40 Growth Mindset Journal Prompts for Personal and Business Success

Question: What is the best way to start this process?

Answer: Use your thoughts to turn your Inner Monologue into an Inner Dialogue by starting (and committing to) a daily Growth Mindset Journal. The best way to get great advice is by talking to a good friend… yourself.

This habit will train your brain to frame problems and thoughts in a new way that will lead you to new ways of thinking and eventually… new and tangible success.

Sometimes personal growth and breaking out of a fixed mindset can sound a bit nebulous and ‘woo-woo’. The power of positive thinking is a valid concept but does require you to not take yourself so seriously.

That is why a journaling habit is a good place to start and a great way to start seeing new results in your daily life. From better thought organization, self discovery, and clear paths for long-term goals (or out of difficult situations), journal writing as a daily routine will make a huge difference in multiple areas of your life.

So without further ado I present Growth Mindset Writing Prompts for Personal and Business Success. There are 4 sections:

1. What you will need
2. Instructions/ action steps
3. The list of growth mindset prompts
4. A quick word from me at the end (that I’m going to start calling NicNuggets!)

Here is a menu for quick navigation:

What You Will Need For Growth Mindset Journal Prompts:

• Journal: Any notebook will do but I recommend finding one with you really like because it can quickly become one of your favorite things. Options for Growth Mindset Journal Prompts:
  • Spiral notebook
  • Moleskin (fancy!)
  • Composition Pad
  • Lab Book
  • Note Cards (my husband uses these).

The important thing is that it has blank space and blank lines to write. You do not want to use a day planner, calendar book, or anything else that fills too much extra space.

• Pen: Again, any pen will do. There are no real technology requirements here and no extra cost, just something that you can use on a daily basis with your Growth Mindset Journal Prompts.

Instructions/ Action Steps for Growth Mindset Journal Prompts:

1. Place your journal and pen right next to your bed. Not in a drawer, place it someplace where it screams to be seen when you wake up. Key to building healthy habits is to eliminate all friction and obstacles. As silly as it sounds, having to open a drawer first is enough of an obstacle to prevent you from making these daily routines.
2. Take 10-20 seconds right before bed to read the prompt for tomorrow. This is an effective way to make your brain work while you are sleeping.
3. Open your journal and write as soon as you wake up. Ok, maybe after you make a coffee, but DEFINITELY before you look at your phone.
4. NicNugget Life Hack: I put a Nespresso Machine 3 feet from my bedside. Life goals, best life, whatever hashtag you want to use… best self.
5. Just write. The only requirement here is that you write. The prompt gets you thinking but if you go off topic that is perfectly fine. Write for 30 seconds or write for an hour. Whatever your schedule allows, just write.

Growth Mindset Journal Prompts:

1. What are five things I am really good at? How can I improve and become better at these things?

2. What are five things I wish I were better at? What steps can I take to improve?

3. When was the last time I was intentionally kind to someone? What was their reaction and how did it make me feel?

4. What does the word “challenge” mean? Do I welcome challenges or dread them?

5. What is something I gave up on? Would I try it again? What would I do differently?

6. What is my inner voice saying to me? Is it a monologue? How can I make it a dialogue?

7. What lie is my inner critic telling me? How is this holding me back and what is the first step to changing this?

8. What would I do today if I was not afraid of anything?

9. What is the top thing in my life that makes me happy? What are the top 3? Top 5?

10. What do I consider are my core values? Am I living by them?

11. What new things have I tried in the past week? What new thing can I try today?

12. Where is my growth at right now? What is my biggest goal and am I working toward it a little bit each day?

13. Who is my best friend? Why are they my good friend? What do they add to me and what do I add to them?

14. Do I do hard work every day? What is one thing I can do today to work toward my career goal?

15. What kind of person am I today? Is this the same as last year? the past year?

16. Do I have a good mindset? What is one way I can take bad experiences and view them in a different light?

17. Who or what is my biggest inspiration right now? What can I learn from them/ it?

18. If I died today, would I be happy and satisfied with the Big Picture of my life? If so, how can I inspire others to get to a better place? If not, what can I do today and right now to change that?

19. What is the biggest mistake I ever made? What lesson did I learn and how did it shape/ improve who I am today?

20. When was a time that I was unstoppable and felt my best? How did I feel and how can I get that feeling back?

21. Do I welcome challenges or dread them? How can I challenge myself today?

22. What is my greatest talent? What are 5 things that I want to get better at? How can I start today?

23. What is a recent conversation I had that I was unhappy with? What can I do or say for a better outcome next time?

24. What brings me the most joy? How can I have more of that?

25. What am I struggling with right now? If someone else were facing that struggle, what advice would I give them?

26. What are 3 personality traits that I am proud of? What are three more that I wish I had?

27. Where is my favorite place to be? What do I like about that place and how can I spend more time there?

28. What is the difference between constructive feedback and criticism? When did I criticize someone and what could I say next time to give constructive feedback?

29. How can I turn a current challenge or obstacle into an opportunity?

30. What is the difference between a fixed mindset and a growth mindset? Which do I currently have? How can I foster a growth mindset?

31. How is my physical health affecting my mindset? What is an easy win that will help me to change this?

32. What is something special in my life that is important notice every day?

33. Do other people’s opinions affect how I act? When does this serve me and when is it counterproductive?

34. What unhealthy habits are holding me back and how can I begin to eliminate these?

35. Do I like things to be easy or challenging? What things are better off being easy? Which things do I prefer to be a challenge?

36. How do I typically make important decisions? How do I make daily decisions? How does this serve me? How can I change this process for better growth?

37. When am I my most genuine self? Not being fake and not on auto-pilot?

38. What change am I currently resisting? How can I reframe this as an opportunity for growth?

39. Is there a goal that I had as a child that I have determined ‘out of reach’? Is it still out of reach? How can I get closer to that goal now that I am older?

40. What advice would you give your child (or if you have no kids, your younger self) if they were very nervous about something?

NicNuggets (…it will grow on ya…)

I truly believe that writing something down daily is a powerful tool that can create positive emotions and even do positive things for your physical health. I started this habit a long time ago and had numerous false starts. I would remember to write for a couple of days and then fall out of the habit. Or I would pick up the pen and not know what I was supposed to write about… I didn’t even know to research Growth Mindset Journal Prompts.

The biggest challenge is to just do it and hopefully the different journal prompts will keep you on track. Once you have made this a part of your everyday life you can use your own prompts or just write freestyle. It is a good way to start your day, organize your thoughts, or examine your own opinions. It takes less time than you think and does not require any extra space.

You are the only person that is stopping you… write about that.

xoxo,

Nic

PS. If you’re interested in one gal’s story from bolo-wearing waitress to business owner extraordinaire, read my story here. And if you are starting out with an Etsy shop, I tried to help you avoid taking some lumps in this article about Etsy pricing.

For inspiration, you can check out my two stores: KraftHaus Supply Co. and Thursday Moose. Be sure to ask any questions if you need help starting your empire!