By Robert Bolar · Ivins, Utah
Updated · Research checked against original sources
Some days, the hardest part of gratitude is simply thinking of something. This list has 200 ideas to get you started, from the obvious (a roof over your head) to the easily forgotten (the person who cleaned the park restroom). Use it when your journal page is blank, when you’re playing a gratitude game with kids, or when you need a reminder that there’s more good around you than it feels like.
A tip: don’t just copy an item. Pick one and make it yours. “Clean water” becomes “the cold water from the fountain at the trailhead after a long hike.” Specific details tend to bring the feeling back. (Greater Good in Action, “Gratitude Journal”)
Gratitude A to Z
A quick alphabet of gratitude. It’s great for kids, classrooms, or a 26-day challenge.
- A A friend who always answers
- B Birdsong in the morning
- C Clean water
- D Dinner with people you love
- E Encouragement when you needed it
- F Forgiveness
- G Grandparents and their stories
- H A hot shower
- I Inside jokes
- J A job, or the hope of one
- K Kindness from a stranger
- L Laughter
- M Music
- N Neighbors who look out for you
- O Old photographs
- P A pet’s welcome
- Q Quiet mornings
- R Rain after a dry spell
- S Sunrises
- T Teachers
- U An unexpected day off
- V Your voice
- W Warm socks
- X An X-ray that came back clear
- Y Yesterday’s lessons
- Z A zest for life
Everyday comforts
- A hot shower
- Clean water from the tap
- A soft pillow
- Morning coffee or tea
- A good night’s sleep
- A meal you didn’t have to cook
- A favorite mug
- Warm socks
- Air conditioning on a hot day
- A heater on a cold night
- Fresh bread
- A quiet morning
- A comfortable chair
- A working car
- A full tank of gas
- The smell of laundry
- A good book
- Your favorite song
- A sunny window
- A nap
People
- A friend who always answers
- A parent or guardian
- Grandparents
- Brothers and sisters
- A teacher who believed in you
- A mentor
- A good neighbor
- Coworkers who help
- A doctor or nurse
- Firefighters and first responders
- Farmers who grow your food
- Truck drivers who bring it
- People who clean public places
- A coach
- A librarian
- A kind stranger
- Someone who forgave you
- Someone who made you laugh today
- Your children or the children in your life
- People who came before you
Your body and health
- Your heartbeat
- The breath in your lungs
- Your eyes and the colors they see
- Your hands
- Your sense of taste
- Your sense of smell
- Legs that carry you
- Healing from an illness
- A good doctor’s visit
- Medicine that works
- Your immune system
- The ability to hug someone
- Your voice
- Your memory
- A walk without pain
- Sleep that restores you
- Laughter
- Tears that release stress
- Growing older
- Your brain’s ability to learn
Home and family
- A roof over your head
- A safe place to sleep
- Family dinners
- Inside jokes
- Family traditions
- Old photographs
- A well-stocked pantry
- A door that locks
- A kitchen table
- A garden
- A pet that greets you
- Holiday memories
- Hand-me-down recipes
- A home that’s yours, rented or owned
- Family stories
- A phone call from home
- Bedtime stories
- Birthday celebrations
- A child’s drawing
- Someone waiting for you at home
Nature
- Sunrises
- Sunsets
- Rain after a dry spell
- Snow on the mountains
- The smell of the desert after rain
- Starry nights
- The full moon
- Birdsong
- Trees that give shade
- Wildflowers
- The ocean
- Rivers and lakes
- Red rock cliffs
- Clean air
- The changing seasons
- A cool breeze
- Butterflies
- Fresh fruit in season
- A view from a high place
- The first warm day of spring
Small joys
- A stranger’s smile
- A green light when you’re late
- Finding money in a coat pocket
- A handwritten note
- The first bite of a favorite food
- A perfectly ripe avocado
- A good parking spot
- A funny video
- A compliment
- A baby’s laugh
- A dog’s wagging tail
- A crossword you finished
- An unexpected day off
- Dessert
- A clean kitchen
- Fresh sheets
- A package arriving
- A really good hug
- A song you forgot you loved
- A perfect cup of something warm
Work and learning
- A job, or the hope of one
- A paycheck
- Coworkers who make you laugh
- A boss who listens
- A problem you solved
- A skill you mastered
- A project you finished
- A lesson from a mistake
- A good teacher
- Libraries
- Free online courses
- Curiosity
- A desk or workspace
- Weekends
- A vacation
- A second language
- A mentor’s advice
- An encouraging email
- Tools that work
- The chance to start over
Freedoms and opportunities
- The freedom to worship, or not
- The freedom to speak
- The right to vote
- Public schools
- Public parks
- Roads and bridges
- Clean public restrooms
- Emergency services
- Modern medicine
- Electricity
- The internet
- The ability to travel
- A library card
- Peace in your neighborhood
- The chance to volunteer
- The chance to help someone
- Choices about your future
- Second chances
- People who serve their country
- Those who keep the lights on overnight
Things we learn to be grateful for later
- A closed door that led somewhere better
- A hard lesson
- A friend who told you the truth
- A failure that taught you
- A goodbye that made room for something new
- Patience you didn’t want to learn
- An illness you recovered from
- A hard season you survived
- A mistake you were forgiven for
- Waiting
- An apology you received
- An apology you gave
- A rejection that redirected you
- A long road home
- Scars and what they mean
- Growing up
- Learning to ask for help
- The strength you didn’t know you had
- People who stayed
- Another day
Meaning and spirit
- Faith or a sense of meaning
- Prayer or quiet reflection
- A sacred place
- Music that moves you
- Art that stops you in your tracks
- Moments of wonder
- Forgiveness
- Hope
- Grace
- Kindness
- Community
- A calling
- Serving others
- The beauty of the world
- The mystery of life
- Love
- Peace
- Wisdom from elders
- A tradition that grounds you
- This very moment
Ways to use this list
- Daily pick: Choose one item each morning and look for it during the day.
- Journal starter: Pair an item with a gratitude prompt.
- Family game: Take turns naming one thing from a category. No repeats allowed.
- Mental subtraction: Pick an item and imagine life without it for a minute. In experiments, this simple twist lifted mood more than just thinking about the good thing. (Koo et al., 2008)
- Thank a person: Many items on this list exist because of someone. Thank them. Try a gratitude letter.
Common questions
What are some simple things to be grateful for?
Clean water, a warm bed, a meal, a friend who answers your call, the sunrise, your heartbeat, a working car, a good book, a kind word from a stranger. Small, everyday things are often the easiest to overlook and the most meaningful to notice.
What can I be grateful for when life is hard?
Start with basics: rest, food, a safe place, one person who cares. You can also be grateful for things that helped you get through, and for your own resilience. Our guide to gratitude in hard times has gentle prompts.
What are 10 things to be grateful for?
Your health, the people who love you, a home, food, clean water, nature, your ability to learn, freedom, good memories, and today itself. Making each one specific (which person, which memory) makes it more meaningful.
What are good things to be grateful for at Thanksgiving?
Family and friends at the table, the people who grew and cooked the food, traditions, people who aren’t with you this year, and blessings from the past year you didn’t expect.
Sources
Every study below was checked against its publisher or PubMed record. Links open the original.
- Greater Good in Action. Gratitude Journal (practice instructions). UC Berkeley. ggia.berkeley.edu/practice/gratitude_journal
- Koo, M., Algoe, S. B., Wilson, T. D., & Gilbert, D. T. (2008). It’s a wonderful life: Mentally subtracting positive events improves people’s affective states, contrary to their affective forecasts. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 95(5), 1217–1224. doi.org/10.1037/a0013316