What’s Going Well Right Now? (Journal Prompt)

A powerful part of journaling comes through noticing what happens when we engage with particular ideas, questions, and prompts. It’s not unusual to feel resistance to certain things, which is why it can be helpful to use different sources for reflection. For example, some of us felt internal push back when we spent time thinking about ‘three things going well in life right now’ in our Journal Circle.

One purpose of this prompt is to encourage us to see what happens when we find, acknowledge, and enjoy particular things. It can take courage to admit things are going well without descending into catastrophising and foreboding.

Potential Sources of Resistance To A Positive Focus

You might see a prompt like this and find your mind going blank. Maybe it’s easier to find things you want to improve or things that are going wrong in life. This is an opportunity to sit with that and listen.

Alternative Approaches If You Feel Stuck

Gratitude

Maybe you can think about something you are grateful for instead. If it feels too big, focus on the “right now” part. Look around the space you’re in. What is going well here?

Nothing Personal

Perhaps you can identify something is coming together. A project at work, plants growing in the garden, or the new road being built in your town. You can locate something going well even if you’re not directly responsible for its results.

Awareness of Good Things

Our brains are wired to focus on negative experiences as a survival mechanism. This can make it challenging to notice and appreciate the positives. But by acknowledging what’s going well, we can raise awareness to see what we have taken for granted or ignored.

If you spend time on social media, you’ve probably noticed that even in response to positive news events, someone is always poised to tell us why it’s not as good as we think. I am amazed at how difficult it is to find and connect with stories of things going well.

Breaking Out of Negative Patterns

This journaling prompt can help subvert and break negative patterns by:

Interrupting Unhelpful Thought Loops

Regularly listing positive aspects creates a habit that interrupts cycles of negative thinking. Over time, this can reshape neural pathways, making positive thinking more automatic.

Encouraging Present-Moment Awareness

It directs attention to the present, helping us ground ourselves in the here and now. When we carry prompts like this, our receptors are open to noticing things going well in different areas of life. Our definition of “going well” is also likely to grow in more personally meaningful ways.

Nurturing a Positive Story

We construct a more balanced and open narrative of our lives by consistently identifying what’s going well. This can be a source of strength and grounding during tough times, especially when we record these thoughts and observations in a journal.

Ready To Give It a Go?

How do you find this prompt? Do you stay anchored in the positive, or do you notice yourself drifting to the negative? Maybe it’s a perfectionistic sense that things going well is a recipe for complacency and lowering standards. Perhaps your state shifts and your mind is drawn to the unresolved issues and obstacles still to overcome.

Notice what you notice without self-judgement or criticism. It’s not about finding the perfect response to a journal prompt; it’s about creating fertile conditions for more illuminating inner conversations.

I’d love to hear what you discover. Join us for a future Journal Circle, or drop a comment on this prompt in the community gallery.

The Journal Circle

The Haven Journal Circle started life after a workshop with Mandy Thompson about starting and maintaining a journal practice. We regularly meet briefly at the end of the week to share how we’re getting on with any practices, habits, and routines we would like to explore through journaling. Because it’s not unusual for time to pass without writing, we spend 5 minutes following a short and straightforward journal prompt, so there is always something to take with us from the week.

Check out the events calendar for a list of upcoming Journal Circle Gatherings

Visit the Community Gallery to view and discuss more prompts like this one.