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When was the last time you felt grateful for the life you live? Gratitude isn’t a craze or fad that’s hit the market to help publishers sell journals. It’s an honest to goodness way to appreciate the small things so that you can focus on the bigger picture.
Today, we’re going to offer you 365 gratitude journal prompts that are guaranteed to help you make a real and meaningful change to your life. The simple activity of being mindfully grateful for something (no matter how small) in each day can change your life outlook and help you identify more things that are good in your life and during your days.
Knowing how to get started with gratitude journaling can be a challenge. Even if you are an experienced writer, you may find that you have run out of steam by mid-April and probably won’t write past June if you don’t have anything to guide you.
Luckily, I’ve got you covered with gratitude prompts for each day of the year ahead. Get ready… your year of gratitude starts now.
What Is Gratitude?
Gratitude is a feeling of giving thanks. You experience gratitude when you are thankful for the day or for an event, person, creature, or condition you encounter. By keeping a record and reflecting on the thing you are grateful for, you turn that into a ripple-effect of blessings.
By paying attention to the things you are grateful for, you realize how much you have, and it fills you with a positive can-do spirit. Sometimes you identify with a gratitude journal prompt right away, and other times you have to reflect and find the connection to your inner self.
Benefits of a Year of Gratitude
A year of gratitude has immeasurable benefits that include:
==>>Check Out 31 Amazing Benefits of Gratitude<<==
365 Gratitude Journal Prompts for a Thankful Year
So without further ado, here is a year's worth of daily gratitude journal prompts (in no particular order).
1. Each day, you are fortunate because …
2. When you open your eyes, you smile because …
3. You are grateful for each breath because …
4. List the many resources that can help you achieve your goals.
5. Who makes life more meaningful to you? How grateful are you for them?
6. What physical qualities do you have to be grateful for?
7. How are your feelings a blessing?
8. Name one person you are extremely grateful for from your early childhood. Explain why you’re grateful.
9. Rain deserves gratitude because …
10. The softness of your pet dog, bunny, or cat makes you feel…
11. Who was your greatest enemy, and why are you grateful to them?
12. The smell of your newborn child makes you …
13. Coffee! Because …
14. Comfortable shoes during a long day at work are like …
15. Hugs and kisses from your favorite person makes you feel …
16. Having a job is the best because …
17. What is your favorite tourist trinket you purchased, and how does that item make you happy today?
18. Having someone to call because …
19. Owning a vehicle so you don’t have to walk to work feels like …
20. Not owning a car so you can walk and enjoy the early morning air is the best because …
21. The innocence of children since you hope for …
22. Name and explain one person you’re grateful for from your early adulthood.
23. Being able to breathe easily because you were ill and …
24. Being in a relationship fills you with …
25. Being single and enjoying your own company is better than …
26. The warmth of an early morning shower makes you feel …
27. Having hair on my head is a gift because …
28. Which family member do you feel grateful for because they helped you become who you are today?
29. Not having hair on your head (hey, Jason Stratham pulls it off) makes you feel …
30. Knowing what you want in life is great because …
31. Not knowing what you want in life, because …
32. Helping strangers who appear when you need them feels …
33. What is your favorite clothing item, and how has it made your wardrobe complete?
34. Why are you thankful for a member in your community?
35. Where would you like to be buried and what does it mean to you?
36. How does color boost your positive energy?
37. Write a letter about someone you love and why they matter to you.
38. Create an affirmation for this day based on the joy of yesterday.
39. Write an affirmation for today based on yesterday’s pain.
40. How do you see mistakes in your life?
41. Which steps toward your bright future can you take today?
42. What are your blessings today?
43. Who is a blessing in your life, and why?
44. What’s the last great book you read, and what did you learn?
45. What do you lack in life, and how can you give it to yourself now?
46. If you could buy happiness, what would it be?
47. What’s your favorite movie that helped you realize you should be grateful for life?
48. Cook your favorite food and explain why you enjoy it.
49. Cook a meal for someone you’d love to invite but can’t. What do you talk about?
50. What was today’s highlight?
51. What was today’s low point, and how did you cope?
52. How can you turn things that irritate you into things you are grateful for?
53. What is your most beautiful physical attribute?
54. Describe your most scary experience and how you got through it. What got you through?
55. What time of day is your favorite, and why?
56. What cheers you up when you are not feeling brave?
57. You overcome obstacles each day. List them and how you feel after success.
58. List positive actions you take each day to deal with drama.
59. Where do you find meaning in life?
60. Give thanks to the people in your life for what they do.
61. Write down five things you are really grateful for today.
62. How does your favorite hobby make you feel, and why?
63. Which people irritate you? How do they add to your life?
64. Recall the funniest moments of your life.
65. Write down some weird people who have crossed your life and what you learned from them.
66. Today you accomplished a lot. Write down what you accomplished and what it makes you feel like.
67. Describe what someone else did to make you happy this week.
68. Explain what you did to make someone else happy this week.
69. How was your first pet important to you?
70. Recall a special memory that filled you with gratitude.
71. What can you do differently today to broaden your horizons?
72. The best experience of your life was …; why did it make you feel grateful?
73. How have you experienced unconditional love and what did it make you realize?
74. Which five things in your life are you most proud of?
75. How can you improve your day tomorrow?
76. Who left your life and made it better with their absence?
77. Write down one thing you love for each decade you’ve been alive.
78. Think of the person you dislike the most. What have they done for you that’s good?
79. Think of the best day of your life and what made it perfect.
80. Write down five things that stress you out. Now write how to change each.
81. Who do you take for granted in your life? How can you show appreciation?
82. What makes you smile and why?
83. How can you improve your physical health? Why is this important?
84. What can you do to improve your mental health, and what does it add to your life?
85. How can you take care of your emotional health, and what is the payoff of being emotionally healthy?
86. How can you develop a better spiritual connection? What do you lack at the moment?
87. Which things make your life better, and how can you do them?
88. Which three events most added to who you are today?
89. How is your home an extension of you?
90. Where were you five years ago? How has your life changed?
91. How did you choose your career, and how does it add to you as a person?
92. What warms your heart?
93. If you read the newspaper, what do you think when you see tragedy? Can you improve your thoughts about negative things?
94. List the things that made your heart smile today.
95. If you could cook a meal, what would you cook and why?
96. What is the smallest change you can make that will have the biggest influence on you?
97. Think of the things in your life that are free. How do they make you feel happier?
98. Record your happiest memory ever.
99. Who makes your life easier, and how?
100. How has music saved your life?
101. What’s the best thing you’ve done with your body?
102. List your natural talents and how you use them.
103. Things often go better than we expect. Write a list of 10 things that went better than expected.
104. How much do you like your job? What do you like about it?
105. When have you been able to help others? How do you feel after being helpful?
106. Recall a favorite vacation. What did you like about it?
107. When you were a child, you had a dream. What was it, and how can you manifest it today?
108. List five books you are really grateful for reading and what you learned from each.
109. How can you make yourself laugh when you’re feeling blue?
110. Which family member are you the most grateful for? Why?
111. Which colleague do you value the most, and why?
112. Write a letter to a teacher who inspired you.
113. Which flaw do you have that has turned into a success?
114. Name your greatest mistake that turned into a massive success.
115. What item in your home do you treasure and hold dear? Why?
116. Look at your body, what part are you most grateful for?
117. When you struggle with a difficult decision, what makes you grateful?
118. What aspect of your romantic relationship are you most grateful for?
119. Summarize a great day out with friends that included many laughs to go around.
120. What are your strongest characteristics, and how do you use them?
121. Which contacts did you suddenly make when you needed help? Celebrate them.
122. Name precious moments with your family and what these were about.
123. Best thing in the early morning to be grateful for and why.
124. When did you get into trouble for something, but you were forgiven for it? How grateful were you for that forgiveness?
125. Record all the bargains you get while shopping this week!
126. Have you ever had someone save your life? What happened?
127. Have you ever saved someone else’s life? Recall it.
128. What was your favorite childhood toy? What was special about it?
129. What book did you read as a child that you are most grateful for? Reflect on it.
130. Have you received positive news? What was it?
131. What fundamental truth in life are you most thankful for?
132. When you recall your childhood, which memories were the best?
133. Now, as an adult, what would you tell your child-self to be grateful for?
134. As a child, what would you say to your adult-self to be grateful for?
135. What lesson did your parents teach you that you’re most thankful for?
136. What lesson would (or do) you teach your children that you believe they will thank you for?
137. How are your friends a source of gratitude for you?
138. How are your enemies a source of gratitude for you?
139. Which blessings are you most happy about?
140. Which difficulties in life have taught you the most?
141. Who can you always rely on for help, and how do you show your gratitude to them?
142. List five people in your life who have affected you positively.
143. What inspires you each day?
144. What makes you sad, and how do you get over the sorrow?
145. How is your family the best in the world?
146. What is your favorite song, and what does it teach you to be grateful for?
147. List your top five failures and how they taught you to be grateful.
148. List your top five successes and how these taught you to be grateful.
149. What is it about you that makes you beautiful?
150. What about your partner or friend makes them truly beautiful?
151. Which obstacles have you overcome to help you become who you should be?
152. How do you do things for others that are truly selfless and help to improve their lives?
153. What selfless things do people do for you that have improved your life?
154. How do you make your day better when you feel down?
155. What is your most interesting creative use of time?
156. Which traditions are most important to you, and why?
157. What makes you feel completely at peace?
158. What makes you feel sad, and how do you avoid it?
159. Is there something that makes you laugh out loud each time, and what do you feel then?
160. Your best friend is getting married, and you’ve been asked to make a speech. What would you say about them?
161. If you got married and asked a friend to present a speech, what would you want them to say?
162. You’ve died (sorry), what should your eulogy say?
163. When you get to heaven, what would you tell the angels about earth?
164. If you were to be reincarnated, what would you want to be (except a human) and why?
165. What part of your life has improved over the last year?
166. What part of your life has not improved, and how can you improve it through gratitude?
167. Which five things do you most look forward to at the end of the day?
168. Which five things do you most look forward to at the start of the day?
169. What do you like most about going away on a holiday?
170. Which teacher influenced you the most? Write a letter to thank them.
171. Which school bully influenced you the most? Write a letter thanking them for making you better.
172. When has a stranger improved your life and how?
173. Write about a favorite hobby and why you like it.
174. List five things about you that you really like.
175. List five things about you that have improved over the last decade.
176. What are your future goals and how do these walk hand-in-hand with gratitude?
177. If you had to explain gratitude to a stranger, what would you say?
178. Why should you be grateful in life?
179. When people thank you for helping them, what do you feel?
180. When you thank people for helping you, how does that make you feel?
181. Thank you is a small word. Keep track of all the thank yous you’ve given today and what for.
182. Which part of your work day do you like the most (not going home), and why?
183. Write five different thank you notes to strangers, then copy these to paper and leave them where strangers can find them.
184. How would you thank yourself for what you do for you?
185. What is it about learning new things that makes you grateful to be alive?
186. List a response from each of your senses today that was beautiful and give thanks for experiencing a beautiful day.
187. What part of the modern age are you most grateful for?
188. What achievements of your ancestors are you most thankful for?
189. As you age, what has brought you more and more blessings?
190. What self-care activity brings you the most joy?
200. List three daily activities that are menial but that makes you a better person.
201. What is it about toothpaste that you like?
202. What is it about bath or shower time that fills you with gratitude?
203. Which elements in nature do you find most pleasing?
204. List three memories you will always cherish.
205. What do you take for granted in life?
206. Who do you take for granted in life?
207. Find five of your favorite gratitude quotes to write down.
208. How do you affirm your gratitude for the gift of each day?
209. What part of your home is your favorite and why?
210. List five guilty pleasures you are really grateful for.
211. Which five Christmas (or other festival) gifts were the absolute best that you’ve ever received?
212. Name three kind things that colleagues have done for you.
213. How have you invested in yourself lately?
214. What have your investments done for you?
215. How often do you get out of your comfort zone, and how does this enrich your life?
216. If you had to explain what a sunrise looks like to a blind man, what would you say?
217. How do you explain the sound of a baby’s cry to a deaf person?
218. In a world where people recently couldn’t share touch, what does it feel like to hug or hold hands with someone?
219. List five things you’ve recently learned and how you feel about each.
220. How has the world been positive and kind to you today?
221. Keep a record of your self-talk for a day. How are you grateful for your life?
222. What is your favorite food and how do you feel when you eat it?
223. Write about a favorite pet you had and how they changed your life.
224. Take a deep breath. What does that feel like?
225. Stretch upward, standing on your tippy toes. How does that feel?
226. While driving, roll the window down and let your fingers “windsurf.” What does that feel like after a hard day?
227. Describe a trying situation that you overcame and how you struggled to get through it alone.
228. What does hope mean to you?
229. What unique ability do you have that’s not common, and how do you use it?
230. What was it like to drive your own car for the first time?
231. List five things about you that make you beautiful.
232. What rights do you have that you don’t express enough gratitude for having?
233. What are you looking forward to today?
234. How will you manage adversity when it hits? What resources do you have? Express gratitude for each.
235. How do you feel when you buy a special gift for someone and you just know they will love it?
236. What aspects in your life fill you with pride?
237. Express your gratitude for takeout food and delivery services.
238. Express gratitude for the people who clean your office or public facilities you use.
239. How is your mobile phone a source of gratitude?
240. What has the internet taught you that has brought you gratitude?
241. What can you do today that your grandparents couldn’t?
242. How are you grateful for laws?
243. Which tools do you use each day that makes your life easier?
244. What do you do when you have free time that makes you feel good?
245. What makes you feel lucky? How can you have more of it?
246. Write about your gratitude for memes that brighten your day.
247. Who do you look up to the most in life? Write a letter to thank them.
248. If your home is on fire, what would you want to save the most? Write a letter to that item, telling how grateful you are for it.
249. If you could change everything about you, what part would you keep the same? Why?
250. People don’t always express their gratitude. How would you thank yourself for who you are?
251. What does gratitude mean to you?
252. Write a gratitude note to someone who stayed with you during a difficult time of loss.
253. What comforts you?
254. How would you thank your body for being there and supporting you?
255. Write a letter to someone you’ve never met, but who has added to who you have become.
256. What is the best compliment or nicest thing someone ever said to you?
257. How have you surprised yourself in the last year by being braver than you thought?
258. When did you feel inspired, and what did you achieve because of it?
259. Give yourself credit for five areas of your life you have grown in over the last year.
260. What are you grateful for being able to afford in life?
261. What is inspiring you to work towards financial abundance?
262. How have you ensured your gratitude doesn’t depend on financial spends?
263. Who has had the most significant impact on you regarding money, and how have they improved your beliefs about money?
264. What lessons have poverty (or having less) taught you about life?
265. What has being financially able taught you about yourself?
266. What are you most grateful for regarding your education?
267. How has work experience enriched your life view?
268. When did you feel you learned a valuable lesson, and what was that lesson?
269. What part of your body needs the most love? How will you show that part some gratitude?
270. How well do you sleep at night? What is it about sleep you are most grateful for?
271. Write a list of healthy choices you make each day as a way to thank your body.
272. Identify the color that looks best on your body. How can you use more of this color to flatter your body?
273. If you have to tell someone to love their body, what would you say?
274. Write a letter to your mouth, telling it why you appreciate its smile.
275. How are you grateful for your state of mind?
276. What is it about you that makes you resilient and how do you develop it more each day?
277. Self-reflection has helped you refine what you think and how you think. Write about the best thoughts you have each day.
278. What about your job makes you grateful? (Tip: Not the paycheck)
279. How has your career made you a better person?
280. What was the best work day you ever had?
281. Describe your favorite weather and what a perfect day looks like to you?
282. Express your gratitude for a nice thunder shower.
283. How was today a success?
284. What challenges did you manage to overcome today thanks to the help of someone else?
285. How are you taken for granted? Now, thank yourself for your efforts.
286. Explain how you beautify your home environment.
287. How do you remind yourself to be mindful and grateful each day?
288. List three ways you can make others aware of the power of gratitude today.
289. How are you grateful for the country you live in?
290. What about the city you live in makes you grateful to be alive?
291. List five people in your life who you detest. Next, write a quality each has that you are thankful for.
292. Scroll through the texts on your phone. Which text made you feel real gratitude and why?
293. What about your bedtime or morning routine is most enjoyable?
294. List three things your day surprised you with that was a delight.
295. What have you reintroduced into your life that brings you peace?
296. Who fills you with the feeling that you are seen each day? Why does this make you feel good?
297. List five things in the room with you that you are thankful for not doing without.
298. What lessons did you learn that has made you better during this week?
299. How does the way you make money fill you with gratitude?
300. Which crisis management skills do you have that you are proud of?
301. What about your childhood are you thankful for?
302. Write a thank you to someone in your life who you don’t always thank enough.
303. Think of someone you love, what is it you love about them.
304. When were you grateful the answer had been NO?
305. Explain how you learned about unconditional love.
306. How do you show unconditional love?
307. What part of this day will make you a better person tomorrow?
308. Who are you grateful to for leaving your life?
309. Recall the most amazing place you’ve ever been. Record that wonder.
310. What about a great meal do you feel most thankful for?
311. What steps can you take to be more thankful each day?
312. How does gratitude show up in your life?
313. Which celebrity role model are you most thankful to? Write them a note.
314. Where do you enjoy reading the most, and why?
315. What activities outdoors do you enjoy most?
316. Think of a traumatic experience. Now rewrite it with a positive outcome due to gratitude.
317. Recall the first time you hugged someone you really love.
318. When last did you hug someone? Renew the feeling.
319. Which movies have taught you about gratitude?
320. What was the most memorable gift you ever received?
321. What does smiling at a stranger feel like to you?
322. Where do you feel at peace?
323. What sound fills you with joy?
324. How does a warm shower make you feel?
325. What about clean sheets?
326. Thank a great cup of tea.
327. What can you thank your ex for?
328. Who was your first friend? Thank them.
329. Which type of exercise do you detest? Write a thank you note to it.
330. “I love the song … because I feel … when I hear it.”
331. The best thing you bought was … because …
332. The best part of being single/married is …
333. How can you slow down and savor life?
334. You are not alone because …
335. When last did you cry joyfully? What happened?
336. Describe a scent you love.
337. What is the most simple thing to share with someone special?
338. What childhood fear did you overcome?
339. Which advice did you receive as a child that you most appreciate?
340. Describe the feeling when you lost something special and found it again.
341. Who feels like home? Thank them.
342. What do you love most about waking up in the morning?
343. Describe the best habit you’ve had since childhood.
344. Explain why online funny videos of cats help you feel better.
345. How can you thank your future?
346. What do you feel when given an unexpected gift?
347. Who said “I love you,” and how did you feel?
348. Recall when you last forgave yourself.
349. How did it feel to no longer be ill after being sick?
350. What was your first date like?
351. Recall the first time you shared a romantic kiss.
352. How did it feel when you realized you were truly independent and an adult?
353. Have you ever “paid it forward” after someone helped you? What did it feel like?
354. When last were you bursting with excitement? What caused it?
355. Recall the moment you finally shook off something that had kept you back.
356. List how you can spoil yourself today to thank yourself for working hard.
357. How do people improve your life?
358. When did your instincts serve you right? Thank them.
359. What do you enjoy about taking off your shoes?
360. When did someone express heartfelt thanks to you and how did they do it?
361. List five things in your life that no longer serve you. How will you get rid of them?
362. Where were you 10 years ago? Where do you see yourself in 10 years’ time?
363. How would you describe today by using only one word?
364. What aspect of your culture do you cherish the most?
365. Which single event shaped you most into who you are? Describe it.
Final Thoughts on 365 Gratitude Journal Prompts
Gratitude is something you should practice mindfully each day. It’s not something you haul out of the closet when you need it. Using a gratitude journal can really help you develop the attitude of gratitude in your life.
Watch the beauty of your life unfold as you learn to appreciate life in full. For more inspiration, check out 101 gratitude journal prompts or read the guide on 283 things to be thankful for.