These are prompts from some other place besides a book that ask to examine certain aspects of yourself. I will not have created these prompts myself, so I want to pay respect that they came from somewhere.
This months’ prompts are going to be coming from this substack that I recently started following:
https://substack.com/@theebookclubx/p-180404522
December journal prompts
1. What did this year teach me about myself that I didn’t know before?
2. Which version of me am I leaving behind in 2025?
3. What am I proud of myself for, even if no one else noticed?
4. Which disappointments from this year still live in my body, and what permission do I need to release them?
5. What boundaries did I learn to set or wish I had set sooner?
6. Write about one person who made your year a little softer.
7. What small, mundane moments brought me unexpected joy?
8. What blessings arrived quietly, without fanfare?
9. What did I survive that I didn’t think I would?
10. What parts of my life feel like answered prayers?
11. What did love (romantic or otherwise) teach me this year?
12. How did I show up for the people I care about, and how did they show up for me?
13. What is one relationship I want to nurture more intentionally in the new year?
14. Which connections drained me, and why did I hold onto them?
15. What does a healthy, gentle love look like for the version of me I am becoming?
16. What habits helped me grow and which ones quietly held me back?
17. What fear dominated my decision-making this year, and how can I release it?
18. What is one truth about myself I can no longer ignore?
19. What did I learn about trusting my intuition?
20. How did I show resilience even when I doubted myself?
21. What do I want December-me one year from now to thank me for?
22. What kind of energy do I want to carry into the new year?
23. What is something I want to try, even if I’m afraid or unprepared?
24. What word or theme do I want to guide me in 2026?
25. What would a gentle, ease-filled life look like and what is one step I can take toward it?
26. What is one thing I forgave myself for this year, even quietly?
27. What old dream am I ready to revisit with a wiser, gentler heart?
28. What did this year reveal about what I truly value , beyond status, speed, or success?
29. Where did I experience unexpected beauty this year, and what did it teach me about paying attention?
30. What is one soft promise I want to make to myself as the new year begins?
What did this year reveal about what I truly value , beyond status, speed, or success?
This year revealed that I value truly helping others, not just diverting them out the door. I learned that I valued having honest conversations towards trying to better people’s lives. Having rough discussions, but helping them navigate towards happiness as well. I learned that I value myself as well. I had not truly put myself first in a long time and this year I feel like I learned that I have to have value in myself.
While I knew this, I learned also how much I value honesty and people being authentic. When it felt like people were not being truly authentic, I would feel like I was not at ease. Something in my sole was not at peace. When people were more concerned about maintaining some weird power or being about things that do not matter, like language on a presentation, I would roll my eyes and be annoyed.
I have also realized that I value kindness and compassion, which I have recognized is not the key value to a lot of people surrounding me. I want to see people and offer them compassion for the place that they are in their life. Kindness is paramount to me in my value system as well, but I feel like part of this value died in the last year because of trying to survive. I lost a huge part of myself and my own value system to stay alive in a system that maybe isn’t for me.
The other value that I learned this year is that I am about fairness and equality. I do not play well in truly hierarchical systems. I do not see the purpose, I see everyone as equal. When someone says to me that they are above me, I roll my eyes. When they state to me that they are this or that in society, I roll my eyes. I see everyone as people trying to survive and I do not have time to try to push other people down to get a step ahead. Also I am recognizing what really matters and it is not trying to be in a position of power. It is about maintaining your authentic self. It is about gratitude for being alive. It is about personal qualities that show me who I am. I am a person that wants other people to be treated fairly and kindly. That is who I am at my core and I feel like I hid that for the last couple years. I want now to let that candle burn bright again because I definitely let it go out. Relighting that candle to burn bright is what I need to do in 2026.
