Working on your growth mindset can make a huge difference toward reaching your full potential, achieving your goals, gaining more success, developing more happiness, overcoming obstacles and challenges, and more. (Here are more details from Forbes.) So we’ve designed some growth mindset writing prompts to get you started! Below are 52 journal prompts—one for each week of the year.

image of a tree — Grow Your Growth Mindset

What Is Growth Mindset?

Growth mindset is the outlook that your talent, skills, and intelligence can grow over time. Alternatively, fixed mindset is the outlook that your abilities are already set. In contrast, growth mindsets emphasize the belief that abilities can be developed and changed, challenging limiting beliefs and inner critics. You’re not just permanently "not that good a test-taker" or "afraid of public speaking" or or other limiting beliefs like that.

The good news is, the research shows that fixed mindset beliefs are false. You can improve your skills, grow an ability, and give a speech to five hundred people without fainting. If you believe that, you’re more likely to put it into practice. That’s where the growth mindset writing prompts below come in. Use them as a powerful tool to create the right mindset and challenge your inner dialogue.

3 Ways to Build Growth Mindset

Before you get to the journal prompts, there a few good ways you can start promoting your growth mindset.

Writing and reflecting on your learning process is crucial for personal growth and mental health in general, as it allows you to extract valuable lessons from past experiences and use them to positively shape your present and future. You can approach challenges with a positive mindset and create amazing results.

1. Act on Feedback.

Asking for feedback is hard work; let’s just acknowledge that. It can be uncomfortable and intimidating, and it takes effort. But it’s the first of your growth mindset challenges.

Feedback can also help you challenge your inner critic, that critical inner voice that influences your mindset and leads to limiting beliefs. Think about it like this: If you don’t ask for feedback, you’re going to get it from people who give you feedback without being asked. And are you likely to act on unsolicited feedback from most people? Maybe sometimes, sure. (Shout-out to the nice woman at the gym who kept me from hurting myself!) But usually, probably not. (No shout-out to certain former coworkers with loud, incorrect opinions. You probably don’t know who you are.)

The Gift of Feedback

What if feedback were a valuable gift, though? Now take a deep breath and ask for feedback on how you’re doing in each person’s area of expertise. Be aware that you’re asking for a favor—giving feedback can be as uncomfortable as asking for it—so explain that you’re trying to work on the thing you’re asking about and that you admire your person’s abilities in that area. Give them an easy out if they don’t have time or don’t want to answer, and thank them sincerely.

Act on Your Feedback

When you get that feedback, the important thing is to listen. Resist the temptation to dismiss it, ignore your inner critic, and come up with an effective way to act on it. See if you can see improvement.

Note: Take note of positive feedback too. It’s easier to act on suggestions for improvement, but take some time to acknowledge your strengths that other people admire too.

2. Learn About Your Area of Expertise.

It’s easy to learn about something you don’t know anything about. Don’t know how to make pottery? Sign up for an intro class with a potter and get out of your comfort zone. But what do you do if you’re already accomplished at something?

The second of your growth mindset challenges is to pick something you’re really good at and intentionally learn more about it for your personal growth journey.

Growth mindset challenge: Pick something you're really good at and learn even more about it. — Growth Mindset Challenge

Ways to Get Even Better

How could you get even just a little better at what you do? You might, for example, learn new things:

attend an industry convention or event;
take a seminar or class;
explore a book or industry publication or other resources;
find a relevant podcast and binge it;
choose someone you know who’s as good at or better than you at your skill and ask if they’d like to join you for coffee and conversation about it; or
choose a related skill that would support you and explore it.

3. Run an Experiment on Yourself.

If you were launching a new product or marketing plan, you might do a test to see whether one option you have is more effective than another.

Take that same spirit and use it on…yourself! Choose an action you can use to learn more about or improve what you do in some way. Think about how these actions can transform your future self and the long-term implications of your choices.

You will also need some way to measure your skills before and after you make the effort. Be creative; it could be the amount of time it takes you to do something or how much you do or something measurable about your results.

Measure your performance, do the learning, and measure again. Did your results improve? Can you make adjustments, record it in your mindset journal, and try it again?

Now onto the mindset journal prompts!

Journal Prompts for Growth Mindset

Now it’s time for growth mindset prompts! We've divided the writing prompts into 12 months to make it easier to organize your life or work journal, but feel free to pick a writing prompt that calls to you.

(Note: These are growth mindset journal prompts for adults—there are lots of great journal prompts aimed at students out there, so you don’t have to adapt these writing prompts!)

Growth Mindset Month 1

1. What would you like to learn? It can be anything—something you’ve always wanted to be good at, positive beliefs, something that could help your career, or another topic you’re thinking about. Start a list.

2. Choose something that you’re already good at—maybe even the go-to person for. How could you get 10% better at it? Brainstorm some ideas and strategies.

3. What works well for you when you are turning obstacles into opportunities and want to remind yourself to persevere?

4. What is some work that you have done or difficult situations that you are grateful for having done? Why?

Growth Mindset Month 2

5. Make a list of feedback that you’ve received. It could be praise or thanks, suggestions to improve, or even patterns in the questions people ask you.

6. Look over your feedback list and think of a way you could push yourself to improve something. How would you do that? Keep your list going alongside your growth mindset journal prompts so you can do this again as needed.

7. Make a list of small wins you’ve had this week. Feel free to add to it as you think of more.

8. What is a fixed mindset belief you have about yourself? Think about what you believe your potential to be and what you might be avoiding. What would you say to your inner voice to challenge your negative self talk? Consider how this fixed mindset belief might be one of your limiting beliefs and how overcoming it could help you adopt a growth mindset.

Growth Mindset Month 3

9. What is a growth mindset belief you have about yourself? How does thinking it help you in everyday life?

10. What are some things that you learned in the past month? What would you like to learn in the month that starts today?

11. What would you try if you knew you would not fail?

12. What are some of the limiting beliefs that keep you from trying or doing something new or something big in your life? How does your inner voice contribute to these thoughts? What is at the heart of them, for example fear of success or the desire for safety? What do you feel about it?

13. Think of a way to objectively measure one of your abilities. Journal to brainstorm ideas for how you could measure it, practice it or get some training on it, and measure it again. If you were setting up an experiment to see if some training worked, how would you do it?

Growth Mindset Month 4

14. Write about trying something that didn’t work out as if you were accepting an award for trying it. Be proud!

15. Try writing about your biggest challenge that worked out. Why did you decide to go for it?

Journal prompt. How do you measure your skills? — How do you measure your skills?

16. Think of something that you’ve worked hard to become good at. What advice would you give someone starting out about how to achieve your skill level?

17. Ask someone you respect for some personal feedback. Ask them what your strengths are, what you could overcome, and what your growth opportunities are.

Growth Mindset Month 5

18. How did someone you admire become successful in life?

19. Reflect on your daily life and think of a challenge you’re facing. Now draft a letter as if you were applying for the opportunity to address it. Detail what you hope to learn and your qualifications for taking it on.

20. What is something you are proud of accomplishing?

21. What are some challenges you worked hard for that no one realizes?

Growth Mindset Month 6

22. Think of something you’ve been considering challenging yourself with, but haven’t started. What is the worst potential outcome? What is the best? What other factors about it do you have to consider?

23. Write yourself a growth mindset affirmation or inspirational quote that you need just for the next week. Try writing it down and posting it somewhere you can see it for a week.

24. Think of a friend you don’t work with—in a different industry or major, preferably—who has accomplished something great. Write about some of the personal skills and traits that helped them accomplish it.

25. Describe your dream life, ten years from today. Use a lot of detail. Where will you live? Who will be with you? What will you have accomplished and what will your mindset be?

26. What is a step toward your long term goals that you could take this week, even if it is a small step?

Growth Mindset Month 7

27. Nobody’s perfect. What is an area you could improve in? Brainstorm some potential plans to make it happen.

28. Try writing about a time you overcame an obstacle.

29. Think of a recent interaction you’ve had with someone you don’t know in a different industry who impressed you. What could you learn from that interaction?

30. Describe a time you reacted to a situation in a way you’re not proud of, perhaps because of a fixed mindset. How would you like to react differently in the future?

Growth Mindset Month 8

31. Think about your goals and plan for the next five years. Pretend it’s five years in the future and tell the story of how you put your plan into action.

32. What skills do you need to develop to achieve your goals? Be creative and make a list in your mindset journal.

Journal prompt. What skills do you need to develop to achieve your goals? — What skills do you need to develop to achieve your goals?

33. Set a partial goal. What is an intermediate milestone that you will achieve on the way to your goal? When would you like to have it accomplished by? How will you get it done?

34. How can you add some measure of accountability to your goals? Consider sharing them with a friend or making another commitment this week.

Growth Mindset Month 9

35. What could you learn from a rainy day?

36. If you could take one step toward your big-picture goal each day this week, what would it be? How can you work it into your schedule so it has space and is a priority?

37. Read about one of your heroes from before the 20th century. What traits do they have that you admire? Times were different, but what is the same in the big picture?

38. What was a time you gave up too soon?

39. Give someone in your life some helpful praise. Give them a specific suggestion to get even better or out of their comfort zone (i.e., “I encourage you to look for leadership opportunities in our department.”) if they are open to it.

Growth Mindset Month 10

40. Think of a project that you recently completed or obstacle you’ve overcome. Debrief it with yourself. What went right? What could go better next time?

41. What’s something you learned on vacation (or another time when you were not intentionally setting out to learn something)?

42. How do you make the world a better place—in your community, in the larger world, to your loved ones, or just by being you?

43. Brainstorm ways you can streamline your schedule to overcome distractions while you’re trying to focus on your goals and allow intentional time for them when you are at leisure.

Growth Mindset Month 11

44. What are the things that drive you? Think about the things, people, and values that are important to you—the ones at the very core of all of your decisions.

45. What is something you could take off your plate entirely? Maybe it doesn’t really need to be done in your life and doesn’t bring you peace or joy, but you’re doing it anyway. Maybe it’s something you could delegate. Brainstorm some possibilities.

46. Brainstorm small ways you could encourage someone else’s success this week. Challenge yourself to putting at least one idea into action. (The growth mindset journal prompts in real life!)

47. Write about something you failed at, but place it in a longer-timeline story of your growth. Frame it as a step along the way.

Growth Mindset Month 12

48. Identify an effective way you could eliminate some multi-tasking.

49. Write yourself a vision statement. What is your great purpose that you want to achieve?

50. Revise one of your goals to make it more aligned with your vision or core values, even if it’s only a slight adjustment. How will you make it more meaningful?

51. Revise your workspace. Could it be less cluttered to help you focus? Could it inspire you better? Could it be better dedicated to your vision or favorite tools? Brainstorm some options.

52. Look back 5 years. How have you grown since you were that person?

There you have it: 52 growth mindset journal prompts! Here’s to your happy, productive mindset journal.

What’s Next?

If you enjoyed these growth mindset journal prompts, are you looking for more self discovery journal prompts for adults? We have journal prompts for self confidence, money mindset, and thinking through your life.

52 Growth Mindset Journal Prompts