30 Days of Gratitude Prompts

Stuck?

Maybe you had a really lousy week. If that's true, can you stretch the timeframe to a full month and think of something great that happened? How about a year?

Dig Deeper

Do a visualization exercise on the thing you're remembering. Go somewhere quiet and close your eyes. Try to recreate the memory with all your senses and imagine you're reliving that moment.

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“Happiness is a warm puppy.” - Charles M. Schulz

Prompt

What simple joy from your childhood showed up in your life recently?

Stuck?

Think back to when you were younger and felt awestruck. Maybe you visited a beautiful landscape for the first time, or you saw a creature up close. What things were in awe of?

Dig Deeper

Create a list of things that brought you joy during that time.

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“The more grateful I am, the more beauty I see.” - Mary Davis

Prompt

Look around you. What are some details about your situation or space that you like?

Stuck?

A virtue is a commendable quality or trait. It's often seen as moral or ethical. Common virtues include integrity, honesty, bravery, and compassion. You can also think of the last time you felt like a good person, and what caused you to feel that way?

Dig Deeper

Sometimes it's easier to spot virtues in others than in ourselves. Can you think of five virtuous people you know and list their virtues? Do you aspire to be like them? Why or why not?.

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“Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom.” - Aristotle

Prompt

What is a strong opinion you hold and why?

Stuck?

Feeling alive often coincides with intense emotion or feeling like you're living in the moment. Can you remember a time recently when you were so preoccupied with something that everything else fell away?

Dig Deeper

Mindfulness exercise is an easy way to tap into the feeling of aliveness. Take a few minutes to be fully aware of this moment. Go through your senses - smell, taste, touch, sight, and hearing - and pay attention to what you experience. How do you feel?

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“To be able to pretend to be something that I'm frankly not is very liberating and exciting.” - Hugh Laurie

Prompt

Describe a time that you felt liberated.

Stuck?

If you don't laugh easily or often, think of a time recently that you smiled or felt amused. What caused it?

Dig Deeper

"Laugher is the best medicine" has some scientific truth to it. Studies show that laughter increases oxygen flow to the brain and decreases stress hormones. What plans can you make to bring more joy and laughter to your life?

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“My mantra is: Let there be happiness in my soul, and let me share it with the world.” - Alexandra Stoddard

Prompt

What are examples of times you've shared your own happiness with others?

Stuck?

Try thinking about your character traits. You can visit https://elevator63.com/dictionary-of-divinity for inspiration.

Dig Deeper

We tend to evolve over our lifespans. Take your age and divide it into thirds. What was your most admirable trait in the first third of your life? How about the second third? How about the most recent third? How have these changed over time?

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“What lies behind us and what lies ahead of us are tiny matters compared to what lives within us.” – Henry David Thoreau

Prompt

What lives in you? Name any emotions, beliefs, dreams, fears, or thoughts you regularly have.

Stuck?

You can think of this in reference to any timeline you wish. It could mean, what are you looking forward to this week? Or what are you looking forward to this year? Or it could reference what you are looking forward to in life.

Dig Deeper

Imagine the thing you’re looking forward to with as much detail as possible. Close your eyes and visualize the setting, smell the surroundings, and listen to the backdrop. How do you feel?

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“Thinking will not overcome fear but action will.” – W. Clement Stone

Prompt

Recall a time that you took action in spite of your fear.

Stuck?

This question can be taken quite literally. You can name your biggest possessions, valuables, or sentimental objects. Conversely, you can think about what relationships or opportunities you have. It’s up to you to decide what’s important.

Dig Deeper

What is the last thing you found yourself wishing for? Now think of a way you could help another person who was wishing for the same or a similar thing.

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“Jealousy, that dragon which slays love under the pretence of keeping it alive.” – Havelock Ellis

Prompt

Recall a time you were afraid of losing something or someone dear to you.

Stuck?

A loving gesture can be given or received. Think of a time that you received a gift, a compliment, or an act of service from someone who loves you. Conversely, can you recall the biggest act of love you ever gave someone?

Dig Deeper

Can you come up with three instances – either in your life or that of others – where the loving gesture that was given was not fully appreciated?

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“I think the biggest disease the world suffers from in this day and age is the disease of people feeling unloved.” – Princess Diana

Prompt

How has your life been affected by a lack of love?

Stuck?

You may be stuck if you don’t see your true self fully, or if you don’t have people in your life who help you to remember your true self. If it’s the former, then do a meditation exercise on your identity. Close your eyes, get comfortable, and think of the actions you’ve taken in your life that made you feel like most proud, the most accomplished, the most beautiful, or the most wise. It can be anything that makes you feel good and special inside. Use these memories to guide your answer to the prompt.

If you don’t have people in your life that you think have helped you remember your true self, look from the opposite angle. It’s true that a friend who compliments you on your courage will easily help you remember the good inside you. But an enemy who causes you to question your integrity can also spur change and help you to remember who you really want to be.

Dig Deeper

Philosophers have spent lifetimes trying to answer the question, “who are we?” Identity is one of the cornerstones of our experience of ourselves and our lives. How has your identity changed and evolved over the course of your lifetime? And which parts of your identity do you think belong to your true self? Which parts are fleeting?

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“You know, all that really matters is that the people you love are happy and healthy. Everything else is just sprinkles on the sundae.” – Paul Walker

Prompt

Who brings you the most joy?

Stuck?

Simply look back on a previous day where you journaled. What’s something you were grateful for on that day?

Dig Deeper

Visualization exercises can be so powerful, as we can store them as memories and use them later. If you connect your visualization to a cue, you can also utilize that cue the next time you want to feel gratitude. Think of a cue – lighting a candle, listening to a particular song, making a fist – and then redo the visualization exercise with the utmost intensity. Next time you encounter the cue again, see if the mental imagery comes to mind more easily.

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“There can be no real freedom without the freedom to fail.” – Erich Fromm

Prompt

Recall a time you were afforded enough freedom to encounter a mishap of your own doing. How did that event impact you?

Stuck?

Find your nearest photo album, greeting card collection, yearbook, or diary. Flip through until you find an experience that makes your heart melt. What did you like about it?

Dig Deeper

Our lives are filled with a vast number of experiences, most of which we don’t remember. The experiences that we choose to remember are often special in how impacted us or the significance they carry. What do you think makes your precious memories so meaningful to you?

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“Keep your face always toward the sunshine - and shadows will fall behind you.” - Walt Whitman

Prompt

Recall a time that optimism helped you.

Stuck?

Sometimes in order to recall our successes, we need to first recall our problems. Think back to your last job or class – what problems did you encounter? How did you deal with them? If you had problems at home, with family, friends, or loved ones, what were they? Has anything changed for you as a result of how you handled it?

Dig Deeper

Choose an artistic medium – music, painting, sculpture, photography – then see if you can imagine how you might capture the event that you wrote about. What would it look like? Sound like? Feel like? Can you taste success? Hold it? Be playful with your options.

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“People who think they know everything are a great annoyance to those of us who do.” - Isaac Asimov

Prompt

Think back – perhaps to your teen years – and remember a belief you held strongly at the time, but no longer believe to be true. How has this belief changed for you over the years?

Stuck?

Our lives are made up of objects and experiences that would impossible without the work of many people. In nearly every field and industry, there are innovators, planners, builders, fixers, teachers, nurturers, and supporters. Think of at least three recent experiences you were pleased with, and briefly research what the process looked like to make that happen.

If you find it difficult to enjoy things, answer this prompt thinking of simple comforts. Perhaps you remember a time when you were uncomfortable or in pain. What items or experiences allow you to live without that same discomfort?

Dig Deeper

Draw your favorite object in the middle of a piece of paper. For example, let's say it's a stuffed animal you were gifted as a child. Around the piece of paper you're going to write all the different people who were involved in getting this object into your hands. You might write "inventor", "manufacturer", "truck driver", "store manager", and if you are more versed in supply chain (feel free to do some brief research if you're not), you can add "buyer", "sales manager", "sales associate", and so on. We would of course add the gifter and well as the reciever of the gift (you!). Next, draw a line between all of the people who you imagine interacted with one another during the process. You can use different shapes or colors if you want to distinguish them by role. Notice just how many people you came up with. What does it make you think and feel?

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“A friend is a gift you give yourself.” - Robert Louis Stevenson

Prompt

How would you want a good friend to treat you? Think of a time when you treated yourself in such a way.

Stuck?

We can be shaped by people, experiences, or trauma. Sometimes it helps to think about what you were like before you knew a key figure in your life or before some serious or impactful happened to you. Consider how your perspective may have shifted, or any ideas or values you may have adopted.

Dig Deeper

One of the most important things you can think about is who you are. What defines you and what motivates you. Draw a timeline where the starting point is 10 years in the past and the end point is 10 years in the future. Mark a few key moments in the last 10 years and then make a list of how different elements of you changes because of them. Next, mark a few imaginary people and events in your future. How do you open yourself up to being changed? Who would you like to become?

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“Chess helps you to concentrate, improve your logic. It teaches you to play by the rules and take responsibility for your actions, how to problem solve in an uncertain environment.” - Garry Kasparov

Prompt

What hobby improves your life and how?

Stuck?

Think of at least one person with at least one attribute that you genuinely admire. What do you admire about them?

Dig Deeper

Envy is a misunderstood emotion. People often push it away, thinking that it conveys something negative about themselves. In actuality, envy serves a useful purpose: it allows us to feel that we strongly want something that we see someone else having. What are five times in your life that you felt envious? Write about whether or not you succeeded in obtaining what you coveted, and why you think that outcome happened?

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“Life isn't about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.” - George Bernard Shaw

Prompt

What are some ways in which you've created yourself? Actualized your values? Achieved your goals?

Stuck?

Depending on your age and how far along you are in your journey, you honestly may not feel like you've actualized any dreams from your childhood. Or maybe you just don't remember what your child self wanted. Try this meditation. Sit in a quiet place, close your eyes, and visualize the times in your youth that you were most likely to wish for something. Maybe it was during the holidays, your birthday, or if you saw a star in the night sky. See your child self sitting and wishing for something. Then bring yourself into the scene and ask your child self what they are wishing for? Talk with them about it for as long as you wish.

Dig Deeper

A lot of life's frustrations come from failing to realize that we are pinpoints on a vast timeline. What's something that you are frustrated you haven't achieved yet? Now imagine or draw a scene in the future where you've actualized that dream.

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“The secret is not to give up hope. It's very hard not to because if you're really doing something worthwhile I think you will be pushed to the brink of hopelessness before you come through the other side.” - George Lucas

Prompt

Pushing through a hard time can be one of the most difficult tasks we do as humans. Recall the most difficult time in your life and describe how you pushed through.

Stuck?

There are so many small pleasures, conveniences, and people that we take for granted. Create a list of nine things you take for granted - you could do three small pleasures that you used to enjoy a lot, three daily conveniences that you often don't appreciate, and three people that show up in your life regularly (either people who you interact with, or someone like a postal worker who you might not even see).

Dig Deeper

As we get older and experience more and more loss, we might reflect on our lives and wonder why we didn't spend more time with a loved one? Or why we didn't enjoy our health when we had it? Which memories in your distant past can you look back on fondly? Write a letter to your younger self to express any regret or longing you may have.

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“Quality is everyone's responsibility.” - W. Edwards Deming

Prompt

What are some social or environmental woes that you've taken a part in correcting?

Stuck?

A rose symbolizes something that has both positive and negative aspects. A rose may smell sweet, but it comes as the price of a painful thorn! Can you name something that you find beautiful or pleasant, but also comes with a dangerous or painful side?

Dig Deeper

Draw or paint a picture of your rose. It can be a real rose, the item you wrote about, or an artistic rendering of pleasure and pain.

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“I must study politics and war that my sons may have liberty to study mathematics and philosophy.” - John Adams

Prompt

Name some meaningful generational differences. They can be between you and your parents, grandparents, or children if you have them.

Stuck?

There are certain times in our lives when a shift in perspective happens easily. It might be during a trip to a different region, or after watching a documentary or reading a memoir. Sometimes perspective shifts happen when we talk deeply, either to someone else or to ourselves. Try to think of a belief or opinion you've had that changed, and see if you can recall what triggered the change?

Dig Deeper

It's possible to do the save activity 100 times, but on the 101th time have such a unique experience it feels like you're doing it for the first time. Plan to do something familiar with new eyes today.

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“There are many ways for organisms to probe the external world. Some smell it, others listen to it, many see it. Each species, therefore, lives in its own unique sensory world of which other species may be partially or totally unaware.” - Richard Axel

Prompt

Describe your unique way of perceiving and sensing the world around you.

Stuck?

Sometimes it's hard to get inside your body. Try this: take 10 deep breaths. Afterwards, choose one part of your body to focus on: it can be your skin, chest, shoulders, eyes, or anything really. Pay attention to how this feels and write about which aspects are familiar versus unfamiliar.

Dig Deeper

Accepting one's own thoughts can be tricky. Set aside 5-10 minutes to sit in stillness and watch your thoughts and feelings as they arise. Try to accept each one, without self-critcism, judgement, or denial. Observe these thoughts as you would a character in a book or a movie. How do you feel?

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“Without leaps of imagination, or dreaming, we lose the excitement of possibilities. Dreaming, after all, is a form of planning.” - Gloria Steinem

Prompt

Create a vision. It can be in your imagination, on a piece of paper, or you can create a vision board (a collection of images arranged together). What do you see in your future?

Stuck?

Whether we recognize the pain of others has a lot to do with our own capacities. Whether we have close relationships at hand, the emotional bandwidth to consider others, or the curiosity or interest to discover what's going on with those we care about. If you have trouble seeing the frustrations of others, write about what's limiting your ability.

Dig Deeper

Interestingly, when we become concerned with the strife of another, it's often because it reminds us of our own pain. Can you think of someone who's pain has reminded you of your own past experience? Write about the similarities and differences between you and them.

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“It is easier to find men who will volunteer to die, than to find those who are willing to endure pain with patience.” - Julius Caesar

Prompt

Sitting with your own pain - whether physical. mental, or emotional - can be one of the hardest thihngs that we as humans do. Recall a time that you showed patience in a time of difficulty.

Stuck?

Another way to think of this question is, "what do you expect will be there tomorrow?" Often when we expect the same thing or person to be available day after day, we end up taking it or them for granted.

Dig Deeper

Can you recall a time when you were taken for granted? Write a poem (it can be short) about being taken for granted - either as something you did or something done to you. Try to describe how it felt.

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“I opened two gifts this morning. They were my eyes.” - Zig Ziglar

Prompt

Recall when you were a child and you felt awestruck by something your body could do. If it's hard to remember, think of something more recently that took your breath away. Maybe a skill or experience that you or someone else had.

Stuck?

You might be stuck if you're unaware of any fears that are holding you back. If that's true, try one of two things. 1) Recall a time when you were younger and your fears did indeed hold you back. What changed? or 2) Is it possible that you have hidden fears? Sometimes fear can be scary to recognize. For some people it comes out as anger or anxiety. If this might be you, try to list three things that you're afraid might happen.

Dig Deeper

Author, Tim Ferris, gave a Ted Talk in 2017 (that's been viewed over 11 million times) where he shared an exercise he calls "fear setting". The exercise includes listing your biggest fears, the possible negative consequences, how likely they are to happen, and how you may offset or handle that consequence. For each fear you also list any negative consequences that will arise from not following through. Try your own fear setting with at least one fear. Feel free to look up Tim's Ted Talk for more information.

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“People who think they know everything are a great annoyance to those of us who do.” - Isaac Asimov

Prompt

Describe a time that you had some newfound self-awareness, either around your feelings or behavior. What was it like to be self-aware?

Stuck?

Some people are more future oriented than others. If you find yourself not really thinking about the far future, try this thought exercise. Choose a few important life categories for you. Some ideas: work & career, financial health, family, friendships, a favorite hobby, spirituality, community, health, exercise, learning. Feel free to add more. Next, go through the categories one by one, thinking of where you are now versus where you'd like to see yourself in 10 years. Once you're done, you can combine all the categories (either artistically or in your mind) to see your vision.

Dig Deeper

In life there are always surprises. It's rare that the road from A to B is a straight line. Can you think of some possible events that interfere with the realization of your vision? Write about the ways you plan to deal with those events if they happen.

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“Countless as the sands of the sea are human passions.” - Nikolai Gogol

Prompt

List at least 5 things you've been passionate about over the years.

Stuck?

We're not all invigorated by the current challenges we're facing. You can think back on your life and remember the last challenge you took on that felt rewarding.

Dig Deeper

Sketch a mountain. At the bottom, write the date your quest began. And at the top, write the name of your current challenge along with the date you'd like to feel you've completed it. Now mark points along the left side of the mountain where you experienced difficulties. You can depict them in detail if you choose. Now alongside the right side of the mountain, write or draw the values, principles, and/or feelings you're looking to embrace along your journey.

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“The best way to make your dreams come true is to wake up.” - Paul Valery

Prompt

Recall a time that you escaped into fantasy.

Stuck?

The way in which you trust yourself in multifaceted. How do you trust yourself to know which decisions are good for you? How do you trust yourself to take good care of yourself? How do you trust yourself to do the right thing?

Dig Deeper

Deep faith is often considered spiritual or religious. But it doesn't need to be. Name a few things - either beliefs, people, values, or events - that you have deep faith in?

Quote

“God gave us the gift of life; it is up to us to give ourselves the gift of living well.” - Voltaire

Prompt

Name several ways in which you take responsibility for the quality of your own life.

Stuck?

Sometimes distance is needed to see the silver lining in a bad situation. Try to pick a misfortune that happened a long time ago, and think deeply on the impact it had on you as a whole person. How did it change you? How did it shift your perspective?

Dig Deeper

There is an old Taoist story called, "The Parable of the Chinese Farmer". It's summarized below:

Once upon a time there was a Chinese farmer whose horse ran away. That evening, all of his neighbors visited him to commiserate, saying, “We’re so sorry to hear your horse has run away. This is most unfortunate.” To which the farmer simply replied, “Maybe.”

The next day the horse came back bringing seven wild horses with it, and in the evening, everybody came back and said, “Oh, what luck! What a great turn of events. You now have eight horses!” The farmer again simply said, “Maybe.”

The following day the man’s son tried to break one of the wild horses, and while riding it, he was thrown and broke his leg. The neighbors came again and said, “Oh dear, we’re so sorry to hear about your son’s leg. That’s truly unfortunate.” The farmer simply responded, “Maybe.”

The next day an enlistment officer came to the farm looking to draft young men into the army, and upon seeing the boy’s broken leg, he left the farm allowing the boy to stay with his father. Again all the neighbors came around and said, “How lucky you are that you can keep your son! Isn’t that great!” Again, the farmer simply said, “Maybe.”

Reflect on the story. What does it make you think? Feel?

Quote

“Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.” - Melody Beattie

Prompt

Reflect on your past gratitudes, and find some commonalities. What do you tend do be grateful for? What does that mean for you and your future?

Stuck?

It can be hard to know why we feel annoyed. Lots of things may feel "irrationally annoying" to us. If this is true, focus on the "whats" first. List 5-10 behaviors that annoy you. Bonus points if you can recall an early memory from when this first annoyed you.

Dig Deeper

Pscyhologist, Carl Jung, had a theory of "the shadow self". He said that the shadow consists of traits that are repressed or rejected. This is an uncomfortable thought for many people to hold, because the rejected trait often disgusts or angers us. For this reason, people may project the shadow traits onto others. An example of this would be a law-abiding woman being repulsed by their convicted felon brother. Or an angry, pessimistic teenager feeling infuriated by the optimistic kid at school.

Can you think deeply of the behavior that annoys you, and point to a time in your life when you either a) wanted to do that behavior, or b) did that behavior. What came of it? How did your early life experiences around it shape your feelings about the behavior?

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“I dreamed I was a butterfly, flitting around in the sky; then I awoke. Now I wonder: Am I a man who dreamt of being a butterfly, or am I a butterfly dreaming that I am a man?” - Zhuangzi

Prompt

What is the most memorable dream you've had? Write it or draw it. Then describe its significance to you.

Stuck?

It might be scary to feel like you owe the world anything. After all, we're all small and perhaps unable to have much impact. If that resonates with you, write about what big impact you can have on your community? On your family? On your own sphere of dominion?

If you aren't scared of owing the world, but you don't know what exactly you owe it, do some self-discovery. Write 5 things that you excel at. Write 5 things that you love to do. And write 5 things that you find meaningful.

Dig Deeper

The thing you wish to give to the world - what sort of difference do you hope it makes? Write about a hypothetical person 100 years in the future that you imagine to benefit from your gift to humanity.

Quote

“No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it's not the same river and he's not the same man.” - Heraclitus

Prompt

How have you changed over the course of your life, so that your response to two similar situations was completely different?