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45 Journal Prompts to Reflect on 2023 & Set Intentions for 2024, From An Intuitive
By Tanya Carroll Richardson
mbg Contributor
Tanya Carroll Richardson is an author and professional intuitive, giving readings to clients all over the world.
Image by Alberto Bogo / Stocksy
December 24, 2023
The ending of one year and the beginning of the next can be a busy, emotional time, yet it’s also a natural time to feel contemplative as well as a powerful window of time to set intentions. As part of your self-care, self-love, and mindfulness practice, answer some or all of these prompts in your journal.
We’re hoping they make you feel more grounded, aware, supported, and purposeful as you welcome 2024!
45 journal prompts to reflect on the year & plan for the next
- Now that 2023 is a wrap, I’m identifying a few adjectives to describe how I personally experienced the year. (Be sure to choose a mix of adjectives that reflect positive, challenging, and neutral experiences, like: peaceful, motivating, chill, busy, transformational, precious, illuminating, unsettling, emotional, creative, unique, painful, healing, groundbreaking, resilient, magical, reflective, restrictive, joyful, expanding, quiet, educational, spiritual, intense, pivotal, celebratory, complex, simplified, gentle, clarifying, blessed, care-giving.)
- Here are three words that describe how I’d like to feel in 2024 to help set my emotional inner compass as I begin the New Year. (You might choose words like: rested, open, secure, curious, focused, relaxed, connected, confident, tender, patient, excited, balanced, delighted, grateful, loved, compassionate, accomplished, energized, easy-going, inspired, calm, supported).
- The following are attitudes, habits, or action steps that might help me create the feelings I want to experience in 2024:
- As my own best friend, I’d like to offer myself some compassionate, positive feedback about the way I handled a tough situation in 2023:
- Also, here’s some gentle yet insightful feedback about how, in hindsight, I might handle a similar situation somewhat differently in the future or one significant life lesson from this situation:
- What came up for healing in my life in 2023? How am I planning to continue that healing in 2024?
- What are issues I noticed came up for healing for the world in 2023? Is there a way, even if it seems tiny, that I can help continue that collective healing in 2024?
- These are tried-and-true self-care and self-love practices that I'd like to devote even more time and energy to in 2024 because I'm worth it! (Looking for positive self-worth reinforcements? Try my 2024 calendar, A Year of Self-Love, filled with daily affirmations and action steps.)
- What type of support from loved ones, healthcare providers, and colleagues meant the most to me in 2023? How can I ask for more of it in 2024, or let people know how much their support meant to me this past year?
- Reflecting back on experiences of showing up for friends, family members, neighbors, pets, clients, or coworkers in 2023, my support for these people or animals made me feel deep contentment as a giver:
- There were also ways I had to re-establish healthy boundaries with others so I didn’t become drained or over-give, like:
- How do I plan to try and better balance self-care with caring for others in 2024?
- Is there a healthy boundary I need to work on setting with myself for 2024 regarding a self-sabotaging pattern?
- Is there a slightly new way I’d like to be of service to others and the collective in 2024, either through my career, a side hustle, a hobby, activism, or volunteer work?
- I like to think of my life—my relationships, my finances, my health, my career, my home, and my self-care—holistically as a beautiful, lush garden! How do I plan to be the faithful gardener of my own life in 2024? Do any patches of this garden require more tender loving care?
- What’s one area of my life I got more creative about in 2023? What were some of the frustrations and victories of this approach?
- Did I find myself going back to my roots, or leaning into an old part of myself, in 2023 to feel more rooted? (Examples: re-committing to an old mindfulness practice or healthy routine; adopting a previously helpful attitude toward yourself or life in general.)
- Was there a helpful new way of looking at myself or the world that emerged for me in 2023? How will I nurture this new self-image or outlook in 2024?
- Did anything change, deepen, re-emerge, or evolve around my spirituality in 2023? What do I plan for my spiritual practice in 2024?
- What’s one area of my life, or a specific goal, I’m getting more determined about in 2024? How might I enlist support for myself regarding this?
- If I could wish on a star tonight and have any wish granted for myself or someone I love in 2024, what would it be? If I could have any wish granted for the world, what would that be?
- These books, movies, albums, shows, and films made a big positive impact on my 2023, whether they were released in 2023 or decades (or centuries) ago:
- These were some of my heroes in 2023, or people I looked to in the public eye or in my own immediate circle for inspiration and motivation:
- This situation from 2023 reminded me how courageous, resilient, and heroic I am. These are examples of how I admire the way I showed up:
- Who, what, or where made me feel more connected to my heart—more compassionate, merciful, accepting, or forgiving—in 2023?
- Which intellectually stimulating subject, hobby, or creative project would I like to spend time on in 2024?
- When did I trust my intuition or gut instincts in 2023…and it paid off? Are there intuitive tools or techniques I plan to prioritize in 2024?
- This felt like a much-needed miracle in my life in 2023:
- Did I notice any miracles for loved ones or in the world this year?
- In what ways did I have to adapt and become more flexible in 2023?
- Which heartbreaks from 2023—one that happened to me personally, and one that I witnessed happening to others in the world—are still tender for me? How might I continue to seek out support for this heartache in 2024?
- How did I honor my connection to nature in 2023, and how can I be a good steward of nature next year?
- What went easier than I expected in 2023? And what was something that proved more difficult than I anticipated?
- This is how grace, or unexpected assistance and resources, showed up for me in 2023 just when I needed it:
- What in my life do I need to get more practical and disciplined about in 2024 to be a source of grace for myself?
- Where in my life do I need to lighten up and practice being more carefree?
- These activities consistently brought me joy in 2023:
- In what area(s) of my life did I experience the most surprising growth and transformation in 2023?
- What did I consciously, deliberately work on via micro-shifts in 2023 that produced slow and steady results? Let me thank myself now for that precious progress:
- One long-term goal and one short-term goal I’m setting for myself in 2024:
- Softening my inner critic and being more gentle with myself in 2024 might look like:
- I plan to support my physical, emotional, and mental health in 2024 by:
- I’d like to step out of my comfort zone in this area of my life in 2024:
- I’m most hopeful and excited, or grateful, about this as I begin 2024:
- A timeless message of love and encouragement from my soul is:
The takeaway
As the hustle and bustle of the holiday season is underway, don't forget to carve out time for yourself for some much-needed reflection and intention setting. You never know the clarity that might come through to guide you into 2024.
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