100 of the Best Self-Reflection Questions | A Simple and Contented Life

Want to get to know yourself better and figure out what you want out of life? Self-reflection questions are the way to do it!

In this post, I’m sharing 100 thought-provoking self-reflection questions to help you get to know yourself on a deeper level so that you can thrive in EVERY area of your life.

Keep reading to find out what they are!

Article first published February 2020. Updated May 2022.

(This post might contain affiliate links which means that if you click through and make a purchase, I make a small commission. Read my disclosure policy here.)

Self-reflection…

Who are you and what do you want out of life? What are your goals, hopes, dreams and desires? If you want to become the best version of yourself and create a life you love, you need to know the answers to these questions. And one of the best ways to find out what those answers are is to ask yourself a series of self-reflection questions.

What are self-reflection questions?

Self-reflection questions are questions that help you to reflect upon who you are. A lot like journaling prompts, self-reflection questions help you tap into your thoughts and emotions. They help you identify your strengths and weaknesses and your core beliefs and values so that you can get to know yourself better.

Self-reflection questions can be about all kinds of areas of your life, including your:

Emotional, physical and mental health and wellbeing.
Personal growth.
Life purpose and vision.
Relationships.
Homelife and environment.
Career and work.
Finances and spending habits.
Daily habits and activities.
Hobbies and interests, and
Spiritual beliefs.

Self-reflection questions can be about:

Your experiences and how they’ve shaped the person you’ve become (i.e. your past).
What’s happening in your life right now and how you feel about it (i.e. your present).
How you envisage your life in one, three, five or even ten years’ time (i.e. your future).
Your emotions – the things that make you happy, sad, frustrated or annoyed.
Your wellbeing – the things that lift you up, bring you down, make you laugh and make you cry.
Achievements that you’re proud of (i.e. your successes and accomplishments).
Moments where things haven’t gone so well and what you’ve learned from those experiences (i.e. your failures).
Your goals, hopes, dreams and desires – the things you want to learn, do and experience.

Why ask self-reflection questions?

If you want to increase your happiness and lead a more intentional, more fulfilling life, you need to first understand who you are and what you want. And that’s where self-reflection questions come in.

Getting you to dig deep, self-reflection questions help you understand what your thought and decision-making processes are. Enabling you to identify what’s going right in your life, they also help you to uncover the areas where you are struggling most so that you know exactly where to direct your energy and efforts.

The purpose of self-reflection

Self-reflection is an important part of personal growth. It helps you to become more self-aware and connect with your authentic self. This, in turn, allows you to step out of a life on autopilot so that you can start forging a path towards the things you want to achieve and the person you want to become.

Self-reflection helps you adopt a more positive mindset too.

Instead of dwelling on the past, you’ll find yourself spending more time looking forwards focusing on where you want to go and how you’re going to get there. Especially if you answer self-reflection questions on a regular basis.

How to answer self-reflection questions…

Set aside time to sit and think.
Remove all distractions or take yourself off somewhere quiet.
Start with the questions that jump out to you the most.
Allow your answers to just flow – write whatever comes to mind.
Be honest. There’s no point asking yourself self-reflection questions if you’re not going to be honest with your answers.
Don’t be afraid of what you might discover. Give yourself permission to be honest, raw and real.
If it helps, try meditating on your self-reflection questions. Sit somewhere quiet. Clear your mind and with the questions in front of you, just ponder on them with no pressure or judgement. Afterwards, write down what you can remember.

Self-reflection questions for personal growth…

Here are 100 of my favourite self-reflection questions. Use them to dig deep and become more self-aware so that you can become a better version of yourself and create a life you love!

Self-reflection questions about your past…

What battles have you fought and overcome in your life?
Which have been your best moments in life so far?
What have been your biggest mistakes? What have you learned from them?
Which past experiences are you most thankful for?
If you could turn back time, what would you do differently? Why?
What’s the most exciting thing you’ve ever experienced?
What’s the most spontaneous thing you’ve ever done? How did it make you feel?
When was the last time you threw caution to the wind?
What’s the bravest thing you’ve ever done?
What’s on your upside-down bucket list – what have you already accomplished that you’re proud of?
Which things felt important to you ten years ago no longer matter to you now?
What’s your favourite childhood memory? Why does that one memory stick out the most?
What did you love most about your childhood home? Why was that?
If you had the opportunity, what would you tell your childhood self?
What encouragement would you give to your past self?

Self-reflection questions about your present…

What season of life are you in right now?
What are your top priorities right now?
How do you feel when you first wake up?
What takes up the majority of your time?
What thoughts distract you when you’re trying to get to sleep?
Do you like your job?
How do you spend your spare time?
How would you like to spend your spare time?
Which aspects of your life are you able to control?
What in your life aren’t you able to control? What can you do about that?
Which three things are more important to you than anything else?
How do you feel about this last week/month/year?
What were your biggest lessons from this last week/month/year?
What are your proudest moments from this last week/month/year?
How have you stepped out of your comfort zone this week/month/year?
How can you free up your calendar this week/month/year?
What’s going to bring you joy this week/month/year?
What aspects of life are you loving most right now?

Self-reflection questions about your future…

What does your ideal/dream life look like?
What does your ideal/dream home look like?
If you continue doing what you’re doing right now, where will you be in five years’ time?
What’s on your bucket list?
What do you see yourself doing work-wise in five years’ time?
If you had the chance, what would you tell your future self?
If you only had one year left to live, what would you do?
When telling your grandchildren about your life, what would you like to say?
If you met your future self, what advice do you think they would share with you?
What advice or encouragement would you give to your future self?
If you had more time to do what you love, what would you do?
What makes you feel optimistic about the future?

Self-reflection questions for personal growth…

If you could only use five words, how would you describe yourself?
What are your strengths? Your weaknesses?
What is the most common negative thought you have about yourself? What would the positive version of it be?
Are you as confident as you would like? How can you improve your self-confidence?
What are you most grateful for?
What do you take for granted?
How can you show more gratitude?
What did you say yes to this week/month/year that you probably should have said no to?
Which qualities do you most admire in others that you wish you had yourself?
What do you find yourself complaining about the most?
What topics could you talk all day about?
How can you take better care of yourself? How will you make that happen?
What did you learn about yourself this week/month/year?
What keeps you grounded?
How can you step out of your comfort zone more?

Self-reflection questions for your wellbeing…

How much time this week/month have you spent on caring for yourself?
What good habits do you have? Which good habits would you like to adopt?
What bad habits would you like to get rid of? What steps do you need to take to make that happen?
When was the last time you cried and why?
What makes you feel energised and refreshed?
What do you worry about most?
Are you your own best friend or your own worst enemy?
Do you love yourself?
What does self-love mean to you?
How can you love yourself more?
What’s your favourite self-care activity? Why do you enjoy it so much?
How can you bring more self-care into your day?
What brings you joy?
What makes you laugh or smile?
How can you improve your health and wellbeing this week/month/year?

Self-reflection questions to help you improve your relationships…

Which relationships matter to you the most?
What do you love to do with your immediate family?
What do you love most about your spouse? Your children?
Why did you marry your spouse?
When you get together with your extended family, what do you do?
Who has had the biggest impact on your life to date?
Who has disappointed you the most? How did they disappoint you?
Which relationships are you happy with?
Which relationships are you neglecting?
Who do you most enjoy spending time with? Why is that?
Who do you want to spend more time with? How will you make it happen?
To what extent do you let others control your decisions?
What confrontations, if any, are you avoiding?
Are there any toxic relationships in your life that you need to remove?
Which past friendships do you miss the most? Why?
Whose opinions do you value the most? Why is that?
What qualities do you most admire in others that you wish you had yourself?
Who looks up to you the most? Why do you think that is?
How can you nurture your relationships this week/month/year?

Self-reflection questions for accomplishing your goals…

Which goals did you accomplish this week/month/year?
Which goals didn’t you accomplish this week/month/year? Why do you think that was?
What does success look like to you?
What motivates you?
Who inspires you the most? Why is that?
Who do you hope to become in the next 12 months?
What do you want to have accomplished by this time next year? In 3 years? 5 years? 10 years?
What one thing have you wanted to do but not yet been brave enough to try?
Name one thing you want to achieve this year more than anything. How can you make this happen?
What is stopping you from achieving your goals?
What actions can you take this week/month/year to get you closer to your goals?

100 questions for self-reflection…

As humans, we are constantly growing and evolving. And our thoughts, emotions, dreams and desires change over time. Asking yourself self-reflection questions such as these on a regular basis helps you to stay in tune with who you are and what you want.

The more you do them, the better you’ll understand yourself. And the more you understand yourself, the easier it’ll be to lead a more intentional, fulfilling and happier life!

Want a copy of these prompts that you can print and add to your planner?

Get all 100+ self-reflection questions HERE >>

That’s it for this post! Do you ask yourself self-reflection questions? Has this post encouraged you to give it a try? Let me know in the comments!

Until next time…

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Article first published February 2020. Updated May 2022.

About the Author

Hey there! In case we haven’t met, I’m Sarah. A wife, mum, fur mama, certified master life coach and goal success coach, founder of a Simple and Contented Life and your mentor for making a change for the better.

Incredibly passionate about helping mums declutter and simplify their lives so that they feel more organised and have more time for their families AND themselves, I‘m here to help you become the person you want to be and create the life YOU want live.

A cross between Hermione Granger and Monica Geller, I’m also an introvert and a HUGE bookworm. I love cocktails, hazelnut lattes, true crime and all things pretty stationery, especially notebooks and planners!

When I’m not helping my coaching clients and Club members create a life they LOVE, you’ll find me in my office designing new printables for this Store, hanging out with my youngest in Starbucks or attempting to walk my somewhat lazy Frenchie pup, Arthur!

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