9 powerful journal prompts to celebrate your growth in 2024—and envision a bold, values-aligned 2025.
Happy late December, folks. I hope these last days of 2024 are going easy on your heart. The year is coming to an end, and it has been a year, has it not?
Collective joys, collective sorrows; celebrations, losses, ambitions, and disappointments; moments of distraction and moments of presence; transitions and vast liminal spaces; love, frustration, despair, and hope.
It’s incredible, really—all that a year can contain. So, as my therapist buddies say: Let's unpack that!
These 9 journal prompts include 3 questions for learning from 2024; 3 questions for celebrating your growth in 2024; and 3 questions for envisioning a bold 2025. I hope they help you touch a sense of pride, meaning, and inspiration as we step into the New Year.
By the way: I have a few spaces for private coaching clients opening in January. If you’re seeking personalized support advocating for yourself in your relationships, leaving people-pleasing behind, and making your dreams and desires a priority in 2025, you can learn more and apply to work with me one-on-one here.
3 Questions for Learning
Think about the most difficult challenge you faced this year—whether it was a boundary you had to set, a conflict in a relationship, burnout at work, a falling out with a friend or family member, or some other issue. In hindsight, what is the most important lesson this challenge taught you—and how, specifically, can you embody that lesson when you face a similar situation in the future?
Think back to January 2024. What mattered most to you in life then? And over the past 12 months, how has what matters most to you changed? What is it like to notice this inner transformation? (Sometimes, the events of our lives prompt us to reprioritize what most matters to us. This is called a Values Shift, and Values Shifts are often precipitated by events that challenge the meaning we make of life—things like losses, grief, or aging; burning out or hitting rock bottom; healing; having children or undergoing other radical lifestyle shifts; and more. You can learn more about Values Shifts here.)
This year, in which relationships did you feel comfortable showing up as your most authentic self—and what do those people have in common? In which relationships did you feel unable to show up as your most authentic self—and what do those people have in common? Notice any patterns that arise, and consider how you might use this information to inform your boundaries and social priorities in 2025.
3 Questions for Celebrating Your Growth
Take a moment to remember the version of you that you were 5 years ago, in December 2019. Remember what you were like; remember what you were working on; remember the challenges you faced. Then, imagine that Present You shows December-2019-You a fast-forward movie of your entire 2024. As December-2019-You watches your year play out from start to finish, what are they most proud about the person they’ll become in 2024?
Reflect on 2024 and determine the self-advocacy victory that you feel most proud of this year. (It could be a moment you spoke up for yourself; a boundary you set; a need that you prioritized; a decision you made; a way you handled a relationship; etc.) With that victory in mind, consider:
How is the way you handled that situation different from how you might have handled it last year? Or five years ago?
Specifically, what do you feel most proud of when you think about how you showed up in that situation?
What values did you embody with this self-advocacy victory?
Think about the many hours, days, and weeks of inner work you did over the years to reach a point where you could advocate for yourself that way. What message of gratitude would you like to offer Past You for all of that hard inner work ?
List the needs you gave yourself permission to prioritize this year that you hadn’t in the past. (For example: I need reciprocity in my relationships, so I gave myself permission to end an imbalanced friendship; I need 9 hours of sleep to feel rested, so I gave myself permission to leave social events early). How has prioritizing those needs affected your well-being, sense of self-trust, and/or overall self-relationship?
3 Questions for Envisioning
Instead of a New Year’s Resolution, consider choosing one value that you’d most like to embody in 2025. Consider:
What does this value mean to you, specifically?
Why does it feel important to embody this value in the New Year?
What are 3 specific examples of how you could embody this value in your relationships, actions, or decisions in 2025?
What was the one activity that made your soul feel most present, nurtured, and at peace in 2024? What is one specific way you can make more space for this activity in 2025?
Imagine you were told that December 2025 would be your last month to live. What would the coming year need to include in order for you to feel you’d spent it as meaningfully as possible? When you’ve completed your reflection, consider what, if any, intention you’d like to set for 2025.
In celebration of the New Year, 25% off The Self-Advocacy School lasts till December 31 at 11:59pm. The Self-Advocacy School is my 22-course masterclass that teaches you how to overcome people-pleasing, rebuild a vibrant relationship with you, and stand up for yourself with conviction—all without losing the empathy that makes you who you are. When you enroll, you get lifetime access to:
The 22-Course Curriculum: My flagship curriculum of 22 video courses—complete with homework assignments and concrete action steps—that guide you through the process of rediscovering your voice, mastering the art of self-advocacy, and building a life you love. You can view the full curriculum here.
In-Depth Journaling Reflections: 66 journaling prompts—including written role-plays, inspired visioning exercises, self-compassion practices, and more—that help you quiet the outside world and rebuild a relationship with you.
The Vault: A goldmine of 100+ curated reading recommendations, podcast episodes, infographics, and worksheets for those who want to dive deep and learn more.
Students have said:
"It has taken many decades to find my voice and learn what I like or identify with. I've been going through The Self-Advocacy School curriculum slowly, and its impact is priceless. More than any other therapy or work I've read, your words are helping me untangle these very deep roots. I thank you from the bottom of my heart for helping not only me, but creating a new way forward as I model being a whole person with boundaries for my child. You are helping so many people with your work, and for that I am truly grateful." —K
“I honestly can’t thank you enough. The Self-Advocacy School has been the SINGLE most life-changing thing I have ever come across and it has literally saved me. Like, literally. Hands down the best product on the market. Please keep doing what you do.” — H