When you sit down to write in your journal, what do you think about?
For some people, journaling is a fun way to reflect on their everyday life. For others, it might be a place to work through thoughts and feelings.
But as moms, we often put these types of emotional wellness activities at the bottom of the to-do list, because we tend to prioritize everything and everyone else.
However, having a journaling habit is not an idle activity, it’s actually quite intentional and meaningful, and, in fact, it may be one of the most positive things you can do in your daily life as a mom.
Journaling has helped me tremendously in expressing my emotions, especially when I’ve been alone or feel alone – like no one understands what I’m going through.
I’ve also used journaling in finding a sense of direction when I feel stuck, hopeless, and lost, in getting through something that feels impossible.
And that is where growth mindset journal prompts come in.
These growth mindset journal prompts are designed for moms like you, to help you put yourself first, take care of your mental health, increase your emotional intelligence, and improve your mindset so you can harness the power of positive thinking and face life struggles and difficult times.
Using these growth mindset journal prompts will help you get back on track and find happiness once again and will send a clear message to your subconscious mind that you:
- are willing to step out of your comfort zone,
- matter
- are open to trying new ways to practice self-care.
What is a growth mindset?
A growth mindset is the opposite of a fixed mindset. It’s a concept that your abilities and intelligence can grow through experience, effort, and education.
This means you are open to learning new things about yourself or subjects outside of what you already know. You believe that hard work will help improve your skills in any area ̶ from schoolwork to other hobbies like playing an instrument.
A growth mindset is important for growth and development.
When you have a growth mindset, you have a different relationship with failure, obstacles, and mistakes, because you turn them into opportunities to learn.
One of the best ways to improve your growth mindset is through journaling.
Journaling helps you process what’s going on in life, figure out what to do next, move forward with a plan, and even experiment with solutions that might not work so you can try new things until you find something that does.
How to use journal prompts
A journal prompt is a question you ask yourself to help process your thoughts. There are many different types of prompts but they typically start with what, why, and how.
Below are some examples:
What have I learned from this experience?
It’s important to reflect on our experiences to better understand them and to process what we’ve learned.
Why do I feel the way that I do?
It impacts our mood, health, and relationships when a person can’t understand why they are feeling how they are.
How am I currently doing in comparison to my goal?
A journal prompt is helpful for looking back on where you have been as well as looking forward to your life goals.
Why journaling works so well
Journal writing wasn’t one of my favorite things, but I realized it can be a great way to deal with bad experiences and difficult situations, looking at the big picture, and making sure my choices align with my core values.
Some people use journal prompts to help them with their mental health by writing down what they are feeling and why in order to better understand themselves, which can lead to more productive thoughts and happier feelings.
Journaling is a great tool for self-exploration or self-discovery, healing from unresolved pain (often the result of trauma) or difficult emotions, sorting out complicated thoughts and finding a sense of balance.
The practice of journaling has also been found to help people who need to be more mindful about their thoughts, memories, or feelings throughout the day by giving them something concrete that they can work on at any time.
Writing in your journal is also a good way to silence our own inner critic (the critical inner voice that sabotages our personal growth) and cultivate positive emotions.
When journaling, it is important not only to write what you are feeling but also why so as we can better understand ourselves and our feelings.
It is important to be aware of the difference between external events and how we feel about them, as well as what emotions are based on values that differ from others.
It has also been found that it can be the best way to promote a growth mindset and to help you improve yourself in this area.
Growth Mindset Journal Prompts
These daily growth mindset writing prompts are designed to help you grow your growth mindset.
They can make a huge difference as you use them as a way of reflecting on the day, working through thoughts and feelings, or just to ground yourself in the present moment.
Week 1
- If you were to explain the growth mindset to someone who had never heard of it, what would you say?
- What have you done today that is an example to your kids of having a growth mindset? Explain.
- Who is your mentor or biggest inspiration in motherhood? Share 3 ways you are like her.
- What skill do you wish you were better at and you would you like to improve? Share why.
- Have you ever allowed yourself to learn something just for the fun of it? How did it feel?
- What is something you can quit to become the kind of person and the kind of mom you want to be?
- Name 3 tools you can use to get through a hard time.
- What is your biggest goal or dream right now and what can you do today to help achieve it?
Week 2
- Share about a time when someone felt inspired by you.
- What recent accomplishments or successes did you have? What helped you accomplish these?
- Choose at least 3 growth mindset affirmations you can say to yourself when you wake up in the morning and before you to to bed at night.
- Name one fear that may be holding you back and one small step you can take to overcome it
- What have you done lately that has made you feel a sense of growth or progress?
- Reflect on 5 things about yourself that you believe to be true. Are these growth mindset beliefs?
- Write about a time when you did or achieved something you weren’t sure you would achieve or that you didn’t consider to be your greatest talent. What did that experience teach you?
- Who is a movie character who you consider to be a great example of a growth mindset? Explain why.
Week 3
- What are you struggling with right now? What advice would you give to another mom if she was facing that same struggle?
- How do you feel about asking for help or receiving support? Is your attitude toward this self-destructive and disempowering or healthy and empowering?
- What does your inner dialogue sound like when you’re trying something new? Share your reflections.
- What are the top five things you’re good at and how can you celebrate them?
- Do you notice a mom you care about who is behaving in a fixed minded way? Describe what she is doing that is holding her back.
- Choose at least 3 Bible verses that help you cultivate a growth mindset. Explain.
- What does the word ‘challenge’ mean to you and do you welcome them or see them with a sense of dread?
- Has there ever been something that you were not good at, but then through practice and effort you became skilled at?
Week 4
- What is one thing you don’t consider you’re good at and how can you improve it?
- If another mom were about to give up on a dream that matters to her, what would you tell her?
- What is a song that has lyrics that demonstrate a growth mindset? Explain.
- What do you consider to be the biggest mistake you’ve made in motherhood? Share what you learned from it.
- What gives you courage when you’re going through adversity or hardship?
- How do you feel about change? Do you welcome it or resist it?
- What can you do to dissolve self-doubt and believe more in yourself?
I encourage you to use these daily growth mindset journal prompts for a month and then ponder on what shifts you have seen in the way you think, react, and behave.
Of course, you don’t have to stop after a month! It’s a great habit to cultivate!
Using growth mindset journals
A growth mindset is a powerful tool in growing as a mom and can help you in the work you do in the world, too.
Using something like a growth mindset guided journal or journal prompts such as these is an effective way to create the resilient growth mindset you need to achieve your long-term goals, whether it’s a personal goal, a career goal, or a specific goal related to motherhood.
Not only that, but you may find you become more of a strong person mentally with the skills that you learn.
If you are open to adding new habits to your daily routines, I highly recommend using a growth mindset journal. You can use any notebook as a journal by just writing these prompts and adding some positive affirmations or inspirational quotes.
Which of these growth mindset prompts do you like best? Feel free to share your own prompts with us in the comment section below!
Elayna is a single mom of 4, award-winning Storyteller, Story Strategist, and Student of Pain. She’s a bestselling author, internationally acclaimed keynote speaker, and 4x TEDx speaker. Founder of the Positive MOM® and creator of the S.T.O.R.Y. System: a blueprint to craft and share powerful stories that will transform your results, so you can have the wealth, opportunities, and freedom you deserve. Connect with Elayna Fernández at thepositivemom.com/keynote-speaker and follow @thepositivemom. To receive a gift from Elayna, click HERE.
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