My favorite prompts from The Life Audit Journal
An invitation to get to know yourself
A perfect little bundle of supplies from last week’s Life Audit Journal launch event
Last week I hosted a lovely event for The Life Audit Journal at my favorite local gift shop, Annie’s Blue Ribbon General Store. At the event, we walked through journal prompts together and got deep about what we want from our lives over the next few years. Snacks were eaten, drinks were had, friends were made, dreams were said aloud — a good time was had by all!
I love hosting these kinds of events, and especially meeting with readers and journalers. It’s been a while since I hosted an event this intimate, so that made it extra special; usually book signings are just a quick hello and goodbye, and big talks are meant to separate out speaker from audience, but in this cozy setting I got to know everyone who attended, which made my heart go warm and fuzzy.
A post shared by @xsvengoechea
We had such a great time I wanted to share a few of my favorite prompts from the night. If you’re looking to dip a toe into the life audit journaling, this one’s for you! You can also reach out if you have an event or organization you’d like me to speak at, big or small.
My Favorite Journal Prompts from The Life Audit Journal
Self-assess
- What’s working well? What could be better? I like to start with a little check-in to see where things stand and what everyone’s baseline looks like. This is a chance to reflect on your life right now and begin to explore potential changes you might want to make in the future. This step is meant to be lightweight — a gentle reference point — before we start dreaming big.
Dream Big
- Make a list of every wish, goal, or desire you have for yourself in this life. This is your chance to let it all out! Say it out aloud! Or at least, jot it down in your trusty journal.
- Once you’ve taken an hour to write down 100 wishes, do a quick gut check: Are you being honest with yourself? Make sure your wishes are true to you, not wishes or goals you feel you “should” pursue.
Understand Yourself
- What themes do you see in your wishes? This is the first step to making meaning of your many wishes for yourself.
- What can your wishes tell you about yourself? This section is all about using your wishes as a map to understanding yourself. When you look at your wishes, what do you see?
Take Action
- Of all the wishes on your list, where do you want to start? Pick your top five for this year (knowing that the timeline for making *all* your wishes come true is your entire lifetime)
- Make an action plan. It’s time to prioritize and begin to turn our wishes into reality, step by step.
And so much more…
These prompts are a way to begin to get to know yourself and your desires, but of course there’s so much more in the journal and book themselves. Whether you’re doing a deep dive or dipping a toe in, I hope these prompts bring you clarity and understanding as you explore this next phase of your one, true beautiful life.
📚 What I’m reading
- Witchcraft for Wayward Girls, by Grady Hendrix. Oh my gosh, the gore! I can’t remember the last time a book made me squeamish, but this one made my stomach turn more than once. The novel follows a group of unwed pregnant teens (the titular “wayward girls”) who are sent to a maternity home to hide their pregnancies and forced to give their babies up for adoption to more “upstanding” adults. Spoiler: the adults are far worse than the teens. Hendrix tackles tough topics — motherhood, unwanted pregnancy, coming of age — and interweaves them with witchcraft, empathy, and horror to great effect (Did you ever think those three would be listed altogether? Neither did I.). Witchcraft for Wayward Girls is dark, bloody, entertaining, disturbing, moving, and has some of the best writing on childbirth I’ve read. Another hit from the horror master himself!
💸 Currently coveting
- A playful/whimsical/delightful little side table. Has anyone else noticed how serious furniture has gotten these days? I just want a splash of color. A little bit of fun. Something surprising — even delightful! Everything is so staid. So gray. So serious. If you have recommendations for something functional but spirited, I’d love to hear it.
⁉️A Giant Question
- 💰 A paid newsletter?! For as long as I’ve had a Substack newsletter, I’ve thought about going paid. Honestly, I’m still on the fence about it. (Would people pay? What would I offer them?) But I figure now, while I’m in between projects, is as good a time as any to give it some thought. Should I go paid? If so, what should I offer? Please drop your thoughts in this brief survey. (Only 5 questions!)
💌 Thanks as always for reading along and supporting my work. If you like what you see, hit the heart button, drop a comment, or share this with someone you think will love it, too. You can order my new book or journal or book me for a speaking event here. 💌
