13 Things I’ve Learned Writing 1,024 Gratitude Lists
“Why did this have to happen to me?”
Those words used to come out of my mouth or run through my mind on a daily basis. It didn’t matter if it was something big (my dog gets cancer, business implodes, good friend dies) or something little (overcharged at the deli, flight is delayed, spilled something on my shirt). I was in a constant state of ‘poor me‘. I always wanted something more and couldn’t just be happy.
This all started to change once I began to cultivate a powerful feeling that had laid dormant in me for years…
Gratitude. A feeling of appreciation or thanks. So simple, yet so mighty.
I have been writing a gratitude list every single day for the past 34+ months and it has changed my life profoundly.
You see, I was never someone to look for things to be grateful for. I was always looking for the bad things that happened to me, rather than looking at all of the good things that were happening in my life every single day.
Robert Emmons, a professor of psychology at the University of California, has done extensive research on gratitude and discovered that that gratitude is not merely a positive emotion; it also improves your health if cultivated. People must give up a “victim mentality” and overcome a sense of entitlement and deservedness. This has certainly been the case for me.
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Here are the 13 most important things I’ve learned on my gratitude journey.
It’s hard at first…
Writing gratitude lists started as a challenge from my mentor. He told me to text him three things that I am grateful for EVERYDAY.
Sounds pretty easy right?
Well, it wasn’t .
When you’ve lived most of your life NOT focusing on gratitude, it’s not so simple to change that. Coming up with lists during those early days was challenging. Especially if I was having (what I thought) was a bad day.
But I learned that…
Identify the 20 most influential people in your existing network
(most likely to whip out their phone and send the intro of your dreams)
…there is always something to be grateful for.
No matter what was going on in my life (business problems, I was sick, someone cut me off in traffic, whatever) there was ALWAYS something that I could find to be grateful for.
- My health
- My daughter’s smile
- Clean water to drink
- How excited my dog was to see me when I came home
- Having a phone to text my gratitude list on
- Having someone to text it to
- And on and on
Because I started to notice that…
…gratitude was all around me.
I truly believe that you are the average of the 5 people you spend the most time with. This applies to gratitude. Surround yourself with people who are grateful and it will be easier for you to cultivate your own gratitude.
Once I developed an attitude of gratitude I started to notice more and more people with the same.
Develop an attitude of gratitude, and give thanks for everything that happens to you, knowing that every step forward is a step toward achieving something bigger and better than your current situation.
— Brian Tracy
Speaking of that attitude of gratitude I began to realize that…
…gratitude grows the more you use it.
“Piglet noticed that even though he had a Very Small Heart, it could hold a rather large amount of Gratitude.”
― A.A. Milne, Winnie-the-Pooh
My gratitude lists started off very basic and I struggled to find things to be grateful for (especially on the really tough days) but once I consistently took action and just did them, it became easier and easier.
To help you with this attitude of gratitude, I made a free cheatsheet you can download right now. Just click the button below and I’ll send it to you!
But in order to do this, I had to change how I thought about gratitude and came to realize that…
…it’s a complete mind-shift.
Writing a gratitude list, and actually being thankful, slowly started to change my entire mind and my way of thinking.
I found that I could be grateful for just about anything, even the bad stuff.
- Sick with a cold? I could be grateful for my health when I’m not sick.
- Lost a business? I could be grateful for the opportunity to start over.
- Someone is rude to me? I could be grateful that they were showing me a good example of who I don’t want to be.
The funny thing about these examples and this line of thinking in general is that I don’t necessarily see these gifts as they are happening. But I’m often able to look back and realize that they were all happening for a reason. To show me something. To teach me. And for that I can be grateful.
Which led me to understanding that…
…it’s almost never about the ‘cash and prizes’.
I once met this old man at a coffee shop in Tampa, FL and got to talking to him for awhile. He was one of the happiest people I had ever met. He just had this aura of peace about him.
As we were talking he told me that he lives “a life beyond his wildest dreams.” So I figured that this guy was super-rich.
He told me how much gratitude he had in his life. About all of the amazing things he has been able to experience. He just had a simple joy for living.
We both left around the same time and said our good-byes. As I was walking towards my car, I noticed him getting into an old beat-up Lincoln Towncar and I realized something…
He either doesn’t have a lot of money or if he does, he doesn’t really care to show it off in any way.
I realized that gratitude doesn’t have to equal lots of cash and prizes. Gratitude is something that you get on the inside not the outside.
Which helped me to realize that…
…the more gratitude you have, the more you open yourself up for abundance.
“When you are grateful, fear disappears and abundance appears.”
— Anthony Robbins
When you focus on the things that you are grateful for, it opens you to the source of all those things that came into your life.
Gratitude allows you to come into full harmony with the Universe. It can best be summed up with this simple statement:
If you’re not thankful for what you have, why should you get anything more?
As Deepak Chopra explains in the video below, it also removes your ego, which helps you get in touch with your spirit (your true self). It’s not possible to have ego, identity and gratitude at the same time. The highest level of gratitude is the gratitude for existence itself.
This led me to the discovery that…
…gratitude has very important moral functions.
In a study put out by the American Psychological Association, researchers suggested that the positive emotion of gratitude has three important moral functions and that it serves as a:
- Moral barometer (we acknowledge and respond to to the perception that we have been the beneficiary of another person’s kindness or good)
- Moral motivator (it motivates us to want to do good things for other people)
- Moral reinforcer (it strengthens our resolve to want to do good in the future)
Simply put — we get good, we do good, we become better.
To practice these positive emotions of gratitude, go ahead and use the cheatsheet I made. Just click the button below, input your info, and I’ll send it to you right away!
… it can increase and sustain positive emotion.
In a 2003 study, two psychologists asked participants in a study to write a few sentences each week, focusing on particular topics each week:
- The first group wrote about things they were grateful for.
- The second group wrote about daily irritations or things that had displeased them.
- The third group wrote about events that had affected them (with no emphasis on the positive or negative).
After 10 weeks, those who wrote about gratitude were more optimistic and felt better about their lives.
Not only can it help you become happier but…
…it can help stop negative thought patterns.
According to the Laboratory of Neuro Imaging, the average person has about 70,000 thoughts each day! Most of these thoughts are very similar and simply repeat over and over in our heads each day. There’s one big problem with this — the vast majority of these thoughts are negative.
It’s not always a matter of simply telling our minds DON’T THINK THIS NEGATIVE THOUGHT NOW. Because guess what our minds do? They start to think about that negative thought (they just ignore the don’t part). As the famed psychotherapist Carl Jung said “What you resist persists.”
Gratitude can work to arrest and replace these negative thought patterns by replacing it with something positive.
Last year, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s goal for 2014 was to write a thank you note each day. The reason? To express more gratitude and help arrest negative thought patterns:
“It’s important for me, because I’m a really critical person.I always kind of see how I want things to be better, and I’m generally not happy with how things are, or the level of service that we’re providing for people, or the quality of the teams that we built. But if you look at this objectively, we’re doing so well on so many of these things. I think it’s important to have gratitude for that.”
Which helps you discover that…
…life becomes more enjoyable.
I want you to think about two different people for a moment…
Bob is always complaining. Nothing ever seems to be good enough for him. He’s always pissed off about something and telling you about all the things that are wrong with the world. You know Bob pretty well and the crazy thing is, he has so many good things in his life (great family, good job, takes vacations, he’s healthy) but it doesn’t matter. It’s never enough.
Then there’s Gavin, the guy who always seems to be happy. It doesn’t matter what’s going on in his life, he has this glow about him. He wants to tell you about the good stuff going on, not to brag but to share and lift you up.
On the outside, Gavin and Bob are pretty much the same person except Gavin has gratitude in his life. He is thankful for what he has.
Which person do you enjoy being around more? Which person do you think enjoys their life more?
…you develop a fundamental belief that the world is good.
Someone once told me that we have one choice to make each day: Do I believe that the world is a good place or a bad place? If I believe in the former, I’m going to attract more good into my life.
Should I be grateful today?
If I can answer that with a YES (regardless of what’s going on) I’m going to find more things to be grateful for. I’m going to attract more and more good into my life. I’m going to see the good in the world.
And once you have gratitude, there is something else you need to do…
…you have to share it.
Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it.
–William Arthur Ward
Gratitude is a gift. One of the greatest joys that we get to experience in this world is giving gifts and making people’s lives better. When you express your gratitude for someone or something, you are sharing that gift.
Don’t forget to download the cheatsheet below to continuously exercise these positive mind shifts and become the person you want to be.
Want to improve your mood in 26 seconds right now? Leave a comment below with something you are grateful for today.
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I’m grateful for my family, especially my wife and son.
I’m sure they are grateful for you too Brandon!
I am grateful to have become a trainer, that I always wanted to be
I am grateful for the reminder to count my blessings. There are so many tragic and frightening things going on in our world today that it’s easy to become fearful and anxious. Taking the time to list some things for which we are grateful can bring peace to “our”world and maybe refreshment to those with whom we come in contact. Thank you for sharing.
Awesome reminder Pat — so important!
I’m grateful for my boyfriend, a place to live. A deck to sit out on on nice summer days.
Fresh coffee, eyes to see God’s beauty in the world.
I am grateful for recieving this email just at a time when I was feeling, “woe is me”. I have more than enough to be grateful for because I see it everyday but take it for granted. Thanks for the reminder. Have a grateful day.
My pleasure Kathleen — glad it helped!
I am grateful for my health, my son, my daughter and especially my wife. And I am grateful for this website! Chris, I feel like you are writing your posts directly to me! Thank you for sharing your journey and helping me to live more of my life.
Happy to help Evan!
This is not meant to sound hokey but the gratitude post is a refreshing breath when you see all the adversarial and controversial comments pounding the web. Both can perpetuate themselves. Let’s hope that Gratitude prevails
I always try to choose faith over fear Don — thanks for your comment!
I m grateful for the grateful post and for Don in pointing out that being grateful in this world of negative outlook and adversity.Its hard when youre on your own,so Im thankful for Thumper. I couldnt have done it without her
I’m grateful for having a nice home and food on my table every night for my family. I often forget that so many people don’t have the basics that I take for granted.
Thanks Chris!
Garrett, I’m reminded of this everyday walking through NYC but I can still forget it. Thanks for the reminder!
I am grateful that you shared your experience about gratitude and how powerful it can be. Each night when I put my head on the pillow, I list the things I am grateful for from the day. It’s comforting often makes me smile before I fall asleep.
Love this Christine — what a nice way to end the day!
I’m grateful to have met Chris and for this post. You’ve laid out the outline to happiness very succinctly.
Grateful to know you too Tony!
“Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.” (Hebrews 13:5)
http://www.icr.org/article/8306/
Thanks for sharing Bill!
grateful for music
So am I (listening to Pandora right now as I type this)
I am grateful to have a chance each day to do my best. I am constantly in awe at all the beauty that life shows me each day. It can be a struggle finding it somedays, but it’s there. I am grateful for my wife, my family and our health.
Thanks Chris! Your words have a succinct way of cutting to the crux of the matter.
“Life is like licking honey from a thorn.”
Love that quote!
“Life is like licking honey from a thorn.” Omg thank you for that 🙂 🙂
I am eternally grateful for my very talented and creative children…the author being one of them!
And I’m grateful for you 🙂
I AM so grateful for my daughter who loves me so much and for all the wonderful friends I have.
That’s awesome Jerry!
I am grateful for reading this article!
Best
I am grateful that God does not give up on me, even when I do. I am grateful for my beautiful family, and the countless blessings! And I am grateful that today is the best day of my life!!!
I am grateful for my big family and my awesome friends!
Hi Chris,
Thank you for this wonderful post.
I’ve been lately experimenting with Gratitude/ Appreciation lists. It does lift one’s mood. However, somewhere someplace, my rational mind just kicks in and says it is all in the head. ‘You can either be happy or not. It is up to you’ – it says. While I see the value of softening the mood using ‘Gratitude list’, I am still preplexed by this dichotomy of my mind. What do you suggest?
I am grateful that being unable to sleep, I stumble upon this article.
I’m grateful to have read this article. It inspired me and motivated me to practice gratitude even more than I already do. I understand it’s power and your words inspired me to begin my gratitude list again. So for you, I am grateful. Thanks!
I am very grateful for my beautiful, courageous and compassionate son, Aidan.
I am grateful for the opportunity to practice yoga this morning again after a long break of not practicing!
I am grateful for my reading and understand ability. Without those, I would not have been able to comprehend this article. Thank you sir, people like you are the true heroes of the world. GOD BLESS!
I am grateful for feeling alive
Grateful for my animal’s moses daisy and nalla!
I am grateful I came across your post. It was insightful and motivating.
Thank you!
🙂
I am grateful for my opportunity to start over, (since my unreliable business partner seems to be acting like a ghost!) I am grateful that my talent and enthusiasm is not diminished by her and that my business is successful no matter what.
I am grateful that i came accross to your article while im about to sleep. Indeed its motivating and inspiring, by the way i have already started my gratitude journal list and i was encouraged to continue and be thankful every detail of my life… life is so wonderful!!! thank you for sharing Chris!
I’m grateful for my family, my country, and the those people who have done good things to my life and done bad things too. Even I’m very grateful for myself.
I’m so Thankful for my family and especially my grand babies. My dogs that love me unconditionally and my job. Also thankful for Michael my boyfriend.
I’m greatful for having such a great friend as Karl-Johan in my life!
I am grateful for my volunteer Bernadette, whose husband Matt, fixed my computer so I could easily connect with the internet. I am writing a presentation for a meeting at a hospital – wanted to find out more about gratefulness in shifting mood and perspective – found your article. Grateful for Bernie, Matt, Charter Internet, my computer and you!!!
I’m grateful that even though my dad was in hospital for 3 days, I was able to be there with him!
grateful that I found this article today. 🙂
I am grateful I found this article. It has encouraged me to start writing mine daily. Thank you
I’m grateful for sunshine, my pastor, light breezes, lazy days, deep breaths.
I’m grateful to have found this very nice post to forward to a client I just sent out with the assignment of beginning a gratitude list.
I am grateful for all the chances life is giving me. Thanks a lot for this reminder. 🙂
Gratitude I am inspiring others in my Yoga classes, corporate sessions my health consultations & counselling. I found the most easiest way to maintain your higher viibration to attract what you want.True delight to share. Thanks
“I give gratitude for my good health, a great job, wonderful partner, and my amazing family full of love and joy everyday. I am grateful for the wisdom to make wise choices that have allowed me to reach my God given destiny”. Doryn
Thank you God!I’m grateful for my mum, my wife and my children!I’m grateful for life!I’m grateful for my job and all the good things that happen in my life.
I am grateful for a great many things, too many to list here, but – I think you nudged me enough to start my own gratitude list(s). For that I am grateful, too 🙂
Chris, I really enjoyed this post! It’s very easy to come up with negative things, and things we want to change, but this was a reminder to find gratitude and good in us and our everyday lives! I am so happy you’ve embraced a new way of life/thinking! You’ve always been a leader and I do hope people will follow your lead and reflect each day on what they are thankful for (and not negative thoughts). I know I will! Continue to be grateful for the beautiful life and the beautiful family you are blessed with!
I am greatful for my faith, my wife and my children and family.
I agree that sharing gratitde sends out waves of positive thoughts into the world. Thanks for some great suggestions to cultivate gratitude. I am grateful today for being able to celebrate and dance with my family. I am grateful for the love in my life.
I’m grateful to have failed in my business multiple times and be 50K in debt at this point of time.
It gave me the opportunity to regroup my thinking and start over, to find a life coach and a business coach. To be able to tell myself “Its OK. Just try again”
Took me a while to realise what I have been missing out when I did not inject daily dose of gratitude in my life.
Thank you Chris for the reminder. I am grateful !
I’m grateful that I have the opportunity to come home to my niece and nephew-in law and their support
Thank you for this post! I am so grateful for the life that I have. The wonderful people that are in my life and the ones that are know longer. What they have teached me on our journey. I am grateful for my new relationship with god for my faith at this point in time. hoping that it continue to grow. I am grateful for my soul mate to come. I am grateful for my job for having a home and food to eat. And I am most of all grateful for being grateful!
I am grateful for the chance to change!
I am greatful to have met you, in a way, through this post. There is reason your article found its way to me. To remind me to be greatful everyday. thank you and I appreciate you. MAHALO!
I am grateful for friends, family and loved ones, I am grateful for having people who love me, trust me and wants the best for me. I am grateful to God who daily loads me with his benefits,morning by morning new mercies I see,all I have needed his hands has provided…
Grateful that I read this article. Grateful that a friend and I have started an “a, b, c,…..” gratitude list to share with each other so I went on line to be lead to this article.
I’m very grateful for many things in my life. My family, my job, my health, my friends, my work colleagues, my gym colleagues and so much more.
Thank you for writing such an enlightening post. I’ve decided to implement writing three things I’m grateful for every day. I know it’s going to be hard, but will become a bit easier every day.
Grateful for my son’s sobriety.
I am grateful for my great job
I am grateful for this time of year, Christmas music and decorations everywhere.
Thank You so much; I am so grateful to have found this page. I am grateful for my Wonderful husband, My children and all of my animals! YAYYY!!!!
I am extremely grateful for being able to find your blog Chris, for you to write about gratitude (I kind of stumbled on such a prayer myself accidentally but never practiced it regularly…) – so, thank you! If every other person started their day with gratitude.. This world would have changed so much! And I believe it’s getting there. With help of each and every one of us. And, in part, due to expressing and writing about gratefulness.. Namaste 🙂
I am grateful to live until now…
I am grateful for my family, they’re all amazing people and always there for me when I need them.
I am grateful for having a beautiful life partner and worlds greatest gift as my daughter. I am grateful for the life as I am and the life I have lived till date. I am grateful for doing a great job since last 10 years, which has given me almost everything that I have wished for in my life till date. I am grateful for experiencing the togetherness of my married life and experiencing the heavenly beautiful smile of my wife and daughter everyday :). I am grateful for my life.
I am thankful for God leading me to gratitude.
I am thankful for knowing that there is a cure for my virus.
I am also grateful to have a family that loves me unconditionally
I am grateful that I learned that “What I resist persists”, because I then learned how to replace my dis-empowering thoughts with with empowering ones and the results are amazing!
I am grateful for positive sites like yours and the ability to share it with others! Thanks!
I am grateful for having a good friend that I can spend any amount of time with and always feel at ease with her.
Multiple Sclerosis has taken away so many things in my life and left me with so many to finally see and feel grateful for thank you!
i`am gratful haveing the time to write `
So grateful for YOUR creative imagination Will.
I am so grateful for my wife. She has been so faithful and loyal throughout these many years. She has been a constant and loving companion. Now, I watch her as she tries to get through the day one day at a time with stage 4 cancer. It’s very difficult on both of us. But, I remember how sweet and loving she has been to me throughout our marriage. I have been truly blessed with this special gift.
On the lighter side, I have been told to walk every day for my own health and to reduce the stress that I am under. I have walked 20 to 30 or more minutes for at least 18 consecutive days. During the work day, it is the same route. But today for the first time, I heard the creek water tumbling down a slight slope. I am grateful for this beauty. I also listened to the birds singing joyously. Finally, the breeze blew toward me on a warm cloudless day in central NC. It was wonderful!
Beautiful Harry. There are blessings all around you.
Thank you Chris for this fabulous post. It touches and soothes my soul to read your story which appears to be so much like my own. I would love to list all that I am grateful for but with your prompts and all those of those who have commented, I really realize my list would go on and on. But a few are…
The spirit, energy and love that brought me into this life
My best friend, my wife
The joy of family she and I have shaped
The exceptional health of everyone in our family
The blessings of our abundant sustenance
The beauty of the kindness people, even complete strangers, are happy to give us
Finally, just to sum it all up, being so blessed by the deep riches of human and Universal Love
I am grateful for today, for my beautiful family, friends, for living in this time, space and reality. I am grateful for my health and the opportunities this wonderful universe gives me ❤️
Grateful for my family and the job interview I have this morning.
I appreciate that I got to eat out twice today!
I appreciate that I spent a lot of time with some nice people I don’t see very often today and we had really engaging conversations.
I appreciate that the cashier at the thrift store randomly marked down 30% the item I bought.
I appreciate that it was warm and breezy today.
I appreciate the feeling that I had in a vintage boutique that I too could operate a brick and mortar shop not just online.
I appreciate that I have been able to not react so much to my mom this time she’s been visiting me.
I appreciate that I can listen to Abraham Hicks on youtube anytime.
I appreciate when I have a song in my head and it’s playing right when I turn the radio on.
I appreciate that our older friend who is in her 70’s looks younger and has more energy every time we see her.
I appreciate that I was wishing for a larger tv 2 days ago and through no effort or money of my own, a tv 4 times larger than my old one is now in my house.
I appreciate the free cheese sample line at Tillamook Cheese Factory and the hilarious guinea fowl running around at Blue Heron Cheese Store.
I am grateful today that my plans for the website is stuck and i am working towards having a more better plan, giving shape to my dream.
I am grateful now because i get to read this article, it suddenly came up in google first page ( my first search keyword ). I wanted someone to inspire me and make me taste my real self for a moment.
I am greateful that my voice is being heard by universe and my feelings and emotions are in right place. I found the right place inside me that i could stay for my life.
I am grateful that all my dream could come true, I am blessed and universe shows up its own existence to me, by making my life more beautiful !!
I write my gratitudes in my journal (almost) every day. The list is not too long, but covers many areas of my life. But I have a question about whether writing nearly the same items every day may lead to being complacent about them. I do know that I rarely mention many of the amazing things that happen to/for me all the time.
I am grateful that ran into this post today to share that I am also grateful to have been able to see the sun after so many days this morning!
I am grateful for God, my son’s smile and and awesome hugs, his team of doctors and specialists at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, the sun, amazing friends, for sobriety and sponsorship, my mom and entire family for their support, good health and fitness, and for the awareness I have today to stay grateful and keep focus on all of the positive/good things in my life and more positive/good will continue to show up! Thank you for this page!
I am grateful that even after all the mistakes I’ve made, all the hurt I’ve caused – the disappointment, anger, fear, & confusion – my daughter, my son, and my mom, STILL love me, and have left the past in the past, and is happy to have me around again.
Im grateful for my family and our health!
Very grateful that I see that I have the choice to be happy and thankful to those around me. Even when it is hard, there is a little buzz that happens in my head that lets me know that I need an attitude/thought adjustment and when I feel this way, I remind myself to be thankful and to express at least one part of my life that I am grateful for. Today, that is owed to you for this post. I was feeling really annoyed and I am not quite sure why, so I searched gratitude list and read this. Thank you for your light in this world.
I’m grateful I found this article. Thank you!
I am grateful for another day of sobriety and for God that is carrying me through this hard path. I am also grateful for the wonderful family I have that are supporting me throughout this process.
I am HAPPY and GREATFUL to be a BLESSING to others…
I am grateful that I started to write gratitude list and I am trying to change my negative approach
I’m grateful I once bookmarked your article
I’m grateful I found it again today
I’m grateful I read it through this time
I’m grateful I feel it make a change in my life
I am grateful to have found this article. Your invaluable words have encouraged me. Countless times I’ve started a gratitude journal to sit perplexed in grasping clear grateful segments of my day knowing I am so richly blessed but not being able to immediately articulate it. I am hereby challenged to make a practice and I will report back. Thank you, Chris!
I am grateful I exist and for Martin’s Black & White cake. I could go for some right now.
I am great full for the green all around me.
I am so grateful for not only your article, which is such an inspiration, but also for the many other lessons in gratitude (graceful attitude) that have revealed themselves over the past several weeks now that I am open to receiving them.
I am grateful for my family, friends, for the many angels that I encounter, almost on a daily basis, people with kind words to spare, this wonderful city I live in, have people I care for around to share life with, beautiful food, great health, life itself, God in all His wisdom, for the miracle to be here on this lovely planet for awhile, to go after my dreams, to help other fulfill theirs, to experience love in all of its small and large manifestations. i am grateful to have a roof over my head and a job and the basic necessities taken care of, and to be able to travel around the world for my job, and for Chris Winfield for writing this article in the first place, because it has raised the frequency of my vibration, and I know that we are all first and foremost vibrational beings. So, thank you. I am full of gratitude.
I am feeling happier after reading the content and it really work like a miracle. Really life is simple but we make it a complicated one ……
Thank you for this beautiful thought and sentiment. You so eloquently explained how we all could be happier and how it is all upon ourselves to make it so.
Thank you!
I am grateful for my family being around me and my little boy
I’m grateful to have read your blog and to reference it in my upcoming blog
So grateful for my wonderful family and friends. I had surgery recently and I am grateful God brought me through it?
I am truly grateful to have family that I love and trust in my life.
I am grateful for their company & support
I’m grateful for this article. Very inspiring !
I’m grateful for you, your article and my friend that sent it to me.
Thank you, thank you, thank you for this lovely article!
I am truly grateful for Toby, my dog, because he is faithful to me and he makes me happy whenever I go to meet him. He jumps on me and gets very excited; I love him a lot! ☺️
I am grateful that I started researching the importance of gratitude and and actually making a list. I am tired of all my negative thoughts.
I am grateful for the chance to study whatever I want. It’s something denied to many…especially women.
I’m super grateful I came across your post! It was a refreshing reminder after being around some negative people to see and focus on what I can find positive about them and the situation. Thank you!
Thanks for the great reminder Chris. Gratitude journaling is one of the easiest, yet effective ‘spiritual’ exercise.
I’ve been experimenting to document 1000gratitudes as part of my personal project.
https://1000gratitudes.wordpress.com/resources/
As you rightly pointed, counting my blessing has, in fact, increased more blessings to count.
Thanks again for a great article Chris.
I am grateful for the program I am in that makes me think of gratitude. I love my son daughter and wife and am grateful for my cousin to come home and spend time with us, I am grateful for the barbecue we made today and the wonderful sunny weather we had. I loved it!
I am grateful for my friends and family members for their support, love, and encouragement.
I’m grateful for this webpage, it just highlights the true fact that gratitude can change the world and everyone’s perspective.
Be grateful everyday.
I am so happy and grateful for the awareness of how we think can change EVERYTHING! Our thoughts create our life and we are planting our tomorrow with today’s thoughts! Thoughts of Gratitude and joy can and will change your tomorrow if you can plant them daily. Thanks for your post, it is so so true!
We are all alive. How astronomically unlikely, and wonder-ful. And hey, I’m grateful you used my name for the thankful guy. ?
I am grateful for my health and all the people who love and support me. I am grateful to have been given the opportunity to live the life I want with out any boundaries or limitations.
I am grateful for the universe.
Grateful for the health of myself, family and friends!
I’m grateful to be sucking air. I read somewhere that, “Your life is God’s gift to you, what you do with it is your gift to God.” I want to be a good gift giver today.
I’m grateful for my accountabilabuddy, Dena
I’m grateful for the unwavering support and love my mother gives me everyday.
I’m grateful for my good health 🙂
i am grateful for coming across this article and finding such a simple way to turn what was, a pessimistic day, around
I’m grateful to people like you who freely share this kind of beautiful information that potentially can motivate several thousand individuals to positively touch the lives of others. A big thanks to you!
I’m grateful for the wonderful person who gave me a lift home tonight and did their utmost to boost my spirits – as am going through a difficult period in my life. I’m sorely missing the one person who is choosing to not be in my life, and although they don’t make up for that one person, I’m grateful that I at least have other wonderful people in my life who are doing their best to look out for me.
I am grateful for this post, and I am grateful for being able to express my gratitude. I want to feel good. I want to feel better. I want to be grateful.
I’m grateful for you article, it made me think…and count my blessings
I am grateful for my family and my families health
ACCESS
I am grateful for my beautiful family and also very grateful for you!:)
I’m grateful for the food I receive daily and I’m grateful for my family. Thank you, Thank-you
I am grateful for a wonderful, wonderful Christmas at home with my wife, our grown children, their spouses and our three grandsons. Truly a blessed day.
I found this page just at a time when everything seems to be going wrong. Normally I am a pretty positive person but some issues at work have saddened me. Thanks for what you wrote to remind me that there are so many positives in my life that I am grateful for.
I am grateful for my health.
1 Getting up awake and happy
2 Finding my Husband, my parents, my sisters and their family, my friends, and all the people I know alive and happy
3 Having a wonderful Husband
4 Having wonderful in laws, parents, and friends and relatives who work for by betterment and fulfill all my wishes and desires
5 Having got to have tasty and healthy food
6 Having enough money in my Bank Account and my life
7 Having received a positive response regarding my Husband, Donraj’s job in Delhi
8 Having got the oppurtunity to have come to my office and worked satisfactorily and completing todays tasks on time
9 Having enough of groceries in my home
10 The fact that my mother in law cooked for me
11 The fact that my mother in law, father in law have agreed for me being sent to my parent’s place in Gurgaon along with Don for my baby’s delivery to happen
12 Having beautiful clothes to wear
13 Being surrounded by good and happy people
14 Being able to feel my babys movements inside me
15 For being very happy and peaceful
16 For having abundant love, compassion, generosity, kindness and health and wealth
17 Having a perfect body that is beautiful and healthy in every respect
18 For having creating everything I desire for
19 For having received everything I wished for
20 Being able to practise yoga and meditation
The fact that I did not have to think much about writing what I should be grateful for, is in itself very uplifting and amazing feeling.
Thankyou for a very inspiring read. Definitely can see the positives so I’ll get writing soon.☺
I was googling for gratitude list ideas as I struggled through getting my five down for the day, feeling quite blue. This article helped in spades but also totally lifted my spirits – reminding me to be a light and light will shine back at me. Your perspective is refreshing and much needed for me on this cold winter day
I’m grateful for that I’m able to read all this. We take reading and writing for granted and yet there are so many people who can’t even that….
I’m grateful for the wonderful people in my life
Grateful to have read this article… in a bit of relationship trouble and it’s good for me to focus on a list till things get easier especially with 3 kids involved….
Hi Kelly
I have been in a similar situation recently, also with 3 kids. I was resigned to the break up of our family but somehow things have turned around. If you want to unload to a stranger, feel free.
Simon
Grateful for sobriety.
Great read! It made me pull out my note pad. I thought it would just be a few, but my “gratefuls” became and entire page.
*I’m grateful for breathing freely today, no issues.
*I’m grateful that I’m able to read & receive the message from this article. Thank You!
I have started a gratitude list and I have just completed day 13. You don’t realise how much you take for granted but it certainly changes your thoughts.
Thank You
Warren
I’m grateful we have a merciful god, even though we commit too many mistakes…I’m grateful for my family, my wonderful children, i’m grateful for the knowledge God gave me, for my job, i’m grateful for my wonderful mum, for the man she made me!
We have to move out of our home because the landlords want it back. I am truly grateful for my partner, the loving and support of our family and friends, having a support network, finding somewhere new to live, and the powerful lessons this has taught me about mindset. What at first I resisted, now looks like a positive move!
I am grateful and greatful for this life
My life and Health and the ability to better myself.
For my wonderful partner, family and relationships.
The love and suppport every day through it all
Opportunity to succeed and manifest Wealth Mind Body Soul.
I glad that I was able to have my daughter for 19 1/2 years to love and spoil her to death!
I’m so grateful for sobriety, a second chance at life, school, my health, and my beautiful girlfriend.
I am Thankful for my loving family My Husband and Son.
I am grateful for being able to Love
I am glad to read this n grateful for every breath I take.
I’m grateful that I found this website. It looks like there is a lot I can use here.
I am grateful that everyone I love has good health, that I have comfort and safety, my friends and family love me.
Grateful that my cousin came to my wedding, that we talked and now I am going to implement gratitude into my life!!
I am grateful that I have a loving family and friends. I’m grateful I have a house to live in and food to eat. I’m grateful that the Lord loves me and is there for me. I am grateful for this article because it has helped me tremendously. 🙂
I am grateful for the people that are in my life. I am easily able to interact with them everyday and I am always learning from them. I am grateful for my dog, who is always so excited and happy to see me anytime. I am grateful for my health, clean water and blankets to help me keep warm at night. I am grateful for all the opportunities in life that are within my reach. I am grateful to have found this page, as it has become a learning tool for building myself and for me to express my gratitude. I am grateful to be alive.
Today I am grateful for being reached by your words, of the reminder of all the great gifts in my life. I am thankful to have a wonderful, fun-loving family and a large, caring community of close friends. Thank you for your generosity in creating this content!
Dear All and Hello Chris
I’m grateful that I have a roof Over my head, a cozy and warm house I’m grateful that I’m able to have the facilities to express my gratitude and share it with you all .
I am grateful for my family and my hamsters.
I am grateful for life. I am grateful for my friends, family, love, support, and god. I’m grateful that I don’t need to get my way all the time. I’m grateful for my anger and resentment as being a barometer for my ingratitude to get back into gratitude. I’m grateful for the joys of this world, and the hope in the next.
I am grateful for the mutual deep love I found with my girlfriend and also my 2 beautiful healthy daughters……
I am grateful for my wife’s support.
I’m grateful for my daughter who give birth to my first grandchild.
I’m grateful for all that has come into my to prepare me and help me through a situation I got myself into.
I’m grateful for my parents who are an example of how to live in gratitude.
I’m grateful for my job.
Good morning!
I’m grateful for this article and for you taking the time to write it and share it with the world!
Today is going to be the best day ever!
I am grateful for coming across this article. I will take what I learned from it and practice in my daily live. Thank you for putting out this great piece of information. God bless us all.
I am very grateful for the life given ro me……. a house to live, food to eat n a lovingly family…… n everyone in good health……..than k u thank u thank u God for giving me all these
This is my personal experience with gratitude and how it has served me throughout my life. No longer a prisoner of my childhood…The first thing I experienced is that I could breathe, really breathe! Once I started breathing I couldn’t stop. It was similar to someone who has panic attacks. Until this unexpectedly happened I didn’t even realize I had been holding my breath. I had been holding my breath my entire life. This was so intense I wrote a book about it titled: GUIDED by Linda Deir, winner of the 2017 Body-Mind-Spirit Int’l Book Award. Available on Amazon.
Mahalo for the awesome article. Today, I am grateful for the relationship I have with my children.
Thank you Chris for reminding me to focus on my gratitude for the abundance of good in my life. I was beginning to lose focus of that. I’m inspired to reconnect with the gratitude inside of me and I started my gratitude list today.
I am grateful for coming across this idea!! And understanding that gratitude is a skill much like anything else that I need to practice and strengthen on a daily bases. I had a lot of hopes in the start of the year. But like most of us, we drift. But I reignited my passion for what I wanted to accomplish on July 1st. The second half of the year. I have instituted a lot of change in my life since then. But I felt something was missing. I think I have found it. My goal at the end of the year is to BE a grateful person.
Thank you very much for a great article!!
I am grateful for this beautiful post that helps me believe in the power of ‘Thank You’ .
I am grateful for finding this site. And I am VERY GRATEFUL my older brother successfully finished alcohol rehab and has returned to the amazingly bright, fun big brother I grew up with?
I’m grateful for the snuggles my dog, pumpkin, gives. I’m grateful for the smell the air contains before it rains. I’m thankful for the feel of fresh hot chocolate on my tongue after coming in from the snow. I’m grateful for books; they give me an opportunity to escape reality for a while. I’m grateful for nature that shows us individuality is beautiful. I’m grateful for bread. God, do I love bread. I’m grateful for art as it gives me an opportunity to express myself. I’m grateful for lightning. I love that it brings attention that beauty is passing. I’m grateful for light houses. They’ve always intrigued me. I’m grateful for my parents who taught me what it’s like to feel love in the purest form. I’m grateful for my ex-boyfriend, because although he hurt me immensely, he taught me so much and we made ever lasting memories. I’m grateful for when the dandelions change and then you blow off all of the fuzzies and make a wish. I’m grateful for music. Listening, playing, creating. I love music. I’m grateful for theater. It’s so dazzling to watch. I’m grateful for travel. The way travel introduces you to new things and changes your perspective. I’m grateful for education, I would not be the person I am today without the amazing education I’m receiving. I’m grateful for life, because although its tough sometimes, there is always something to be grateful for. Always.
Izabelle – I loved your gratitude list and made a copy to inspire me to make a list of my own
Thank you Chris for sharing your experience!! I just finished reading The Magic by Rhonda Byrne and the for last 30 days I’ve been making it a part of my routine to write 10 things that I am grateful every night. I totally agree with you. It is a complete MIND SHIFT and I am starting to believe more and more that the world is good!!! Reading about your experiences has just reinforced my resolve. I have decided to make this list a part of my life because I am eager to see where this journey will take me.
I am grateful for my parents, my daughter and my dog
I am grateful for this warm grey jacket, I remember how happy it made the sales woman that I brought it from
I am grateful for this comfortable bed
I am grateful for breathing
I am grateful for my strength
I am grateful for my unwavering faith
I am grateful for my trust in the world
I am grateful for my sisters
I am grateful for my brother
I am grateful for my mother
I am grateful for my father
I am grateful for the ability to type
I am grateful for my ability to express
I am grateful for yoga
I am grateful for my ability to connect
I am grateful for my freedom
I am grateful for sadhguru
I am grateful for my strength
I am grateful for my ability to dance
I am grateful for this world
I am grateful for my strong ass body
I am grateful for eating this apple
I am grateful
I’m immensely grateful my 1 year old daughter regularly sleeps in until 9.00am or later, meaning I can get more rest or focus more on my two other kids.
I’m grateful today is October 1st: 10/01–reads the same backwards, forwards and upside down. 🙂
grateful I can get out of bed under my own power, I can see, hear, taste and smell, as it was not always the case
I am grateful for my 2 children now adults and my 1year old Grandaughter.
I am grateful to be alive
For my kids and wife who are healthy
My home
Food to eat
Frendships
I m grateful for what ever present situation I m today its teaching me lots of things and againg helping me to get my lost things back really it’s a miracle of gratitude ☺️
I am grateful because I searched online for something inspirational and I came across this article.
I am grateful for the eternal kindness of my husband. And for finding this article!
I’m grateful for all the beauty I see in the world and in people. Every single day.
And for having friends like you Chris, that truly make the world a better place. One moment at a time.
I’m grateful just having read this article and I’m thankful to be alive
I’m grateful to have read your article. I’m grateful that my wonderful sponsor in my program of addiction recovery suggested I write and share a daily gratitude list with him via text. I’m grateful to begin this journey of gratitude today, and to look forward to the growth and inspiration you’ve shared in your wonderful post. Be well! 🙂
I’m grateful for my amazing son and daughter and for my ex-wife.
I am grateful for my every challenges which makes me stronger.I am so grateful for my god baba,my beautiful children,my husband and for my wonderful biz opportunity for my whole family health and happiness.
It’s really a good write up. Positive thinking helps a lot to get happy. Thank you Chris for such a precious article. I am grateful to the Almighty God, the one and only, for everything he gives me or takes from me because in everything he does for us, there is blessings for us no matter we can realise it or not.
Graet ful to have come across this website
I am grateful for my kids and my past experiences.
I am grateful for this article and for it clarifying the opposite of fear being gratitude. I am also grateful for finding the name of my new podcast!
I am grateful that i decided to google “gratitude lists” this morning.
I am most thankful and grateful for the complete stranger giving me her coupon in the art store. I saved ten bucks!
Neither my husband or I find value in getting each other gifts during the holiday season, but if there were thing I was tempted to get him, it was a Gratitude Diary to reflect on what we are grateful for each day. What a lovely gift.
I’m grateful for my time off from school, time with my mom, sister, and cat, time to be leisurely, my attentiveness to my mental and physical health, my aesthetic sensibilities, all the good food in my fridge right now, my drive to produce art, my journaling, my opportunity to get a quality education, and so much more. <3
Hey Chris!
I love this post! Thank you so much for sharing this out. It is chock full of some very valuable information. It has really inspired me!! And I thank you for that..
I have made gratitude a practice for the last 4 months of my life. I write down 10 or more things that I am grateful for each day . Then as I am driving to work to get myself in a more positive mindset, I say aloud all of the things that I am grateful for along with Thank You!
I have noticed that being grateful for everything that I already have has changed my life for the better in so many different ways!! It has helped me to shift to a more positive mindset whereas before I was leaning more to the negative side.
It has changed my attitude and made me a happier person. I am truly grateful for being ALIVE! And I am truly grateful for all the things, people, experiences that I am blessed to have in my life..
And I am so happy & grateful that I found your blog!! Can’t wait to read more.. And subscribe to your email!!
~Amy
I am grateful for all the kind and loving spirits all around me helping me to be a better person!
I am grateful for a warm bed to sleep in.
I am presently in the hospital recovering from my 3rd hip operation on the same leg I’ve also had a lot of personal problems in my life a man came in today and told me about a gratitude list I started researching and out number one I’m grateful for him telling me about it I’m going to try to write a list every day with what I’m grateful for I’m working it in my mind as we speak
I am grateful for the two lovely job coaches that advocate for my son who has special needs. Thank you!!!!!
I’m grateful for my bosses accepting me as normal since they know I have a few medical conditions!!
I’m very grateful for my knowledge in Feng Shui to help other people!!
Good Day
Could you please send me the grateful spreadsheet
Regards
To receive the FREE Gratitude Lists Cheatsheet, just click the “Get your FREE Cheatsheet here” button in this page. 🙂
I’m really grateful for having just read this inspiring article!
Thanks!
I am grateful for my family.
Thanks, Mami