Journal prompt: Are your goals your own?
[Hi! This post is part of our new series of journal prompts. Sign up for our newsletter to get these delivered to your inbox every month.]
New Year's journal prompts are usually about identifying what you want. But what if we flipped that around for a sec?
What if you took a half hour to write about the goals your parents, friends, or partner have for you?
Who do they think you are?
Maybe your parents always wanted you to become a doctor.
...Or take over the family business.
...Or still see you as the baby, since you’re the youngest of your siblings.
Maybe your friends have labeled you as the homebody.
...Or your partner has determined that you’re not good with money.
What you find may have nothing or everything to do with your own goals, how you see yourself, or the person you want to become.
The goal here is to become aware of the expectations and limiting beliefs that other people have of you, so that you can recognize them and realize that you don’t have to accept them as your own.
Depending on your relationships, you might consider bringing these up in conversation. You could try something like:
“I’m making an effort to get my finances in order. It would mean a lot to me if you stopped saying I’m bad with money.”
But the first step is getting these ideas down on paper.
Where do you see a disconnect from what other people want for you versus what you want for yourself?
Don’t let others set the bar for you. Happy journaling-- you got this!
P.S. Still figuring out what you want for yourself? Start here.
