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33 Gratitude Journal Prompts To Help You Live Your Dream Life
Journaling is all the rage. It’s become so popular in recent years, that you’ve probably heard all about it. Wellness bloggers rave about it and you’ll find a wealth of articles all about gratitude journal prompts on Pinterest. But what exactly are they and why should you care?
Well, take it from me, journaling can be so incredibly therapeutic. It can provide such a huge benefit for your mindset, especially when you focus on gratitude. Whether you’re suffering from anxiety or you just want to get to know yourself better, journaling can help.
It’s something that can allow you to really change your life. If you want to clear your mind, boost your mood, and reach your goals, writing in your gratitude journal can make it happen.
But, what happens when you don’t really know where to start? This is where gratitude journal prompts come in.
I’ve been journaling daily for two years now. Of course, as a writer, I experimented with writing a diary for years on and off. But it’s been since 2018 that I have consistently written in my gratitude journal on a daily basis.
I do it to cultivate happiness, to motivate myself, and to gain a lot more clarity in life. If you’ve been thinking about writing a gratitude journal, these prompts can help you get started.
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How To Use Gratitude Journal Prompts
If the idea of journaling appeals to you, but you’re still a little unsure on exactly what gratitude journal prompts are or how they work, let’s break it down a little. They’re meant to make your journaling experience easier, more eye-opening, and rewarding. So, this is how to use them.
First of all, make sure that you’re dedicating the necessary time to writing. It can be a few minutes at first or even an hour once you’re in the swing of it.
Take one prompt or a handful – just make sure that you answer each question fully and honestly. If you censor yourself, you’re not going to benefit from doing it in the first place. The truth will help with your self-discovery.
If you want to really get to know your thoughts, dreams, and goals a lot better, always ask yourself why. Uncovering your reasonings behind every gratitude journal prompt will help you to find happiness and understand what you really think or what you want.
And finally, enjoy it. Gratitude journal prompts are meant to be fun and positive. So, don’t dive so deep that you start to get upset or feel anxious. If you do, take a step back and do something that will center you again and make you happy. This is meant to be a thought-provoking exercise that fills you with gratitude. So let it inspire you, lift your mood, and bring abundance into your life.
Need a new journal for your journaling practice? Here are our picks!
33 Gratitude Journal Prompts To Use
1. List three things you’re grateful for today.
2. Write out your current goals. What skills and qualities are you grateful for that can help you to reach them?
3. Write a letter to your future self, detailing all of the goodness in your life and the things you have achieved.
4. Detail some of the things you’ve learned about yourself and life that you’re grateful for.
5. What simple pleasures are you most thankful for in life?
6. What does your ideal day look like? Be as specific and detailed as you can here and list the reasons why.
7. What makes you the happiest?
8. List all the things you love about your life.
9. Write a list of the people you admire in life and why.
10. What do you love most about your career?
11. What kind of things do you love to learn and why? What would you like to learn next and why would it add value to your life?
12. What’s the best piece of advice you have ever been given and why?
13. What have you accomplished today?
14. Document all of your most treasured memories throughout your childhood and life.
15. List all of the people that have helped you in some way in life.
16. Document three of the best days of your life and why.
17. Write out your own personal definition of these words: happiness, love, and success, and why you’re grateful for these experiences.
18. What failure or mistake are you grateful for in life and why?
19. List your qualities and skills that you’re grateful for.
20. Detail the things you’ve learned from painful or stressful experiences in life and why you’re thankful for them.
21. List the hobbies and pastimes you’re most grateful in life.
22. Write about a teacher or a mentor that has had a positive impact on your life and how they’ve helped you.
23. Write out your deepest desires for yourself or your life.
24. List the things that you think you should be doing in life, that you don’t (or don’t want to) do already and why.
25. List the things that you should not be doing in life, that you already do and why.
26. What or who has made you smile this week and why?
27. List the things you can do this week to make a difference to somebody else’s life.
28. Describe all of your favorite senses; the smells, tastes, sights, sounds, and feelings that you’re grateful for.
29. List the ways that you can serve others, and who they would be.
30. Detail everything you’ve loved about your day.
31. Detail how you can make tomorrow an even better day.
32. What are twenty things you’re looking forward to or would like to accomplish this year?
33. Write a list of all of the things you’d love to say a huge YES to in life and why.
When & How I Journal
If there’s one thing you need to know about me, it’s that I’m ambitious. I have a clear vision for my future and journaling helps me with that.
Every morning, with my cliché cup of lemon water as soon as I get up, I write in my journal. I write out everything I’m grateful for and a list my goals. Daily. Then, sporadically, I’ll work on different gratitude journal prompts that suit my mood or will help you gain the clarity or perspective I’m looking for.
And honestly, it’s one the best practices I’ve added into my life. I hope it can do the same for you.
This was a guest post by Grace Olivia Parry. Grace is a freelance copywriter, educator, and future author. When she’s not writing, she’s reading, pampering, eating or watching her beloved cricket. Find her guide on creating your dream writing career here.
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I used to journal very often (not gratitude) but after a while I lost touch. Now I simply journal when I have something to get off my chest and work through. But gratitude journalling is something I want to pick up. Thanks for this list!
Let me know how you like it if you start doing it! 🙂
I love all of these! Thank you so much for sharing 🙂
You’re very welcome! 🙂
Wow!!! These are such good prompts! I struggle to stay consistent with my journaling, so these will prove very useful. Thank you so much!
You’re welcome! Enjoy!
Being grateful is super important, definitely need to start using some of these prompts!
Enjoy!
Writing down even three small things to be grateful for is a wonderful way to uplift any day. Gratitude by itself is so inspiring and it is always surprises me how much I have to be grateful for that I have ever-looked when I sit down to write about it.
Thanks so much for sharing this!
I agree with you completely! Thank you for stopping by!
I absolutely love this post! I have started journaling and even did a 14-day journal challenge with some of my friends to get back in the habit of writing daily!
I think that gratitude is something that can make or break your day so I try to start by writing down at least three things that I am grateful for before bed and when I wake up and my mood is INSTANTLY boosted!
Thank you for the additional prompts!
Writing 3 things you’re grateful for at night sounds like a great idea!
Thank you for these prompts! My partner and I share one thing we’re grateful for with each other each night but I like your tradition of journaling in the morning. May need to start doing that!
I love your nighttime gratitude practice!
I love my gratitude journal! Thanks for sharing 😀
My pleasure!
These are some great journal prompts and I love anything to do with expressing gratitude so I’d like to give these a go!
Enjoy!
I always end each day with three things I’m grateful for (verbally) but I’d never thought of using prompts before! Will have to try some of these.
Verbal gratitude is great too!
This was a wonderful post on gratitude journal prompts. I started bullet journalling somewhat recently, but I would love to apply a few of these prompts when formatting my journal. Thanks for sharing!
My pleasure! Enjoy!
What a great post of prompts! I love the idea of journalling, and I’m a sucker for buying journals, but I never keep to them. It’s a shame, because I’ve seen some beautiful ideas of layouts.
Yeah, some people are very creative with their journals!
I love writing – and even shared some writing prompts too on getting to know yourself! I think it’s very cathartic! This is a great list – I will give some of these a go!
Enjoy!
Love these ideas! Keeping a gratitude journal is something I always say I’m going to do but never get around to it. These prompts are a great motivator to start!
I hope you start one soon! They’re so rewarding.
I journal a lot. I journal about everything. If I think it, it gets written down. These are some great prompts. Thank you.
That’s a wonderful practice. You’re welcome!
Gratitude is so important, and there’s some really helpful and thought-provoking prompts here! I’ve recently started journaling and I can’t wait to try some of these. Thank you so much for sharing!
Have fun!
I love these!
I love this! I think it’s super important to remember to show gratitude because there is definitely always something to be happy and thankful for!
Absolutely!
These are great. I don’t have a journal but I often try and reflect on things I’m grateful for or small good things that have happened. I also write a monthly Happy List on my blog where I talk about all the good things from the past month.
Oh that’s a great idea!
This is such a great post. I’ve been writing down little gratitude throughts since lockdown started.. I am going to get myself a gratitude book!
Rosie
That’s a great idea!
Such helpful tips, thank you for sharing them. Focusing on the positive things and being grateful is so important. I love it to write down the successful moments, even the tiniest. These motivate me to go further.
These are great suggestions! I need to start journaling.
I’ve definitely neglected my gratitude journal this Summer but this post has reminded me to get back into it! It helps me immensely and I’ll definitely be implementing these prompts asap 🙂 xx
I love journalling. There’s something so relaxing and rewarding about getting all your thoughts down on paper. I’ve recently been trying to focus much more on gratitude, and this post has given me so many ways to do exactly that. Thank you for sharing!
Thank you for the prompts. In my late 50’s and just now about to begin journaling. I really believe it will help me with myself and to sort things out in my own little world.