Do you ever feel a bit lost in the craziness of life? Well, the great news is that you’re not alone. I totally get it. Embarking on a journey of soul searching can feel like wandering through a labyrinth, especially when you’re feeling stuck in a rut and yearning to find yourself once again.
I can honestly say it feels like I’m constantly soul searching. I’ve gone through it in my teens, my twenties, and now, my thirties. And it seems that with each decade that passes, I find myself in a strange limbo between being slightly wiser (or, what I would like to think is wisdom) and being completely lost and/or stuck in life.
Some people tell me it’s because I’ve outgrown a previous situation. Others say it’s because I’m now older and my outlook has changed. Well, whatever the reason, it’s a pretty intimidating place to be. And if you know the Tarot, then you can probably relate when I say I often associate this phase of life with The Hermit. It’s not often bad, but rather, an opportunity to look inward and reset your life.
One of the techniques that I like to use when I’m feeling all over the shop is to write. And by write, I mean physically picking up a pen and making marks on paper. No phones, no computers. There’s just something really reassuring and empowering about reading your thoughts in your own handwriting.
In this post, I’m going to share with you five creative writing ideas that I personally use for personal and spiritual growth. There’s no fancy things here, just some small prompts to help guide you on a journey of self-discovery.
Quick Links
- Non-negotiables: List your beliefs
- Identify your strengths: List both your good and brilliant skills
- Happiness: List the things that make you happy
- Life goals: A bucket list
- Community: List the people you admire and why
1. Non-negotiables: List your beliefs
A few years ago in 2017, when I was studying creative styling, our teacher gave us a wonderful exercise to help us find our creative identity. We all had to jot down our personal beliefs. These beliefs could be simple things, like ‘I believe in taking risks,’ or more profound ones such as ‘I believe happiness is a choice.’ This exercise completely changed the game for me! Little did I know how this small activity would turn into a mind-blowing journey of self-discovery.
Here are some of the beliefs that I wrote down and love to re-read whenever I’m feeling a bit lost.
- I believe in being curious and exploring the hidden secrets of life and the world.
- I believe knowledge is power and can be used to make the world a better place.
- I believe life can be beautiful when you take the time to observe instead of just seeing.
- I believe happiness is a choice and that it shouldn’t be defined by others.
- I believe every problem has a solution.
What are your non-negotiables when it comes to your life? Jot these down and whenever you feel indecisive or unmotivated, pull out the list and reaffirm these to yourself.
2. Identify Your Strengths: List Both Your Good and Brilliant Skills
This list is great for those who are in a career rut and find themselves in that terrible void where you hate your current job, yet don’t know what else you would want to do. Grab a sheet of paper and draw a table with two columns. Label the first column ‘What I’m Good At’ and label the second column ‘What I’m Brilliant At’.
This activity aims to highlight your strengths, providing clarity on where to channel your energy effectively. For instance, you might find that you’re good at data entry but truly brilliant at writing engaging stories. Alternatively, your strengths could lie in customer service, yet your brilliance shines when managing a team.
By seeing where your strengths lie, it will help you to figure out what kind of career will bring you fulfilment.
3. Happiness: List the things that make you happy
Ah, the classic soul searching happiness list. It might sound like a cliché idea, but trust me, putting pen to paper and intentionally jotting down what makes you happy is surprisingly nostalgic and liberating. As you’re scribbling down the things that bring you joy, you’ll find yourself appreciating the little things you usually overlook. It’s like revisiting all the good memories – the kind that hides in the everyday moments. And, who knows, you might just rediscover the magic in the simple things.
Side note: If you need a bit of prompting, a gratitude journal is a great place to start. Check out our recommendations here.
Another side note: If photography is more your thing, check out the 100 Happy Days Challenge. I tried it a few years back and sadly didn’t complete it, but it did give me a new perspective on finding happiness in the little things. Here are four images of mine that I dug up from the challenge.
4. Life Goals: A Bucket List
Did you know the term ‘bucket list’ didn’t just pop out of nowhere? It actually has its roots in the phrase ‘kick the bucket,’ which is a casual way of saying someone’s met their maker. The concept got a massive boost from the 2007 film ‘The Bucket List‘ starring the dynamic duo of Morgan Freeman and Jack Nicholson. These two characters, facing their mortality, decide to tackle their individual bucket lists, leading to some epic adventures. (If you haven’t seen it, I highly recommend it. There are a few good life lessons in the movie.)
Anyway, since then, the term has become the go-to for listing out all the wild, wonderful, and slightly outrageous things you want to experience before kicking the bucket. It’s like your own personal adventure roadmap to squeeze the most out of this crazy ride called life!
Some of the items on my list include: trekking the Bhutan High Trails (gotta work on my navigation skills first), attending Tomorrowland in Belgium, seeing narwhals (aka sea unicorns) in the Arctic and spending a night under the stars in Wadi Rum Desert in Jordan.
5. Community: List the people you admire and why
In the soul searching quest for inspiration, we often crave more than the superficial allure of fame, money, and status. An incredibly uplifting activity involves listing the people you genuinely admire and noting what specifically impresses you about them. This can include everyone from your dearest cousin to colleagues or notable figures.
By pinpointing the qualities that resonate with you, this exercise becomes a powerful source of motivation, providing a deeper and more meaningful source of inspiration for your own personal journey.
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As you continue on this adventure of finding yourself, I hope these little activities help to ignite sparks of self-discovery for you. And, remember, don’t think about it too much or you’ll forget to enjoy the little moments of the journey! ☺️ ✨ 🏔️
