5 Free Journaling Activities from Built Through Courage

Are you really good at finding reasons you shouldn’t go after your goals?

You may be contemplating starting a business, switching jobs, or pressing pause on your career altogether. Or perhaps you need to begin or end some relationships you have with family, friends, customers, or clients.

Whether you’re feeling unfulfilled in your professional or personal life, there’s nothing a few minutes of quiet self-reflection can’t improve.

None of us are born with the kind of courage that prepares us to walk confidently into unknown territory, but all of us can build it. That’s the message of Dave Hollis’ new book, Built Through Courage.

A powerful combination of passive reading and active journaling prompts, Built Through Courage represents how Dave overcame his own struggles including a highly publicized personal crisis amid the backdrop of a global pandemic and his limiting beliefs, especially related to the jump from a cushy job at Disney to an uncertain life of entrepreneurship.

The experiences detailed in this book are specific to Dave, but the exercises are applicable to everyone. Today, we’re sharing 5 free journaling activities from Built Through Courage, which you can explore by yourself or with family and friends.

Start discovering the real reasons you talk yourself out of pursuing your optimal life and prepare yourself for tackling new challenges by setting aside some time to complete these inspiring journaling activities.

Journaling Activity #1

Goal: Change your perspective on hardship

Seek out someone who can give you the gift of perspective in an area of the life you’re trying to build. Looking to start a small business? Find someone in your life who has. Or read a book, listen to a podcast, or watch a YouTube video that helps normalize what you’re worried about. Considering adoption to complete your family? Set a coffee date with someone in your life who has been through the process, or find a book, podcast, or a YouTube video as a resource that helps frame some of what to expect in the journey. Your courage will come from the proximity you create with people further along a route you’re readying yourself to take.

Journaling Activity #2

Goal: Rediscover your true dreams

Grab a notebook or a journal and consider the following questions. Then jot down your responses. As you continue on this journey, you will find it helpful to return to your answers from time to time.

• What did you want to be before you became who you are?
• What did the nineteen-year-old version of you dream about?
• What were your sources of joy before you had your current life responsibilities and obligations?

Journaling Activity #3

Goal: Keep your anxiety at bay

Think back to the last time you experienced anxiety and try to separate your feelings from yourself in that moment. Treat that anxiety as if it were a person you were sitting down to meet with. Give a name to your anxiety if you need to (mine is named Clark). Now ask your anxiety what information it’s trying to offer you. What role does it believe it is playing? In your journal, record the answers that come to you and ask yourself whether there is a way to turn those negative feelings into a hopeful plan.

Journaling Activity #4

Goal: Find meaning in your current job

If you find yourself to be someone who’s struggling with a lack of meaningful work, dive into these questions to see if there is a way to shift your mindset between now and something more meaningful coming along in your career.

• How are the challenging conditions creating opportunities to learn?
• Can you be grateful for what the job affords you?
• Can you find a coach or a mentor to help you build the skills and the confidence that you need?
• Are there ways you can provide value that are different than what you are currently doing or have done in the past?
• Are there ways to work on areas you’ll need for the job you want next while you’re in this current organization or role?

Journaling Activity #5

Goal: Develop habits that are supportive of your goals

Take a dive into the habits that aren’t currently supporting the vision of who you’d hope to become. Creating self-awareness for the areas to challenge or replace existing bad habits is where developing good habits starts.

• What habits in your life aren’t supportive of your goals?
• What habits are sabotaging your progress?
• What habits need to be changed to better serve you and/ or your family?
• What habits could be added to your life to reduce stress, build confidence, and promote health?