25 Gratitude Questions to Stay Positive

On my toughest days, gratitude has been a lifeline. It shifts my attention from what’s wrong to what’s right.

Gratitude gives me energy and courage. It anchors me in what I have instead of what I lack, helps me see possibility, and keeps me moving forward when life gets hard.

When I answer gratitude-focused questions, I reconnect with what is going well instead of fixating on what is not. It always makes a difference.

After coaching thousands of clients, I’ve noticed that anxious people often fall into two patterns that keep them stuck:

Pattern #1: Rigidity — Seeing the world in black-and-white terms, driven by perfectionism, all-or-nothing thinking, and success-or-failure judgments.

Pattern #2: Control — Spending energy trying to change things outside their influence while overlooking the areas where they do have the power to grow, act, and improve.

Gratitude helps break both patterns. It softens rigid thinking and redirects your focus toward what you can influence.

You have the power to break these patterns. Begin with gratitude. Progress does not require perfection. In fact, rigid perfectionism is often what keeps you stuck.

“People are just about as happy as they make up their minds to be.”
— Abraham Lincoln

I also talk through how gratitude helps shift your focus, reduce anxiety, and build courage in this episode of the Decide Your Legacy podcast:

Here are 25 questions to help you stay positive every day. Use them to journal, reflect, or simply answer quickly. Even responding to just a few can energize you.

25 Gratitude Questions

Questions 1 - 13

1. What abilities do I have that I'm grateful for?
2. What life experiences (good or bad) have I had that I'm grateful for?
3. What material possessions am I thankful for?
4. What about my surroundings (home/neighborhood/city, etc.) am I thankful for?
5. What made me laugh or smile recently?
6. How am I fortunate?
7. Who do I appreciate? Why?
8. What is something fun I get to do later?
9. What's something I've learned recently that has improved my life?
10. What happened today/this week/this month/this year for which I'm grateful?
11. What activities (hobbies, events, etc.) am I grateful for?
12. How can I be thankful for the challenges I've experienced in my life? What did I learn from them?
13. What's an opportunity I'm thankful for?

Questions 14 - 25

14. What in nature inspires me and why?
15. What have others done for me for which I'm thankful?
16. What is different today than it was a year ago that I'm grateful for?
17. What insights and discoveries have I personally gained that I'm thankful for?
18. In what ways can I help others today or sometime soon?
19. How have my spiritual beliefs or practices fulfilled me recently?
20. What's one thing I enjoyed about my job recently?
21. Have you had an opportunity to help someone recently? How did you feel about it?
22. What's something you're looking forward to in the future?
23. What movie, book, blog, or article affected your life for the better recently?
24. Who in your life has survived something difficult and grown from the experience?
25. What's one kind or thoughtful thing someone did for me recently?

Take Action

Here is a fillable PDF worksheet for you to download with all of these great gratitude building questions. 

Answer these questions the next time you're in a funk, and they'll take your attitude from negative to positive. They'll remind you of how much you have to be thankful for. Download a PDF of these questions below and use them with co-workers, family, and friends

Download 25 Gratitude Questions

Related Content

How to Be Grateful When Life Is Hard (post) by Adam Gragg
My 20 Favorite Questions to Ask Clients (post) by Adam Gragg
30 Happiness Building Actions (post) by Adam Gragg
100 Journaling Prompts for Reflection & Insight (post) by Adam Gragg