How to Find Your Why

5 Journaling Prompts + My Actual Journal Entry

Photo by Greg Rakozy on Unsplash

It’s been a week since I started my newsletter on Substack, and to be honest, I’m still not sure about my “niche” or unique value proposition.

I don’t want to just go with whatever is trending or the most profitable because, to me, content creation is not just a means to make money but to fulfill my life’s mission. The first step I’m taking is to be clear with my “why”—my purpose not only in my career but also in my life.

After journaling, I’ve gained more clarity on why I’m doing this and why I’m here.
I’m sharing the journaling prompts I used in case you find them helpful too:

• What have I always loved doing?

• Who are my biggest inspirations in life?

• What are the nicest compliments I’ve received?

• What are my biggest frustrations?

• What kind of impact do I want to leave behind?

You can read my actual journal entry for inspiration or if you would just like to hear my story. (Spoiler: It gets a bit emotional at the end… 🥹)

What have I always loved doing?

I’ve always loved learning.

My mom said that when I was in pre-school, my hobby wasn’t playing games but answering worksheets. I’d even get jealous of my older siblings when they had homework, so she had to prepare tons of activity sheets for me—which I’d finish in no time.

As I grew older, my love for learning remained, but I came to dislike school because I felt that the grading system didn’t make any sense, and the curriculum restricted me from exploring my wide range of interests. I always tried my best to go beyond what was taught in school and explore whatever fascinated me, from science and the humanities to art. I believe that all knowledge is interconnected and to have a deeper understanding of any topic, I shouldn’t narrow myself to a single field.

I read textbooks for fun and sought educational resources online—I thought they were much better and more patient teachers than the ones I had in university with multiple degrees.

Who are my biggest inspirations in life?

The best teachers I’ve ever had were outside of school—authors, philosophers, motivational speakers, content creators, my mom… Barely any of them are licensed professors with postgraduate degrees, but they have educated, inspired, and changed many lives for the better, including mine.

My first teacher was my mom.

When my siblings and I were young, we had this family routine of praying the rosary together every day, and afterward, our mom would teach us some life lessons. She shared that she struggled with self-esteem issues when she was younger and wanted to make sure that we, her kids, wouldn’t experience that. She found healing through faith, having a personal relationship with God, and reading self-help books, and she did her best to pass on her knowledge and wisdom to us.

As I stepped into my teenage years, I started reading self-help books on my own and my mom recommended the works of Bo Sanchez, a Catholic lay preacher, author, and motivational speaker. His books are very short and easy to read but packed with life wisdom that helped me to have a deeper understanding of myself and my relationship with God and other people.

He’s one of my favorite authors of all time. I love how his writing is simple yet so impactful—I learned from him that you don’t need to use fancy language or try to look “smart” to effectively inspire and convey your message to your audience. I cannot overemphasize how much his books helped me through the struggles of my teenage years.

Aside from Bo Sanchez, I’ve also been inspired by many other authors through their works such as:

• James Clear (Atomic Habits)

• Alain De Botton (The School of Life)

• Tiago Forte (Building a Second Brain)

• Seneca (On the Shortness of Life)

• Viktor Frankl (Man’s Search For Meaning)

It’s fascinating that we’ve never met in person and they have no idea I exist, but they’ve completely changed my life.

What are the nicest compliments I’ve received?

People often describe me as an ‘old soul’ or someone unusually mature for my age. I think it’s largely due to my upbringing, early exposure to self-help books, and my natural tendency to introspect and ponder the meaning of life.

I also remember my senior high school classmates describing me as a profound person who’s not only book-smart but also knowledgeable about life. These compliments resonated with me much more than all the certificates and medals I’d received based on my grades.

I don’t just want to be smart.
I want to be wise and know what truly matters in life.

What are my biggest frustrations?

As much as I love learning, one of my biggest frustrations is that I’m very forgetful. Getting high grades and receiving all those medals in school made me feel like an impostor because I’ve already forgotten most of what I learned.

I thought it was because my understanding of the topics was too surface-level, so I tried to dive deeper into the lessons instead of simply memorizing them. But I realized that even with a better grasp of the concepts, I would still eventually forget them.

What’s the point of learning all these things if I’ll just forget them anyway?

I looked for a solution and eventually came across the concept of Personal Knowledge Management (PKM) and Tiago Forte’s book, “Building a Second Brain,” both of which taught me not to rely solely on my brain and instead have an external system where I can store all the information I’m learning, like a note-taking app.

I thought finding the right notes app would fix my problem. I fell into the trap of switching from one app to another and obsessing over designing the perfect note-taking system, and I just ended up with hundreds of notes scattered across Notion, Remnote, Logseq, Capacities, Obsidian, Google Docs, and Keep Notes…

I had to take a step back and re-evaluate why I was doing this in the first place.

I’m taking down notes because I want to remember what I’m learning.
Why do I want to remember what I’m learning?
Am I just hoarding knowledge to look smart?
If I get old and my memory declines, what good will this be?
After I die, can I take all this knowledge with me?

Eventually, I’ll get old, and my memory will decline.
And when I die, I can’t take any of this with me.
So what's the point of knowing all these things?

The problem isn’t my memory or note-taking system.
The problem is that I’m just collecting knowledge without putting it to good use.

I’m done wasting time trying to perfect my note-taking system.
Instead, I’m focusing on publishing content and providing value to others.

What kind of impact do I want to leave behind?

I hope to be like Seneca and Viktor Frankl, who may have already passed away but whose writings continue to live and inspire.

I hope to be like my favorite authors and content creators, who may be living on the other side of the world but whose works have reached me and positively influenced my life.

I hope to be like my mom, who may not have had the best childhood experience but didn’t let that determine her life—she educated herself so that her kids could have the childhood she wished she had. She’s the biggest blessing in my life.

I hope to make a positive impact on others too and be a blessing in their lives.

I hope to die with peace in my heart, knowing that I lived life to the fullest and shared as much wisdom, kindness, and love as I possibly could have.

“I shall pass this way but once; any good that I can do or any kindness I can show to any human being; let me do it now. Let me not defer nor neglect it, for I shall not pass this way again.” — Etienne de Grellet

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I was just planning to brainstorm but ended up crying while writing this… 😭

If you made it to the end, thank you for listening to my story and for being part of my journey. I genuinely appreciate you for being here 🥺💖

I’m still figuring out my newsletter’s branding and unique value proposition, but in the meantime, I’ll keep sharing the lessons I’m learning in the hope that you find something useful or inspiring. ✨

— Alea