120 Gratitude Affirmations for Cultivating Thankfulness

Have you ever been on the receiving end of a random act of kindness from a stranger? Or have you ever had a bad day that ended on a positive note? If you’ve experienced moments like these, you might have expressed thanks to that kind stranger or to the universe in general. Gratitude affirmations have a way of lifting your spirits and brightening your day. With that said, learning how to use gratitude affirmations in your day-to-day-life can provide you with some psychological benefits, especially when turned into a habit.

Using Affirmations to Cultivate Gratitude

According to researchers, gratitude is not just an emotion; it is generally about being appreciative of life by highlighting the good, positive things that you have and experience. Especially when done with intentionality, using gratitude affirmations can improve your well-being, and a large body of evidence supports this finding. Another benefit of daily gratitude affirmations is that it is linked to strengthening positive character traits (which can also be accomplished by using our character education posters). It follows then, from these lines of evidence, that using affirmations for gratitude can also help alleviate problematic symptoms typically associated with mental health conditions.

120 Gratitude Affirmations

Knowing all of this, you may now want to start using gratitude affirmations throughout your day. Although gratitude can take several various forms, the following lists contain 120 examples of powerful gratitude affirmations that you can use for yourself, just for you to get an idea of where and how to start.

Gratitude Affirmations for Oneself

1. I allow my voice to be heard, my thoughts to be expressed, and my visions to be seen.
2. I express deep appreciation for the small steps I achieve each day.
3. My life is meaningful and important; I am a valuable contributor to the greater good.
4. I am worthy because i say so. My worth is in my hands.
5. I choose to be kind to myself and love myself unconditionally.
6. I am creating a life that feels good, and I am in charge of my own happiness.
7. Happiness is within me. I base my happiness on my own accomplishments and the blessings I've been given.
8. I have the freedom and power to create the life I desire.
9. I am the architect of my life. I build its foundation and choose its contents. I decorate my life with hope, healing, and gratitude.
10. Self-acceptance, self-love, and self-care are the habits that I choose to cultivate. I am practicing loving my life.
11. Today, I am grateful to be alive and filled with serenity and happiness.
12. I have the energy and passion to make my thoughts a reality.
13. I am in the process of becoming the best version of myself.
14. I am a beautiful, unique soul, and I acknowledge that my existence and contribution on this planet are needed.
15. When I work for something, I tend to achieve it. Therefore, I am appreciative of the results, and I value the work I put in on a daily basis.
16. I am grateful for the freedom that I have been given because of where I live and who I surround myself with. My spirit led me to this place in my life and my world, and for that, I am grateful.
17. The life I'm living is important and meaningful. Every day, I contribute to the greater good of humanity and the universe, and my contribution is valuable.
18. My body deserves to be loved and cherished, and it gets me everywhere I need to go every day. I am grateful for my body and all that it does for me. Learning how to properly care for my body has made my body feel loved.
19. I choose to practice self-love, self-acceptance, and self-care. These beneficial habits help me to grow as a person, and I have chosen to carefully cultivate them so that I'm living a loving life every day.
20. I have given myself permission to trust my guidance, myself, and my intuition.I am blessed with the intuition I need to seek out all of the good things life has to offer me and the people I surround myself with.

Gratitude Affirmations for Relationships

1. Every kind word I express comes back to me multiplied.
2. I always treat others the way I expect to be treated.
3. I create the possibility of happiness for others by being happy.
4. As I focus on compassion, I naturally relate to others with love and understanding.
5. As I forgive myself, it becomes easier to forgive others.
6. I am worthy of great love, and I deserve to be loved fully and completely.
7. Every person on this planet enriches my life in some way or another. I am thankful to all.
8. I live in a state of gratitude, and I am always thankful for the help and support of others who have helped me along the way.
9. I am grateful to others for the kindness they show me. I am filled with praise and gratitude.
10. Each day, I am so grateful for how loved I am and how much people care about me.
11. I live in a state of gratitude, and I am always thankful for the help and support of others who have helped me along the way.
12. I come to my partner with peace today. In order to make this happen, I come to my partner with a grateful heart, ready for the blessings of this relationship.
13. I have a best friend who has always been there for me. I refuse to take this person for granted, and for that, I am grateful.
14. I am worthy of being loved even though some people might not see me that way. I am happy in what I am doing, as it brings me a lot of joy.
15. I have a loving family that has been there for me every step of the way. I do not take them for granted, and I am grateful for them.
16. Every person I encounter every day teaches me something new, and I am grateful for how many people cross my path daily.
17. When I love, I love unconditionally, and the people and animals in my life know that they are unconditionally loved. I also love and accept myself unconditionally, just as I do every other living creature.
18. My family and friends support me, and I am grateful for their love.
19. I revel in the sweet moments with loved ones that came from this day.
20. I am grateful for friends that enrich my life with their support, kindness, and wisdom.

Gratitude Affirmations for Experiences

1. I am worthy of beautiful endings and exciting beginnings.
2. Each day, even if it's for a few minutes, I'm going to stop and be grateful for all of life's beauty.
3. I am thankful that with each experience, I become a better version of myself.
4. I am focusing on the joy of living my life and helping others where and when I can.
5. I am thankful to the universe for allowing me to take birth and go through life's experiences.
6. Every day is a constant state of learning. Today, I am finding ways to be grateful for what I have while also being excited about what is yet to transpire.
7. My heart is open and receptive to giving and receiving love. I am a magnet for positive loving experiences.
8. I am grateful now for the abundance and flow that I have in my life. I am grateful for the smooth ride that the universe has placed me on.
9. As a valuable human being and contributor to the universe, I am worthy of exciting beginnings and beautiful endings. I will be fully in the moment and enjoy every experience, from start to finish.
10. I am grateful for simple joys such as dancing in the rain, feeling the sunlight on my skin, and enjoying the warmth of another person's smile. I don't take these simple pleasures for granted.
11. I recognize that everything may not have gone as planned today, but there was still plenty of good in the day.
12. I am grateful for the process, not just the destination.
13. Every situation in life has a purpose.
14. I am thankful for my past and the part it plays in my future success.
15. I am happy to wake up to live another day. I am going to make it worth it.
16. I am grateful for all the lessons I learned, and I'm ready to move forward.
17. I am grateful for all the good memories i have.
18. I am grateful for all the wonderful things that tomorrow has prepared for me.
19. I am open to things working out for me. I am open to receiving abundance. I am open to connecting with my highest self.
20. Everything that is happening now is happening for my ultimate good.

Gratitude Affirmations for Mindfulness

1. I am eternally grateful for all of the blessings I have in my life.
2. I am happy and grateful for everything I have and receive daily.
3. With every breath I take, I am bringing more and more gratitude into my life.
4. All the good in my life comes to me as a result of my willingness to find happiness in each moment.
5. Every day, I'm going to be more mindful of all of the small blessings that I should be thankful for.
6. I return to the basics of life: forgiveness, courage, gratitude, love, and humor.
7. The air I breathe, the ground I walk on, are all a gift from the universe, and I express my gratitude for the same.
8. I am grateful for my sense of gratitude. I know it is the way to joy, peace, and the life of my dreams.
9. I realize that whatever I eat and drink passes through many hands before reaching me. I am thankful to all these people.
10. With every breath I take, I am bringing greater and greater clarity into my life.
11. I feel gratitude for the amazing spectrum of emotions that I feel on a daily basis. From joy to sorrow and all of the emotions between those two, every emotion is an opportunity for growth and inspiration.
12. While my thoughts might vary from day to day, my giving of thanks extends far beyond what I think about on a daily basis. My grateful spirit is present in each step and action that I take.
13. I wake every day grateful for the beauty that I see in the nature that surrounds me. I know I do not pause enough to appreciate everything, but that does not lessen my gratitude.
14. The more I pay attention to everything in life that is working in my favor, the happier I am and the better my life gets.
15. As long as I approach this situation with appreciation, the arms of abundance will be extended to me. I know that I do not consciously think this every day, but I trust my spirit to guide me.
16. My health is positive and for that I am grateful. It gives me the power to enjoy every day to the fullest.
17. All I have right now is this moment and this moment is enough. For that, I am grateful.
18. Each day from here on out, I will pause for just a few minutes. This will allow me to appreciate the beauty that is life.
19. I need to pause every day to express gratitude for everything that I have in my life. I know that I need to make an effort to express appreciation, as my experiences have made me who I am today.
20. All of the things I already have continue to add value to my daily existence, and I am appreciative of everything that has found its way to me in the universe's divine plan. I will live in the now and enjoy everything in my life to the fullest.

Gratitude Affirmations for Challenges

1. Today, I will concentrate on taking one step forward, however small.
2. I release the amount of pressure I put on myself.
3. Everything that is happening now is happening for my ultimate good.
4. I realize there will be obstacles but I have the strength to get through them.
5. I see problems as challenges that help me evolve and make me grow.
6. Where I think I am lost, I am ready to feel found.
7. I realize that every situation in life has some purpose, and I thank the universe for it.
8. Today, I will look for the beauty and the gifts in these moments of struggle. I will be grateful for each and every one of them.
9. I forgive myself and I allow myself to feel inner peace.
10. I am grateful for my life's challenges for helping me grow and become who I am.
11. I will always work to find something in my life to appreciate no matter how dark the days might get. There is always something for me to be grateful for.
12. I am in a perpetual state of thanksgiving because of the obstacles I have overcome along the way.
13. I accept both my burdens and my blessings. Therefore, I seek to marry the two and look at my burdens as my blessings.
14. I know that each day is going to bring new challenges. I embrace them and know they will make me a better person. I will strive every day to be a better person than I was the day before.
15. Even though some todays might bring turmoil, I am making a conscious decision to seek peace. I trust my well-being to the universe.
16. Even when a situation is dark, I am able to shine my light and find appreciation. No darkness can survive for long in the light, and I am a person who knows how to bring the light to everything I encounter.
17. Problems are blessings in disguise because they are challenges that can help me grow and evolve as a valuable human being in the universe. For this reason, I welcome problems and approach them with a positive attitude at all times.
18. Life has plenty of obstacles, but fortunately, I have the strength to climb those obstacles, persevere, and come out on top. Obstacles are an opportunity for growth, and I'm grateful for every obstacle that pops up in my path to fulfillment.
19. I recognize the value of mistakes and have learned to own the mistakes I've made throughout my life. Mistakes are an opportunity for growth, and the road to success is paved with mistakes that helped me to learn more about how the world works. I'm grateful for what my mistakes have taught me.
20. I recognize that there is a silver lining in every tough experience.

Gratitude Affirmations for Opportunities

1. I trust that what's meant for me is already mine, regardless of how and when it is mine.
2. I am open to things working out for me. I am open to receiving abundance. I am open to connecting with my highest self.
3. I am not afraid of what could go wrong. I am excited about what could go right.
4. I am ready to encounter opportunities I never thought were possible.
5. Each and every day, I learn new lessons, expand my awareness, and develop my abilities.
6. Today, I am planting the seeds of growth in my life. I am absolutely committed to watering them every day.
7. With a sense of gratitude, I see the world in a new light. Each day is an opportunity and a gift.
8. I am grateful for another day to make a positive contribution.
9. Every day is a constant state of learning. Today, I am finding ways to be grateful for what I have while also being excited for what has yet to transpire.
10. I know that my hard work is leading to improvements in my life. For these improvements, I am grateful.
11. I am appreciative of everything that has happened in my life. It is this gratefulness that allows me to keep my door open for future blessings.
12. I am happy to have a feeling of gratefulness that continues to expand my perspective. It opens me up to numerous ways of living with all of them leading to happiness.
13. I am grateful for the tremendous opportunities for growth that the universe has placed before me.
14. Every day, abundance is waiting for me, and I am grateful for every opportunity that comes my way. While abundance sometimes means wealth and possessions, abundant living also means happiness, peace, and joy.
15. Small steps and progress happen in my life every day, and I know that these small steps are the path to my success and growth. I am grateful for every small step I take. Today, I will focus on moving forward one step at a time.
16. Each day, I receive countless blessings, abundance, and growth opportunities, and I am enormously grateful for them. I will remember that everything that comes my way is a blessing, even if the benefit to my life is not readily apparent. I commit to enjoying everything in my life right now.
17. Where others see nothing, I can find beauty because i am willing to seek out beauty in all things. When I uncover a rock, I find more exciting things underneath that can teach me something.
18. Anything is possible in the world I inhabit, and I am grateful for the opportunities that life presents to me and for those opportunities that I find when I seek them out. I have endless opportunities.
19. With everything I experience in life, I am working toward becoming the very best version of myself. I am grateful for and mindful of all of the growth opportunities that arrive at my door every day of the year.
20. I realize that today is a grand opportunity to live a creative, happy, and inspired life. I'm thankful for it.

Tips for Incorporating Gratitude Affirmations in Your Daily Routine

Now that you have several templates of what you can be grateful for in your day-to-day life, how can you put them to good use? Incorporating these powerful gratitude affirmations may seem unnatural at first, but when done habitually, doing so can transform your life. The following are some tips on how to use daily gratitude affirmations in your routine:

• Start your day right. When you wake up and go about your morning routine, recite gratitude affirmations to boost your mood, whether you have just woken up, are in the shower, or are having your first meal of the day.
• Write down your daily gratitude affirmations in a journal. This is important in making expressing gratitude a habit. In any notebook that you like, list down at least three to five things that you are thankful for at the end of each day. Maintaining this journal can also help hold you accountable for using gratitude affirmations on a regular basis.
• Incorporate gratitude affirmations into your everyday activities. For example, you can rehearse these affirmations to yourself while you’re on the way to work or while you are brushing your teeth.
• Set reminders. One way to do this is to post sticky notes on your walls, your bathroom mirror, or on your workspace. Alternatively, you can set an alarm for the best time you are able to track your gratitude statements in that journal!
• Spread your gratitude to others. You don’t have to keep this powerful habit to yourself. You can also share what you’re thankful for to your family, friends, and coworkers. By doing so, you will not only bolster their mood but also encourage them to highlight what is positive in their lives.
• Practice a gratitude meditation. Take some time within your day, perhaps once you wake up or before you go to bed, to sit, close your eyes, and focus on your thoughts and feelings associated with the thankfulness you have toward the people you have met and yourself, as well as toward the experiences you have had.
• Express thanks even in the most difficult of times. It can be challenging to do so when you are at a low point in your life, but times like this are when you need to be grateful the most. In addition, using gratitude affirmations during these moments can help you exercise your growth mindset in such that you see these challenges as opportunities to learn and grow more than just obstacles you have to necessarily overcome. (For other ways to cultivate a growth mindset, see our growth mindset posters.)
• Reflect on what you are grateful for. At this point, you may have made incorporating gratitude affirmations into your routine a habit in the form of a gratitude journal. Every month or so, you can look back on your previous affirmations by reading your journal to remind yourself that despite the seeming monotony of everyday life, there’s always something new to be grateful for.
• Exercise patience. Perhaps you find yourself struggling to come up with daily gratitude affirmations, especially during the first few times you’re just starting to build the habit. That’s okay! Don’t forget to forgive yourself for these lapses because it’s not always easy to stay positive, but remember to go back to your gratitude exercises the next day.
• Pay it forward. Finally, maybe you want to express your thanks by giving back to the community that has contributed to your reasons for being grateful in the first place. Forms of paying it forward may include volunteering for an advocacy organization, donating your money or time to a charitable foundation, and more. Giving back can also be as simple as performing simple acts of kindness toward others. In the example given earlier, maybe you can also do the same kind act for someone struggling to pay at the checkout counter.

The Bottom Line

It may not be easy to be grateful about everything, but there’s always at least one thing to be grateful for. Whether you decide to start small by listing at least three powerful gratitude affirmations in your journal or by moving onto large-scale efforts to express your thanks for the community that has made you feel alive, gratitude affirmations can incrementally boost your mood, improve your well-being, and promote character development. In other words, expressing gratitude in your daily encounters is a form of self-care. For more on how to practice self-care, you can take a look at our self-care worksheets for some ways to achieve the same benefits that gratitude affirmations can provide!