Gratitude List: How to Write it and 20 Things to be Thankful for!

A gratitude list is, as the name shows, a list of things you are thankful for in your life.

One might think, what’s the point of creating a gratitude list when all things in life have already screwed up so much? Does writing a daily gratitude journal actually help?

Well, yes! That’s the whole point of creating a list of things for which we are thankful.

We are surrounded by negativity and stress most of the time, which clouds our minds and prevents us from seeing the positive side of life. We tend to ignore or forget the little pleasures of daily life. Practicing gratitude, whether by making a gratitude list or using a gratitude jar, helps you remind yourself of the good things happening around you.

How to Start Gratitude Journaling?

There are several ways to go about it. If you are a beginner at this practice, you can just list down 1-2 things you find helpful, unique, or positive. It can be as simple as having a good coffee at the café or as grand as securing a scholarship in your dream university.

It can also be about feeling thankful to the people around you who have helped you in troubling times, such as your parents, siblings, friends, spouse, or even neighbors. This will make you realize how much we take relationships for granted.

Your gratitude list can also include things you are happy about at your work, like helpful colleagues, job satisfaction, new appraisal, or successful client meetings. To deepen this practice, consider using gratitude journal prompts. These prompts can help you focus on particular areas of your life, encouraging you to recognize and appreciate the positive things around you.

Taking a few minutes to write these points will make you realize you have so much positivity around you—you were just not aware of that earlier.

How To Write a Gratitude List?

There is no wrong method to write a gratitude list. You can list down things you find worth being thankful for in several ways.

Here are Some Tips:

• Choose the best time to write your gratitude list. You can integrate it into your morning coffee hour, lunch breaks, or evenings.
• Keep the list genuine and authentic as much as possible.
• Don’t list just vague things you have faced during the day. Be as specific as possible. As you practice, you will start noticing more details in every activity.
• Don’t care about the sentence structure, grammar, or tone. Write in any style that you feel comfortable enough to express yourself.
• Look into various aspects of your life, pick as many positive things as possible, and write them down in your journal.
• You can also write gratitude affirmations to cultivate positive thinking and mindfulness.

Keeping these tips in mind will help you find things to be grateful for in your life.

Gratitude List Ideas: 20 Things To Be Thankful For in Life

The following examples for gratitude lists will inspire you to start counting your blessings and write them down on a gratitude list every day.

1. Good physical and mental health
2. A kind stranger you meet on the way to work
3. Your colleagues are helpful
4. You have a job
5. You have some money in the bank
6. You have opportunities and experiences
7. You have family back home
8. You have a cute, healthy furry friend (your pet)
9. You have access to education, food, and healthcare
10. You are not in debt
11. You have a bunch of friends to go out with on weekends.
12. You have a safe and secure home and a roof over your head
13. You have a closet full of your favorite clothes and shoes
14. You can watch your favorite movie
15. You have the internet to communicate, shop, and get entertained
16. You can read your favorite books
17. You have multiple talents
18. You have clean air to breathe
19. You have the energy to enjoy nature: mountains, rain, sunshine, streams, etc.
20. You can sleep soundly at night.

You have to make deliberate efforts to think about what you are thankful for. Millions of things, people, and experiences will come to your mind.

Final Words

Now that you understand what gratitude means and have understood the importance of creating your own gratitude list, you can make this your habit to live a contented life. Somedays, you might not find anything worth being thankful for, and that’s okay. You can always flip back the pages of your gratitude list and remind yourself of the blessings you have.