I turned 30 this year, so I’ve been kicking my “future planning” into gear to come up with a clear path forward in life. For me, that means reflecting on where I’ve been in the last year (and the last decade). What better way to figure out where you’re going than determining where you’ve been? Try these birthday reflection journal prompts to move forward in life. This method of reflecting on my recent past has never failed me, so I’m going to share with you the prompts I use.
Birthday Reflection Journal Prompts for your 30s
- How do you feel about this birthday?
- What are some ways you might be putting pressure on yourself today?
- Get the negativity out of your system – list all the things you “should have done by now” and goals that passed you by up until this point. Put a start next to the ones you still want to accomplish.
- What are some things you accomplished in your personal life this year? Think about relationships, creative projects, or skills you’ve been learning for fun.
- What are some things you accomplished professionally this year? Leaving a job and learning from failure both count!
- If you could have one thing for your birthday, what would it be and why? (Doesn’t have to be a physical object!)
- What’s a difficult situation you handled well in the last year?
- What were your most important milestones in the last year? What did they mean to you?
20s Journal Prompts to Reflect on the Previous Decade
- What are some things you could NEVER have done at 20 that you can do now?
- Reflect on how satisfied you were with life in your 20s. Why and why not?
- What are some lifestyle changes you want to make in your 30s, compared to your 20s?
- What are some things that feel behind you now that you’re out of your 20s?
- Describe the “growing pains” of your 20s that you had to go through to become a full-fledged adult.
- What narratives about yourself did you let go of in your 20s?
- What relationships did you invite into your life in your 20s, and which ones did you let go of? Why? How have those served (or not served) you?
Birthday Reflection Journal Prompts to Plan the Future
- What stories or narratives about yourself are you ready to manifest into your reality now?
- What goals are you still interested in accomplishing? Do you have a path forward for each of them?
- What type of person do you want to be before 40? Write about that person’s daily life, who they consider family, where they live, how they spend their time, and what they value.
- What small change can you make today to start becoming that person?
- Write down the biggest dream you could hope to achieve before 40 in this format: “Before I turn 40, I will…”
- Who do you intend to keep in your life as you move through your 30s?
- Who are you not sure will stay in your life as you move through your 30s?
More birthday journal prompts to inspire you as you celebrate.
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