Honesty – 4 Journal Prompts Seeking the Slippery Truth
Honesty Journal Prompts
Refill your emotional cup before another busy week. This is part of the Fill Your Cup series. You can find the entire Fill Your Cup Journal Series here.
You can take just 10 – 30 minutes on these prompts. Read through and respond to what strikes you, or simply take the journal topic and go in your own direction – this is about what you need.
I received a compliment in an email this week that shook me.
“Thank you for being so honest. Your consistent honesty is something money can't buy.”
It is a thought provoking compliment.
I aspire to write with integrity, but to tell you the truth, to be honest, as much as I share here on the blog, and as true to myself as I try to be, I'm always walking that line of ‘What is too much? What is my story to tell and what needs to remain private? What words can I use to describe this intense emotion or experience – if I say it wrong will someone misinterpret and call CPS on me?'
Being honest about my parenting journey is scary. I am continually tempted to gloss over details I'd rather not even look at myself, much less share with the world.
Sometimes the stories I share take a long time to surface because I am sifting through these details and asking myself which ones make a difference, and tell a painful truth and which ones are just dirt under the fridge – not all that remarkable, nor inspiring.
There is more than one way to look at our stories and the way we tell them matters – whether to others or to ourselves.
To me, honesty is the work of finding the most authentic way to tell my story.
I am still learning how to be honest.
Journal Prompts – Honesty
- As we grow sometimes we are able to be more honest about our experiences, particularly very painful ones. Is there a story you're not being honest about to yourself or others? What are you afraid will happen if you tell the truth?
- What experiences have you sought information or advice about and wished you'd received a more honest answer?
- What is the most frightening thing to be honest about to yourself? Can you tell it to yourself very quietly? Can you write two words about it? If you admit this to yourself what will happen?
- What is the most common reason for you to be dishonest? What do you think this means for you?
I would love to know your thoughts on honesty, and if you enjoy these prompts please share!
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Alissa Zorn is an author, and founder of the website Overthought This. She's a coach and cartoonist passionate about helping people overcome perfectionism and shame to build authentic, joyful lives. Alissa is certified through the International Coach Federation and got her Trauma-Informed Coaching certification from Moving the Human Spirit. She wrote Bounceback Parenting: A Field Guide for Creating Connection, Not Perfection, and is always following curiosity to find her next creative endeavor.