50 Powerful Gratitude List Ideas That Everyone Can Relate To

Sometimes it seems that there is no shortage of struggles or difficult times in life. And when life feels bleak, it is easy to lose sight of the silver linings! If you are looking for gratitude list ideas to help you develop a grateful heart, we have you covered!

Gratitude isn’t always something that comes easy to everyone. In fact, if you are anything like me, gratitude might be something that you have to work, like, really, really hard to find on a daily basis.

But with hard work and practice, I have managed to train my mind to find appreciation in the smallest things life has to offer!

Learning to express gratitude for the little things is something that we write about often at Joyful Through It All. We believe that gratitude is one of the keys to living the life you want to live and enjoying everything that comes with it!

Check out these 50 gratitude list ideas to keep your heart grateful on a daily basis!

What is Gratitude and Why is it So Hard to Find?

Gratitude is the feeling you get when you are aware of and acknowledge the positive things that you have in your life. Living with a grateful heart means feeling, appreciating, and giving thanks for the things in your life that you have – regardless of whether they are big things or small things.

Gratitude isn’t just being happy all the time. It is the willingness to pause and reflect on the small things that have a positive impact on your life.

Now, gratitude does come easier to some than others. Not everyone finds it easy to recognize the amazing things that they have in their lives. But this doesn’t make it impossible to enjoy the benefits of gratitude!

So why is it sometimes hard to embrace the positive emotions that come from the little things? Sometimes it feels like our brains don’t want to look for things to be thankful for.

Often, it is just a matter of people not making the time to express gratitude. Life is hectic and crazy, and the demands on our time seem to never end. When we are overworked, exhausted, and burnt out, the last thing we want to let into our hearts is gratitude!

To add to this, our culture and social media have made it common to focus only on ourselves. We are constantly told that we don’t have enough money, time, or stuff. And we are told that being better and having more than others is important.

We have become quite selfish as a species, haven’t we?

Now, more than ever, is the time to make gratitude a priority in your daily life! And it starts with these gratitude list ideas!

What is a Daily Gratitude List?

Regularly expressing gratitude has been shown to have mental health and physical health benefits. But it isn’t always easy to remember to show gratitude!

That’s where gratitude list ideas come in!

A daily gratitude list is a list of things that you can use to remind yourself of what you are grateful for. Think of it as a collection of the best things to remind you of all the good that you have in your life – big or small!

Gratitude lists are super helpful when life wants to work hard to distract you from feelings of gratitude!

Using a Gratitude Journal and Gratitude List Ideas

A gratitude list is also a helpful tool for gratitude journaling. Many people make a daily gratitude habit of writing down a few things that they are grateful for.

Gratitude lists provide you with ideas when you aren’t feeling super grateful. And when you aren’t feeling grateful, that is the best time to write down what you are grateful for!

Writing in a gratitude journal doesn’t have to be a big time consuming thing. Even just keeping a bullet journal of little things that you are grateful for will do the trick!

For example, you may choose to write down 5 things you are grateful for at the end of the day to reflect on what went right. Or, you may choose to write down what you are grateful for on a morning gratitude list to start your day right.

This daily practice helps keep gratitude at the forefront of your mind. This way, when the hard times come for you, you can easily reflect on the good things in your life.

One of the challenges of gratitude journaling is knowing what to write. A daily gratitude list can act as a series of gratitude writing prompts to help you get started.

But just remember that this is your own gratitude journal. Aim to write things that you genuinely feel grateful for in order to see the best benefits of gratitude.

50 Gratitude List Ideas

The list below will help you find great ideas for your own gratitude list.

Revisiting these gratitude list ideas regularly will help reduces stress and anxiety by reorienting your mind on what is going right.

Combining deep breathing and meditation with thoughts of gratitude can also help slow your heart rate and refocus your breathing.

Let’s get into these 50 gratitude list examples now!

Choose to express gratitude for:

#1. First and foremost: you are alive. When things get really bad, just remember that you are fortunate enough to be a human. You are unique, and are literally the only person who has the privilege of experiencing the special blend of chaos and beauty that is your own life.

#2. Your loved ones. Whether it is your spouse/partner, parents, children, cousins, or close friends, we all have someone special. You can feel a great sense of gratitude if you just picture someone special and focus on how grateful you are to have them in your life.

#3. Your role models. Be grateful that you have people that you can look up to and guide you through the good stuff and the hard times.

#4. A deep conversation with a friend or a loved one. Be grateful for the feeling you get when you feel deeply and intimately connected to another human being, just by using words (and maybe a good cry).

#5. Your neighbors. Neighbors can make life better in simple ways. Whether it is lending you a tool or sharing a simple positive conversation, express gratitude for the positive effect your neighbors can have on your day.

#6. Clean water. Be grateful that you know how soothing it feels when cold, clean water makes its way down your throat.

#7. Healthy food. Have a sense of gratitude for the choice you have in what food you put in your body.

#8. Junk food. In moderation of course!

#9. Fresh baking. The best way to remind me of how it feels to be grateful? My wife’s fresh baked apple crumble topped with vanilla ice cream.

#10. Good health. Be grateful that your body’s immune system literally fights to protect you from harm every single day.

#11. Your body. Can you think of anything that people are more insecure about than the way they look? Instead, focus on how grateful you are to have a body that lets you literally interact with this world in any way you want to (aside from flying. Gratitude aside, why can’t we have wings?).

#12. Your mind. Your greatest friend or your worst enemy! Be grateful that your mind loves you enough to search for gratitude list ideas on the Internet to bring you here.

#13. Your soul. Be grateful that you feel. You have a soul that feels negative emotions, positive emotions, and everything in between. Your soul can be lit on fire with passion or make it so that you feel nothing at all. The choice is yours!

#14. Unique things about yourself. The world works hard to make you think you need to be just like everyone else. But, you aren’t! Instead of comparing yourself to others, express gratitude for one simple thing that makes you stand out amongst a crowd.

#15. Breathing. Being able to stop, take a deep breath, and literally feel your blood taking in fresh clean air and sharing it with your entire body is something to truly be thankful for. Slowing down and focusing your breathing also has numerous benefits for your mental health and physical health!

#16. A clean house. When everything (ie. dishes and laundry) is just where it belongs? That is something to truly be thankful for. Especially because it never lasts long. The best things never do.

#17. The feeling of fresh clean sheets at bed time. If you ever need something easy to remind you of how it feels to be grateful, have a shower, wash your sheets, and climb into bed. There is something about relaxing while being the cleanest you can possibly be that is sure to fill you with gratitude!

#18. Sleep. Parents? You know what I mean. Next time you wake up from a good night’s sleep, enjoy being in the present moment. Take note of how good it feels to be rested!

#19. The taste of a perfectly brewed cup of coffee. My day starts on another level when I get the chemistry in my coffee just right. And for this I am eternally grateful. On a personal note, thank you, coffee, for all that you do for me.

Do you have a grateful heart? Check out this post to develop one today!

#20. Your time. Yes, it always seems to feel like it is in short supply. But think of all the specific things you can accomplish in a 24 hour day. Think of how great it feels to have even 5 minutes of quiet alone time.

#21. The present moment. It sounds strange to say it, but there is gratitude to be found in the present moment. Right now. Quiet your mind and pay attention to how it feels to just be.

#22. Social media. At its worst, it’s used to share pictures of food and spread misinformation about serious world issues. At its best, it can be used to share powerful ideas, emotions, and experiences, and help us feel connected in a world that makes us feel alone.

#23. The Internet. Sure, it has made it easier to do a lot of things that aren’t so great. But also, it has made it possible to stay in touch with loved ones, work from home, and learn new things. Seriously, you can literally learn anything about anything using the Internet.

#24. Technology. It is easy to take for granted just how advanced technology has become. Express gratitude for the positive changes it has had on your life. Like how cell phones have evolved from something you used to have to literally connect to your house by a wire, to a small computer that can be carried in your pocket.

Oh, also you can watch videos of people’s cats on them.

#25. Seasons. The fact that our Earth changes so drastically over the course of the year is truly astonishing if you pause and admire it. There is much gratitude to be found if you can be still and acknowledge nature’s beauty.

#26. Thunder and lightening storms. The perfect combination of scary and beautiful!

#27. Sunrises and sunsets. Each of these have great power in reminding us that the Earth is literally just a rock that rotates around a big flaming ball of hydrogen and helium. This is one of my favorite gratitude journal prompts because it grants me perspective. All of the world’s troubles disappear when you think about it like this!

#28. The feeling of a cool breeze on a hot day. This one sounds cliché, but pay attention next time the wind blows on your skin on a hot day. It feels incredible.

#29. Babies. Man do they grow up fast.

#30. The mind of a child. Listening to a child speak for an hour is a great way to experience gratitude. It is amazing how much you can learn by listening to someone talk who is experiencing life’s joys for the first time.

#31. Play. Express gratitude for the opportunity to play just for play’s sake. Yes, even adults can play. When was the last time you did something just for the sole purpose of enjoying it?

#32. Music. The fact that humans can combine different sounds together to create a sensation that causes us to feel shared emotions with one another, regardless of race, class, or gender? Pretty amazing.

#33. Art in general. You don’t have to get it, but it is nice when things are nice to look at.

#34. Stories. Whether it is books, movies, or a deep conversation with a friend. Be grateful for the powerful ways that storytelling can connect us with one another.

#35. Finishing a good book. Express gratitude next time you finish the last chapter of a really good book and it is so good that you want to start reading it all over again.

#36. Your freedom. Think of all that you take for granted that others do not have.

#37. Your education. Think of how fortunate you are to have learned all that you have, and that you always have the choice to learn more!

#38. Your job. Work is a source of stress for a lot of people. But, if you express gratitude for the opportunity to make a difference in people’s lives every day, it will change the way you see your work!

#39. Opportunities. Be grateful that even if you aren’t passionate about your work, there are opportunities for you. Many people do not believe that they can just switch jobs, but it is possible. Trust me, I am a career change success story!

#40. Surprising experiences throughout the day. Sometimes, all it takes is for something unexpected to happen and shake up the day to make you feel a sense of gratitude.

#41. Kindness. Whether it is an act of kindness from a family member or a complete stranger, pay attention to how it feels when someone is kind to you (or when you are kind to someone else!). Enjoy the sense of gratitude that comes with it!

#42. Failure. Wait… what? Why would you ever want to express gratitude for your failures? Simple: failure gives us feedback to help us learn and improve for next time. This is all part of having a positive mindset focused on growth and seeing obstacles as growth opportunities. This has to be one of my favorite gratitude list ideas!

#43. Your dreams and goals. You have dreams and goals for your life. Sometimes they seem like silly distractions that you will never truly get to live out. But, your dreams and goals can motivate you in powerful ways to do amazing things! You can create your dream life if you want to!

#44. Your past. The good times, the hard times, all of it. Everything that you have gone through has shaped you into who you are today. Even if today was a bad day, we are all different people then we were yesterday. Express gratitude for the opportunity to learn from the past.

#45. Your future. The endless possibilities that are ahead of you are definitely something to express gratitude for. Time is one thing that we tend to take for granted. Use the time that you have to do something your future self will thank you for!

#46. New perspectives. Many times people disagree because they have different (and strong!) perspectives on different things. Be grateful for the opportunity to look at something in your life a different way.

#47. Your space. We all have that one place that makes us feel cozy and comfortable.

#48. Courage. You know the feeling you get when you stand up for yourself and what you believe in? It doesn’t always come easily, but when it does, man does it feel great.

#49. The things you do have. My goal was to stay away from material things on this list as much as possible. But one of the main reasons people struggle with gratitude is because they are so focused on what they don’t have. See how it feels to express gratitude for all that you do have. Because it is a lot more than you think!

#50. The experiences you do have. The same goes for your experiences. It is always easy to compare your life to the lives of others, but your life and your experiences are unique. Sure, there are things you haven’t done. But there are things you have done that others haven’t!

Do You Have an Attitude of Gratitude?

Expressing gratitude is a choice, and it is directly related to your attitude. An attitude of gratitude will keep you focused on expressing thanks for the things that you do have in your life.

Use these gratitude list ideas and choose to start a daily gratitude list as a new habit. Start making gratitude journaling a daily habit.

You can write in the morning to give you a little bit of a boost to start your day, or you can write at night to help you end your day on a positive note. If you find this to be a challenge, try using quotes about gratitude or gratitude affirmations to inspire you!

These days, it seems more common for people to swap complaints about family and work than to share stories of gratitude and appreciation on a regular basis. Next time you catch someone you care about complaining, cut them off and ask what they are grateful for! Let the special people in your life know how amazing they are!

Big things will happen for you once you start prioritizing gratitude. You will literally see the world differently. Instead of what you don’t have, you will be happy with what you do have. This will take your mind off of your worries and stresses, and free up so much energy to do other amazing things!

If you are looking for more inspiration to start practicing gratitude, check out our collection of quotes to appreciate the small things!

Don’t forget to share this post with your friends and family on social media! If you know someone who could use some help finding gratitude, this could be one of those blog posts that changes everything!