Journal Prompt: The Inner Circle

A journal prompt to help you visualize what you want to bring in more of, and what you want to guard against.

Draw a large circle on a sheet of paper or in your journal. You can trace a plate or freehand it if you’re feeling bold. In the center of the circle write ‘yes’ and on the outside, write ‘no’. Alternatively, if a simple yes and no don’t cut it for you, the inside could be a ‘hell yes’ and the outside a ‘NOPE’, a ‘oh yeah’, and a ‘heck no’, Whatever inspires you.

Journal Prompt

The Inner Circle

Inside the circle, begin to write down everything that comes to mind that you really want in your life. What actions, experiences, and feelings spark joy? When you bring them to mind, do they excite you? This circle is not for the things that make you feel like shrugging ‘yeah sure’. It’s for the things that truly excite your heart and soul, that light you up and make your eyes sparkle with excitement you get truly stoked about. It can be anything, there are no wrong answers. Stargazing! Feeling fulfilled! Ocean dips! Best friends! Reading!

What do you want to invite in more of?

What do you want to fill your days with? 

What do you love?

The Outer Edge

On the outside of the circle, write down anything and everything that feels like a solid no. Anything you don’t want to invite into your life. It can be things you already avoid, things that sneak in a little more often than you’d like, things you’d like to change. Things like stress, being on my phone too much, those go on the outside of my circle - what goes outside of yours?

What do you do that you know isn’t good for you?

What do you do that you know doesn’t bring you closer to your goals or dreams?

Look at your circle, and visualize that black line like a barrier. For the most part, we actively choose our lives. We create our schedules, we have power over who we spend time with, where we go, and what we do. Of course, external forces affect us, but there are so many ways we can actively create our lives, moment by moment, one choice at a time. 

It’s easy to forget that and fall into habits that don’t support our best selves, that don’t bring us joy or knowledge or closer to our dreams. Sometimes it’s easy to let the ‘no’s’ creep in. So let this circle be a visual reminder of what you want to welcome, and what you want to close the door on.

Ask yourself, how can you move away from the outside-the-circle things? What changes do you need to make in your life to make less space for this stuff? If you don’t like how much TV you’re watching, maybe you go get a great new library book instead. If money stresses are a problem for you, perhaps a new budget is called for. Some of these things aren’t glamorous, but when you take care of them you make more space in your circle for the good things. 

And once you have room in your circle, what will you fill it with?! What will you choose to do that brings joy today? What from your inner circle could you write into your schedule in permanent marker? How much better, more aligned and more joyful might that make you feel?