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It wasn’t so long ago that I’ve created my A to Z gratitude alphabet. As it didn’t feel difficult for me (besides maybe a couple of tricky letters), I figured that writing 100 things to be grateful for is a natural next step. Are you up for taking this challenge with me?
Before you say no, let me tell you, it’s not as hard as it sounds!
I’m going to list the 100 things I’m grateful for below so you can use them for reference and easily come up with plenty of your own blessings to count.
But for now, let’s start small, especially if you aren’t used to being deeply grateful yet!
What are 3 things you are grateful for today?
Each day is different. Even if you work the same routine job and your day seems pretty much the same, there are actually thousands of little things that are different every time. Pay attention and you’ll start noticing more of those!
Maybe there was a fun song on your morning radio that set your mood for the whole morning. Or someone sent you a message with a compliment. Or maybe a barista in your favorite coffee shop put a heart near your name today.
So what if it happens every time? Even more reasons to be grateful!
For example, my 3 things for today that I’m thankful for would be:
- My loving husband who is always ready to give me a hug
- A surprise birthday party we organized for a friend (that gives me an opportunity to wear heels for the first time this year!)
- All the interesting ideas I have for my blog
What’s yours? Let me know in the comments!
How to be grateful for what you have
Start by evaluating your day, aiming to see something positive in every scenario. See each moment as a blessing and each failure as a lesson for growth. Appreciate every conversation you engaged in and every person who smiled at you. Then look around and count all the things that bring you joy!
It may feel unnatural at first, even weird, but stick with it long enough and you’ll be amazed by how many blessings you’ve got!
We take so much for granted that many people don’t have! If you are blessed with a loving partner, a bunch of kind friends, and a child, think about millions of lonely people in the world who don’t have any of it. If you live in a developed country, have access to clean water, and there is a park nearby, you already have a ton to be grateful for!
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Writing your own list of 100 things to be thankful for is not hard
When you are new to the concept of daily gratitude, writing 100 things can seem overwhelming. That’s why I recommend starting your gratitude practice with only 3-5 things per day.
You’ll notice that on most days you’ll be able to come up with more than that! Because as soon as you start looking for the good things that happened during the day, your mind will naturally begin generating more ideas and finding new things to be thankful for.
I recommend doing “100 things I’m grateful for” exercise at least two times per year. You can even compare your lists and maybe recognize some new things you are thankful for that you didn’t have half a year ago. Or maybe you had them but were taking them for granted and couldn’t recognize them as blessings!
Use this example list as inspiration to come up with your own 100 things to be grateful for!
100 Things To Be Grateful For: Gratitude List Example
- Mental health. I’ll start with a deep one right away! Mental wellbeing lets you express emotions, interact with others, understand your surroundings, and enjoy life to the fullest. Have you ever stopped to appreciate it?
- Friends who are always there for you. Even if you are blessed with one person in your life who loves you, be forever grateful for it! Life without friends is not fully lived.
- Traveling. There are different kinds of travelers. Someone aims to visit all 50 states in the US. Others don’t stop until they travel to every country in the world. For most people, a road trip to a local sight is already an awesome unique experience. Be grateful for every trip you were able to hop on!
- Coffee. I’ll risk sounding like an addict here but coffee makes every morning so much better!
- New beginnings. You are the creator of your life and there is always an option to start off with a clean slate.
- Ability to feel. Joy, gratitude, hope, interest, love, and all the other positive emotions are amazing! Imagine not being able to feel any of it!
- Teachers. Almost everything we know we owe to our teachers. From school teachers and parents to every role model that taught you something about life, be grateful for all these people and the lessons you learned from them.
- Mondays. If you don’t agree that Mondays are worth being grateful for, this might change your mind.
- Yoga. Never had the time to take a yoga class and be part of the movement? Start today.
- Oceans. People who live near the oceans are so blessed! I had to fly about 7 thousand kilometers to just swim in one for my honeymoon. Let’s just appreciate that they exist and are always available for us to swim in, shall we?
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Be grateful for family and friends
11. Parents. They helped you through the early challenges and raised you into a beautiful human being you are now. They probably did their best at the time, please appreciate all their efforts!
12. First kiss. One never forgets a first kiss. How was yours?
13. First date. Whether it was good or bad, your must have learned a lot from it. Send a mental thanks to that person right now for playing a part in your personality development!
14. Romantic affection. This is the feeling that drives us, creates butterflies in our stomachs and makes us feel alive.
15. Friends. Remember your earliest friends in the kindergarten? And the ones you had at every stage of your life? Each of them was in your life for a reason, so be thankful for each soul who ever touched yours.
16. Soulmates. Not everyone is blessed with a soulmate. But when you are, make sure to appreciate that person as they deserve. If you are still looking for yours, there are some powerful affirmations that should help!
17. Everyone who comes to your birthdays. Unless you are a lonely person who spends birthdays alone (I hope that’s not the case but if that’s you, do something about it!), there are people who are happy to celebrate every year with you. Think about all your previous birthdays and feel the gratitude for everyone who was there.
18. Grandparents. These people are created to spoil us, aren’t they? Be grateful for every precious moment with your grandma or grandpa, and extra grateful if you met any of your great-grandparents.
19. Babies. Whether you have your own or don’t, let’s just appreciate how cute and soft babies are! You were one too once, you know.
20. Everyone who helped raise you. It might be a neighbor who babysat you, an uncle who always brought you candy, or some kind person you have no blood relation to. They all deserve your gratitude!
21. Siblings and cousins. I was the only child for a very long time. If you had someone else to play with, this is a great reason to thank the universe!
22. Children. You may be thankful for your children, for children you played with when you were small, or even for a free will to not have children if you don’t want your own.
23. Pets. Don’t they just make us so much happier?
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Be grateful for the little things
24. Sunshine. Light and warmth on your cheek is a good enough reason to feel thankful.
25. Nourishing food. You made it to this age, right? Appreciate all the food that keeps you alive, especially when it’s delicious!
26. Hot tea. Let’s save coffee for energized mornings and enjoy every sip of warm tea when we cuddle with a book on a cool night.
27. Taxis. Depending on where you live this might not be the case for you, but in my area taxis are lifesavers sometimes! Especially at the start of pandemic when all the city transportation had stopped.
28. Scented candles. I’m lighting a nice-smelling candle almost every evening, with special love for seasonal ones like a cinnamon pumpkin candle for autumn or a fresh lemon mint one for summer. I’ve even included this into my fall activities challenge!
29. Delicious desserts. Let’s send some loving energy to all the people who invented desserts. They surely deserve it!
30. Furniture. Not the first thing on your gratitude list for sure but an integral part of your daily life. Say thank you for your bed, desk, chair, your wardrobe, and all the cupboards that make your life so easy and organized.
31. Cute puppies. Or kitties. For every bad emotion you may experience, there is a cute video with a little animal that will make your smile. Extra gratitude points if you have one at home!
32. Bath bombs. Looks good, smells good, helps wash your stress away. What’s not to love?
33. Habit trackers. Picking up a bunch of good habits can transform your life tremendously over time. Let’s appreciate all the creators of beautiful habit trackers that make the process easier and more fun!
34. Elevators. I used to walk up to 13th floor on heels to see my boyfriend. No fun! Say thank you if your elevator never breaks.
35. Netflix. Even if it feels like a waste of time sometimes, let’s be grateful for all the fun relaxing hours and great series Netflix has brought into our life.
36. Plants and trees. Another thing we all have and usually take for granted. Nature is amazing and deserves our love!
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Be thankful for everything that happens in your life
37. Smiles. Studies show that happy people smile about 2 times more than the rest. Make it a part of your daily happiness routine and be thankful to everyone who makes you smile!
38. Warm hugs. A good hug is the best way to support someone you love without words in the difficult times. Scientists say you need at least 8 hugs per day to be happy. How many do you give?
39. Deep conversations. Every thoughtful conversation helps you connect better with a person and strengthen your relationships. Look back at every talk you had with your bestie and appreciate each bonding opportunity!
40. All people who you cross paths with. Not everyone comes into your life to stay. Some are just passing by so that you can learn something and become a better version of yourself. Be grateful for every person you were blessed to meet!
41. Salaries. This one is obvious, no? Thank salaries and jobs for letting you survive another month.
42. Hobbies. Hobbies allow you to express your creativity, feel passionate about something, and find like-minded people to spend time with.
43. Languages. Imagine not knowing English! How would the day-to-day world look like for you? Every language we learn opens a new part of the world for us so let’s appreciate our ability to learn and all the resources available to us.
44. All romantic relationships. To feel loved is a strong internal desire of every human being. Even if some people don’t stay in your life, be grateful for having them in the first place. Besides, it’s probably meant to be like that to make room for your true love.
45. Dark nights. Let’s be thankful for every dark night as it makes us appreciate the morning that always comes after it!
46. Road trips. Road trips are always fun and full of moments to remember!
47. Ability to learn and grow. If you have a growth mindset, you know there is no limit to personal growth. Be grateful for your brain that can learn new things and broaden your horizons!
48. Adventures. Everyone’s life is unique and full of interesting adventures! If you can’t think of any recent adventure to be grateful for, it’s probably time to organize one!
49. Fitness. We know some things make us fat but let’s appreciate that there are also things that make us fit!
Be grateful for today
50. Clean water. If you had access to clean drinking water today, you are already blessed!
51. Technology and Internet. I feel old saying that I remember life without computers and mobile phones. How different and limited it was! Let’s say thanks for all the wonderful opportunities technology brought to us!
52. Ability to read. According to statistics, about half of US adults literally can’t read. If you reached this point in the article, you definitely have something to be thankful for.
53. Sky. Clear blue sky, funny clouds, or wonderful shades of pink during sunset? The sky is never the same but we can always rely on it being up there and inspiring us!
54. Text messages. Be grateful for every text message you receive from people in your life as at the very least it means they remember about you.
55. Mornings. Every morning you get another chance to live fully and improve your life. Every time you open your eyes there is another day for you to live and enjoy!
56. Seasons. Every part of the year has its charm. I love cozy autumn days the most but each season is a wonderful time that deserves our gratitude.
57. Warm showers. Staying under a warm waterfall every day that washes away all the worries and negative thoughts is a privilege we should appreciate more.
58. Positive affirmations. We have the power to change our reality and affirmations make it easier to start. You can affirm wealth, good health, and even find friendship or your soulmate if you do it right.
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59. Social media. Other than sharing your life events with friends and being more social overall, social media can be used for all kinds of nice causes like raising awareness or selling good stuff your audience needs.
60. Your bed. It makes you feel safe, warm, and comfortable every night. It’s so good you need to make an effort to leave it every morning. How come you don’t feel thankful for your wonderful bed yet?
61. Roof above your head. This is one of those basic things we often take for granted. Your home gives you safety and convenience in so many ways that it’s not at all comparable with living in the wild forest, for example. Whenever you are at home, look around and find a bunch of things that are worth being grateful for.
62. Daily plans. You have a chance to plan each of your days however you want it and live according to the plan. Isn’t it another reason to feel thankful and alive?
Be grateful for the gift of life
63. Eyes that open every day. You can see everything that happens around you, and you have two of them! Thank your eyes for serving you well even when you get them tired of all the screen time.
64. Ability to breathe. Take a deep breath and you instantly feel more relaxed. Continue for a few minutes and your stress starts to melt away. Isn’t this amazing?
65. Legs and feet that let you walk. Do you know how much easier your life is compared to someone who can’t walk? Be thankful for all the bones and muscles that allow you to do this.
66. Waking up again every day. When you open your eyes after sleeping through the night, be grateful for the gift of another day you got to live, and make the most of it!
67. Ability to see colors. According to science, human eye can distinguish about 1 million different shades and colors. It makes our world bright and helps us perceive it more clearly. Imagine everything around being in black and white, do you think you’d feel different?
68. Abundance of air around you. Have you watched the movie called IO (2019)? It is about a post-cataclysmic Earth where there is no air left and everyone has to move to another planet. Fantasy films like this make me appreciate the unlimited air we got at our disposal!
69. All the complicated systems inside you. All the processes that work without your control or even awareness. Blood pumping, air flowing, cells rejuvenating, thousands of neural connections being built and used. Imagine if you had to understand and control it all every second!
70. Medicine. Today we can make the headache go away just by taking a pill and we don’t die from a cold like many people in the past. Isn’t it enough to be grateful for?
71. Strong cells that created you. There were two strong cells, one from each of your parents, that made your birth possible. Let’s appreciate the fact that we are even here!
72. Mindfulness. The movement of being in the present moment more wasn’t even a thing a few decades ago. Today, we have all these ways to be more mindful every day and so many useful resources to support the process!
73. Ability to heal. Have you ever noticed how fast your skin heals when you accidentally cut it? Our bodies are very strong and have the ability to regenerate after injuries, which we should be always grateful for.
74. Subconscious mind. If you were to read The Power Of Your Subconscious Mind, you’d realize how much we underestimate our subconscious. It is responsible for roughly 95% of our daily life: all the habits, routine actions, all the systems inside you that work like a clock, and so on. You don’t have to consciously make every inhale and exhale, do you?
75. Ability to write. Being a blogger, I obviously love writing. I also mention journaling a lot throughout this blog as it’s great for releasing emotions and getting clarity on whatever bothers you. Writing lets you use messenger apps to talk to people and solve lots of daily tasks. I think we don’t give it enough credit!
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Be grateful for the things that didn’t work out
76. Intuition. We all have some kind of gut feeling that tells us if something isn’t right and stops us from making more mistakes.
77. Ability to let go. Time heals everything. What feels like the end of the world at one moment, is recognized as just an experience a year later. We learn to let go and start anew, accept it as a lesson and grow.
78. Bad relationships. Every person who hurts you still teaches you something or adds to building your character. I believe that some bad relationships are given to us so we can fully appreciate a true diamond when we find it, and make an effort to keep it.
79. Wounds. Without wounds, we wouldn’t take good care of our bodies and without pain we wouldn’t appreciate good health as it deserves.
80. Unfulfilling jobs. First of all, bad jobs still help us survive, so this is one thing to be grateful for. Secondly, they make us realize we are meant for more, aim to improve our skills and look for our passions. Let’s be thankful for this motivation!
81. Biggest dreams. Without big dreams we would never achieve anything at all. They keep us going and inspire us to improve our lives.
82. Annoying neighbors. Every time after hours of renovation noise from next door, I appreciate the silence so much more!
83. Lessons. From traditional education to all the life lessons we learn through the years, there is a lot to be thankful for.
84. Guidance. There is a reason why some things don’t happen exactly when or like we want them. I believe that everything happens for a reason and we are protected by a higher power from the worst-case scenarios. Right things always happen at the right time.
85. Challenges. Every challenge we face makes us stronger and helps us grow. We are never given challenges we can’t overcome: each one is necessary for your unique journey.
86. Closed doors. When one door closes, another opens. If not, we look for windows. Each time you get rejected, you learn to be more creative and think out of the box in order to get whatever you need. If all the doors were open for everyone, life would probably be extremely boring. And the best places would be super crowded.
87. Failures. There is hardly any successful person who never failed at something. In most cases, successful careers and businesses are built after countless mistakes, tweaks, and figuring out how to go about it. Be grateful for every failure and just stand up one more time!
Be grateful for every moment
88. Fun with friends. Every craziness moment with friends is precious!
89. Old photographs. Aren’t we blessed with the existence of cameras? They allow us to reminisce on wonderful moments years or even decades after they happen.
90. Purr of your cat. If you don’t have a cat, skip this one, or go pet your friend’s cat for a minute. Listening to the purring of our furry friends literally makes us heal faster! Can you imagine?
91. Walking in the rain. Whenever you are caught in the rain and everyone is running around, stop for a moment to appreciate the freshness of the air and how amazing it smells!
92. Cozy evenings. I’m always grateful for the ability to cuddle on a sofa with a book and a cozy blanket. Are you?
93. Holidays. A day of resting, eating something delicious, and maybe even meeting with your family.
94. Books. There are so many good reading materials I’m grateful for! Some of them I listed here.
95. Sunsets. Because aren’t they mesmerizing and unique every time?
96. Insights. Those moments when you suddenly find a great creative solution after dealing with a difficult problem for a while.
97. Sex. One of the not-so-many ways to get pleasure in life surely deserves to be on this list of 100 things to be grateful for!
98. Sleeping well. People who suffer from insomnia surely know how to appreciate a good night of sleep.
99. Gifts. Small and big presents that we give and receive.
100. Good memories. Every beautiful moment you ever had that makes you smile when you look back at it!
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Now write your own 100 things you are thankful for!
I challenge you to create your own gratitude list of 100 things now!
That’s a lot easier than you think! You may use a similar structure and categories I used if you like. Go through each area of your life one by one, and pay attention to the little things that come to your mind.
Make a brain dump first and write down everything off the top of your head. Then get back to each item you have already written and think about related events, memories, and emotions you experienced that are also worth being grateful for.
It only seems difficult before you start! As soon as you get in the flow and fill your heart with gratitude, you’ll hardly be able to stop at 100 things!
Conclusion on 100 things to be grateful for
These were my 100 things to be grateful for! If you were looking for examples of gratitude lists, I hope this one was helpful and gave you a lot of ideas for your own list of blessings. You can also reference my gratitude alphabet and the list of deep things we take for granted for more inspiration!
Have you found a thing or two among these 100 that you realized you have been taking for granted? Is there something you didn’t see as a blessing before reading this? Let me know in the comments!
Wanna take part in my 7-day gratitude challenge? Click here, it’s free!
