it can help to guide us throughout our lives. If we allow ourselves to be completely free when we write, journaling can help us to process all emotions both positive and negative. Use your journal as a depository for things that you do not want to carry around with you. Write them down, remove them from your mind and be free of them.

Scientific evidence shows that through self-reflection we can develop a greater understanding of what it is we want from life and therefore develop a personal sense of the meaning and our purpose in life. Journaling is one of the most important tools when it comes to self-reflection.

Use these 10 journaling prompts to help you reflect and find purpose and meaning in your life

What are you grateful for in your life recently?
Define what happiness means to you and what it would look like in your life
What does living in your truth mean to you and how can you make it a reality if it isn’t already
What is something that you want to achieve in your lifetime?
Write your obituary - what do you want to be remembered for?
What are your strongest talents and abilities, how can you use them to help the world around you?
If money or responsibilities weren’t a factor in life, what would your life look like - describe it in detail. How can you make that life your reality?
What are some important recent events in your life?
What is holding you back in life? Be honest - how can you move past these things?
Write about what you can do to start taking action towards living a purposeful life.

If you have found this blog post useful you can find me over on Instagram @thejournallife where I share everything positivity, mindset, journaling and so much more!