50 Awesome Deep Writing Prompts about Life

Self-discovery tends to be considered a good thing. The reasons can see considerable variation from person to person. However, most people agree to some extent with Make Me Better’s position that self-discovery makes you more in tune with yourself, thus empowering you to live a happier, more meaningful life.

You can do a surprising amount of self-discovery through thinking. Still, you might find the process smoother when you express your thoughts through writing.

These 50 deep writing prompts about life can give interested individuals a place to start thinking:

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1. What Makes You Who You Are?

Grammarist translates raison d’etre as “reason of being.” It matters because it is supposed to be one’s very core. Despite that, most people don’t have a good grasp of their raison d’etre. If you are one of them, you might benefit from spending some time thinking about what defines you on such a fundamental level.

2. What Is Your Most Treasured Item?

People tend to value some of their possessions more than others. What you care about can say some interesting things about who you are. This is no exception to that rule.

3. Are You Satisfied With Who You Are?

Some people are satisfied with themselves. Others are not. You aren’t wrong if you are one of the former. Similarly, you aren’t wrong if you are one of the latter. Still, you need to know which group you fall into because that tells you whether you should work on yourself.

4. Are You Satisfied With Your Current Trajectory?

You can be on a good trajectory even if you aren’t currently satisfied with yourself. Answering this question can tell you a great deal about how you should be changing yourself, assuming you should be changing yourself at all.

5. What Are Some Small Things That Make You Happy?

Greater Good and other resources agree that happiness makes for better health. To safeguard your health, you should list the small things that make you happy.

6. What Are Some Small Things That Make You Unhappy?

Of course, you should also list the small things that make you unhappy. By doing so, you can avoid upsetting yourself.

7. What Is Something Going Right in Your Life?

Everyone can benefit from some positivity from time to time. If you need a boost, remind yourself of something going right in your life.

8. How Can You Ensure This Continues?

On a related note, you should consider how you can keep it right.

9. What Is Something Going Wrong in Your Life?

Generally speaking, you can’t resolve all your issues with a single stroke. Instead, you need to chip away at them bit by bit. That starts with identifying the issues you need to resolve.

10. How Can You Ensure This Stops?

Once you have identified a problem, you shouldn’t tackle it until you have come up with a plan.

11. What Is Your Biggest Regret?

Most people have regrets worth writing about.

12. What Would You Change About Your Biggest Regret?

We can’t undo the past, but we can use it as a guide for planning a better future.

13. If You Could, Would You Forget About Your Biggest Regret?

The Washington Post makes an excellent point that regret can be downright unhealthy. Still, it is interesting to ask whether people would go as far as to forget it altogether.

14. What Is One of Your Short-Term Goals?

You can’t make progress unless you know what you are working towards.

15. How Do You Plan to Achieve This Short-Term Goal?

Of course, you also need a step-by-step plan for getting to your desired destination.

16. What Do You Need to Achieve This Short-Term Goal?

You can’t implement your plan unless you have the necessary tools and resources. Unfortunately, you can’t gather those things until you have figured out what they are.

17. Is There Something You Want to Learn in the Next Five Years?

Learning doesn’t end with school. If you are willing to put in the effort, you can continue learning throughout your lifetime.

18. Is There Something You Want to Experience in the Next Five Years?

Education isn’t the only way to learn. Experience can make just as good a teacher under the right circumstances.

19. When Was the Last Time You Confronted One of Your Major Fears?

Most people have fears. Moreover, most people have to face one or more of their fears at some point. Writing about these things can give you a measure of control over them.

20. How Did You Cope When You Confronted One of Your Major Fears?

Thinking about your coping methods is a good way for you to get ready to use them the next time.

21. When Was the Last Time You Experienced a Major Change of Perspective?

Being willing to change your perspective is a good thing. Determination is rightfully considered a virtue, but it becomes mere stubbornness past a certain point. If you can’t remember the last time you experienced a major change of perspective, you might be too stubborn.

22. Why Did You Experience That Major Change of Perspective?

You need to know why you changed your perspective if you want to make sure you did so for a good reason.

23. Are You a Risk-Taker?

Risk is very subjective. What is risky to one person isn’t necessarily so to another. Answering this question can give you insight into how you think about the topic, which can improve your decision-making.

24. Do You Think You Are Taking the Right Amount of Risk?

Forbes offers a reminder that people can be too risk-averse. If you want the best results, you need to master balancing between the two extremes.

25. What Is Your Biggest Insecurity?

Most people have insecurities. As such, there is no shame in writing about them.

26. Where Do You Think Your Biggest Insecurity Comes From?

Understanding your insecurities can give you a measure of control over them.

27. Do You Make Decisions From Your Head or Your Heart?

Homo economicus is a theoretical existence that makes it easier for economists to think about things in a certain way. In real life, we make decisions based on a mix of reason and emotion, which aren’t mutually exclusive. You still might find it beneficial to figure out whether you lean one way or the other when making your decisions.

28. Do You Think It Is Better to Make Decisions From Your Head or Your Heart?

On a related note, your preference for one or the other can say much about you as a person.

29. Do You Practice Self-Care?

Everyday Health and other resources agree on the importance of self-care. If you aren’t practicing it, you should start doing so sooner rather than later.

30. Are You Good At Telling When You Should Practice Self-Care?

Knowing you should practice self-care isn’t the same as knowing when you should practice self-care. Being able to tell is a valuable skill in its own right.

31. How Do You Practice Self-Care?

Similarly, you also need to know how to practice self-care. This is particularly important because it can take so many different forms, meaning what works for one person won’t necessarily work for another.

32. Name a Time You Lied

Knowing who you are is a critical part of self-discovery. That includes the things you aren’t proud of.

33. Did You Think You Were Lying For a Good Reason?

As always, figuring out how you think relies on figuring out why you choose the way you do.

34. Did the Lie Change the Situation For the Better or the Worse?

Evaluating the consequences are a useful way to evaluate our choices.

35. Have You Ever Told a Lie For a Bad Reason?

You can’t come to a full understanding of yourself unless you are willing to ask some tough questions.

36. How Did You Feel After Telling a Lie For a Bad Reason?

With that said, you can’t develop a comprehensive understanding of your choices unless you also examine the emotional aspect of things.

37. What Do You Think Is the Most Important Characteristic a Friend Should Have?

Different people look for different characteristics in their friends. Knowing what you want can help you develop stronger friendships.

38. Do Any of Your Friends Have This Characteristic?

Part of that process involves asking whether your friends have the characteristic you are looking for from your friendships.

39. What Do You Think Is Something You Are Stuck On?

It is common for people to get stuck on something troublesome. Identifying these things is needed before resolving them becomes possible.

40. How Do You Think You Can Get Things Moving Again?

Resolving troublesome matters is easier said than done. After all, you need to come up with a suitable plan before implementing it.

41. Name a Moment You Are Proud Of

The things you take pride in say a great deal about you as a person.

42. Name a Challenge You Managed to Overcome

A proper self-assessment requires you to understand both your successes and your failures. That means you need to have a clear idea of the challenges you have overcome in your life.

43. When Did You Last Step Out of Your Comfort Zone?

Self-knowledge includes knowing what you are and aren’t comfortable with. If you know yourself, you should be able to tell when was the last time you stepped out of your comfort zone.

44. Did You Gain Anything When You Last Stepped Out of Your Comfort Zone?

Acting outside of a comfort zone can make for interesting experiences. Oftentimes, people learn a great deal from doing so.

45. Did You Lose Anything When You Last Stepped Out of Your Comfort Zone?

Other times, people can lose things by doing so, which is one of the potential reasons they tend to be less than enthused by the prospect.

46. What Motivates You?

CareerAddict and other resources are clear that motivation is needed for the best results. It makes you happier. Furthermore, it makes you more productive. Due to this, you would do well to understand what motivates you, thus enabling you to make the best use of the levers that move you.

47. How Do You Keep Yourself Going When You Are Feeling Unmotivated?

Unfortunately, everyone runs into situations in which they feel unmotivated. You should learn how to keep yourself going when feeling unmotivated to make yourself better prepared for such situations.

48. What Are Your Core Values?

Core values are a person’s most fundamental beliefs. They are the principles by which you live your life, whether you do so consciously or unconsciously. As a result, you would be wise to develop a better understanding of your core values because that gives you incredible insight into what you will and will not accept.

49. How Can You Live in Better Alignment With Your Core Values?

People don’t always get the chance to live in perfect alignment with their core values. That can cause considerable stress and strain. Due to this, you should brainstorm ways to bring your life into better alignment with your core values, which should make you happier than otherwise possible.

50. What Would You Like to Be Remembered For When You Are Gone?

Some people care nothing about how they are remembered once they are gone. In contrast, others care about it a great deal, as shown by some of the greatest monuments people have raised over the ages. If you care about how you are remembered when you are gone, you should start thinking about how you would like to be remembered ahead of time. That should give you the most time during which to work towards your goal.

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