This article is all about self-discovery for building confidence with worksheets and journaling prompts to help you along the way. This makes it easier to gain clarity of what you want, cultivate confidence, and practice self-love.
1. Slow down
Nowadays, it’s so easy to get caught up on our busy schedule while rushing through our to-do lists that we don’t have the time to relax. However, that’s when all the magic happens. Our creativity, sense of humor, and self-reflection peak in a relaxed state. By taking the time to relax and allowing our minds to wander, we are opening doors for self-discovery, which can lead to major epiphanies that will accelerate your journey in cultivating courage and confidence!
Even if during our busy schedule, we can still shift our mindset to be less stressed and worried by focusing on the things that are within our control. This makes us more mindful about the little things that are happening around us. Sometimes, the key to major self-discovery lies within the small things.
For example, I discovered my passion for programming and problem solving because of a seemingly trival conversation. If I wasn’t mindful enough to pay attention to it, I wouldn’t have discovered this entire part of myself.
Journaling prompts for Tip 1 (click here)
- Am I taking the time to relax?
- How can I change my mindset and approach to work for it to be less stressful? (for example, enjoying the process instead of the outcome)
- Among the things I am stressed about, how many of them are within my control?
- How can I schedule time frames during my day to wind down and relax?
2. Put yourself in new places or situations
We can learn so much about ourselves in new environments or situations. This is because we are being exposed to various scenarios or situations we haven’t experienced before. Therefore, we can understand ourselves better by simply observing how we reacted in those new situations.
Apart from experiences, new environments also provide us with wonderful opportunities and inspirations that we didn’t have the chance to get otherwise!
However, putting yourself in new environments might be quite daunting at first, but it’s going to get better if we continue to evolve outside of our comfort zone little by little. The key here is to start somewhere small and gradually build up our confidence. Some ideas of starting small can be joining a school club that you find interesting, volunteering at the local community, or going to physical classes to also invest in yourself.
Journaling prompts for Tip 2 (click here)
- What small change can I do to put myself in new environments?
- What person will I become if I successfully challenged myself outside my comfort zone? What will my newfound courage and confidence feel like?
3. Journaling
There is a reason why I love to include journaling prompts in my articles because they literally work wonders in my self-discovery journey. By journaling about our thoughts, we can gain more clarity on what our problems actually are at the core. As we continue to journal, it helps us notice specific patterns of our thoughts and behaviors, which is such a major part of self-discovery.
Apart from observing our thoughts and behaviors, journaling can also send into deep thought to help us discover hidden strengths of ourselves that don’t seem obvious to us in our daily lives. Below are some journaling prompts for understanding you unique patterns and hidden strengths.
Journaling prompts for Tip 3 (click here)
- What is worrying me or stressing me out lately? Why do I feel so stressed about it? (keep asking why until you get to the core of your worries)
- What thought or behavior patterns do I usually display when things don’t go my way?
- What emotions do I experience when something triggers me? Where does this trigger come from? (For example past experiences, insecurities)
- What activity lightens me up as a child? Why?
- Are there some things that feel difficult to other people around me but come naturally to me? What are some real-life examples of this hidden strength of mine?
4. Tools for self-discovery
Apart from journaling, there are also a variety of tools that can help with self-discovery. Below are 4 resources I find particularly useful on my self-discovery journey. I have also made a worksheet to further help you understand yourself. You can find it at the end of this post.
16 personalities
The free online 16 personalities test tells you your type among the 16 personalities. It will give you insights on your potential strengths and weaknesses, jobs you might enjoy, and relationship dynamics you prefer. This is a great place to start at the beginning of your journey.
Journaling prompts for the 16 personalities test (click here)
- What is my personality type?
- What are my strengths and weaknesses according to my type?
- Does the result explain some of my real-life experiences?
The Enneagram
The Enneagram is a model of 9 connected personalities. Like the 16 personalities, the Enneagram test also tells you your type among the 9 personalities. However, the Enneagram focuses more on the connections between types under different situations. This means that apart from your main type, you will also know your unique combination of traits.
This is a great place to visit when you want to understand your basic fear and desires that drive your relationships. It can also provide insights on potential areas you need to work on to better connect with people around you.
Journaling prompts for the Enneagram Test (click here)
- What is my Enneagram type combination? (for example, 8w9 mean type 8 with 9-wing)
- What are my basic desires?
- What are my basic fears?
- How do my basic fears and desires influence the way I approach my relationships?
The Attributes
The Attributes is a book written by Rich Diviney. In this book, the author talks about 25 hidden strengths that only become obvious in stressful situations. These attributes are usually innate and can be the key to outstanding performance. Understanding your unique abilities is not only self-discovery but also an important step towards building confidence.
Journaling prompts for reading the Attributes (click here)
- List 5 attributes you are high on
- Recall moments when these attributes (attributes you are high on) shone through your behavior or performance
- What can I do to make better use of these attributes? (You can also think about how you can present them in your CV or during job interviews)
- List 5 attributes you might be low on
- Recall moments when these attributes (attributes you are low on) might come in handy
- If needed, how can I cultivate these attributes to better myself?
Core values
Understanding your core values gives you so much clarity on what truly matters to you. It will also give you insights on what could potentially be your life purpose, something you will find meaningful and worth living for. I have created a step by step guide to help you find your core values:
✅️ Step 1: Find a quiet environment where you feel peaceful and at ease
✅️ Step 2: Go on Google and Search “List of Core Values”
✅️ Step 3: Browse through each core value on the list you found. As you do this, you will find yourself reading through some values and moving on to the next one without stopping. However, some core values made you stop to look at it longer or made you feel something different. That is when you find core values that clicked with you.
✅️ Step 4: Write down the core values that clicked with you. Ideally, you should have 3 to 5 core values written down
✅️ Step 5: Assign the values you wrote into the activities you are currently doing that align with your core values or enable you to practice the core value.
For example, I assigned one of my core values “knowledge” into my studies because studying enables me to build knowledge in my college major, even though I don’t find it enjoyable all the time. By doing so, you will be able to create joy from the seemingly mundane things you do every day.
✅️ Step 6: If your core values don’t align with what you are doing yet, you can instead create activities that do align with your core values.
For example, I have incorporated reading self-help books and learning about philosophy into my daily routine. This is because they align with one of my core values “wisdom”. This has brought me so much joy because I get to do something I find meaningful every single day!
Journaling prompts for finding your core values (click here)
- What are my core values?
- How can I incorporate my core values into my daily life?
- What habitis or activities can I start doing that align with my core values?
- Have I done something in the past that truly aligns with my core values? How did it make me feel?
Hope this helps! Thank you so much for reading
