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It’s a proven fact that expressing gratitude every day not only improves your life but brings you joy and riches beyond belief. It is not only evident in your personal life but your home life and how you become more organised and appreciate what you have instead of seeking material possessions to make you feel better. Here are 40+ gratitude examples and the importance of keeping a gratitude journal.

By expressing gratitude on a daily basis not only are you rewiring your brain to become more positive, you’ll attract more of the same. You’ll begin to focus more on the positives and less on the negatives and you’ll naturally want to improve your circumstances and your life.

Gratefulness is the key to a happy life that we hold in our hands, because if we are not grateful, then no matter how much we have we will not be happy — because we will always want to have something else or something more. ~ Br. David Steindl-Rast

Here are 40+ gratitude examples and the importance of keeping a gratitude journal.

Why we should express gratitude

Life is a lot different to when I was a child growing up in the 1960s and 1970s. Even when I was a young adult in the 80s, life seemed to be a lot easier. Sure, there were still times when we wanted more or were influenced by what others had but now, in the 21st century and with social media so present in our lives, never has it been more evident that we are living in an age of FOMO (Fear of Missing Out), we’re all so super busy and we’re losing touch with face to face interaction with friends and family.

We can spend too much time worrying about how awful our life is. How messy our homes are. How we’re too busy to keep our homes tidy let alone be grateful for anything. Here are some examples of what you can be grateful for when life seems to be hopeless and not going the way you want.

Gratitude Examples

“I’m grateful for…”

• another day
• beautiful weather
• rainy days snuggled up inside
• a job to go to
• the ability to stay home to care for my family
• a vehicle to drive
• a roof over our heads
• food on the table
• fresh air to breathe
• fresh water to drink
• a healthy body to get me through the day
• people who love me
• a bed to sleep in
• children to care for
• a partner who I love and adore
• time on my own to gather my thoughts
• time on my own to spoil myself
• furniture and appliances that serve a purpose in my home
• the sun, the moon, the wind, the sky, the ocean, flowers, plants, trees
• shops that have an endless supply of food to buy
• money to pay for everything we need
• family
• skills that I’ve learnt that help me to prepare food and look after my home
• skills that I’ve learnt that enable me to create and continue my hobbies
• memories
• cooling or heating in my home
• cupboards to store my personal possessions
• clothes to wear that protect my body from the elements
• vacations
• another breath
• books to read
• the internet to keep in touch with family
• pencils, pens and books to write in what I’m grateful for
• education
• friends
• morning coffee/tea
• laughing
• the joy of seeing my children every day
• the ability to forgive
• patience
• being child-free
• time out with my partner
• parents
• grandparents
• relatives

There are of course many other gratitude examples that are applicable to your life. Write them down in your gratitude journal and refer to them if nothing else comes to mind.

Keeping a Gratitude Journal

There are no hard or fast rules about how you should express gratitude but one of the best ways I’ve found, that works for me, is to write at least 3 things that I’m grateful for, every day, in a journal.

The journal doesn’t have to be a fancy, leather bound book. Any writing pad, plain paper book will do. The best part about writing it in a journal is that you have a record of how that particular day went. (You can look back at it too. When you think about how you’ve got through some really tough days, you can look back through your journal and see that you’ve got through those tough days before and you can do it again.

Check out the Gratitude Diary 2022 by Melanie Spears. (affiliate link)

Handwriting vs Typing

I find it such a rewarding experience. At the end of the day I know I’m going to be handwriting in my journal and I can recall all of the amazing things that happened that day and I’ll focus on that and not the negative things.

Even recording the negative things will help you realise that you can get through those negative experiences. That you’re stronger than you think. That by focusing on the positive experiences in your day, you’ll soon see they outweigh the negatives and life isn’t all that bad after all.

Writing by hand requires more subtle and complicated motion from your fingers than typing, it actually increases activity in the brain’s motor cortex, an effect that’s similar to meditation. This explains why journaling can feel therapeutic and why it helps with mindfulness.

Via Lifehacker.com

I write in my journal in the evenings but there’s nothing stopping you from writing in the mornings. This helps set the tone for your day. You’re already dictating how things are going to pan out for you. You’ll be able to conquer those difficult circumstances that arise.

You’re rewiring or setting up the brain to always focus on the positives and really appreciate the life you do have. You’ll be inspired to do more. Learn to be inspired to keep your home tidy, prepare wholesome nutritious meals for your family and handle conflict so much easier. Attract more of the life you want instead of the life you don’t want.

Other ways to express gratitude

There are really so many benefits to journaling and expressing gratitude but there are other ways to do it as well.

There are plenty of apps to record your thoughts. You can follow social media accounts like Tiny Buddha and receive daily motivational quotes in your feed or via email. Practice an evening ritual of going around the dinner table and asking all family members three things they’re grateful for in their day. Volunteer. Do random acts of kindness for total strangers.

Whichever way you do it, practice it daily, through bad times and good and notice the immediate changes in your life.