Gratitude is something that I’ve overlooked my entire life; I’ve always wanted more than I’ve had, and I’ve always strived to be my best in everything that I’ve ever done.

However, when I’ve been in dire straits – like my emotional breakdown from last week – I’ve always ended up being grateful for the small things that I have the pleasure of enjoying when I’m feeling my best. As they say – you don’t know what you have until it’s gone, and I certainly have learned to appreciate the good times more and more as I’ve hit my lows over the past year or so.

Simple things can trigger a feeling of gratitude – for example, everyone who’s ever been sick knows that they value being healthy more when they’re sick than they do when they’re healthy, because they realize how wonderful it is to just feel normal.

In this post, I’m going to construct a list of tons of things I’m grateful for – showing just how much good there is in your life, no matter who you are. Finding good things is possible, if you’re willing to look hard enough and name the obvious. Remember: the more “obvious” something is (like, the fact that you can walk), the more you take it for granted. Those are the things that you should feel the most grateful for!

The Gratitude List

1. I’m grateful I have a computer of my own so I can write this post.

2. I’m grateful I’m a good writer.

3. I’m grateful that I have the ability to write in my spare time, instead of having to work elsewhere, or having to do schoolwork all the time.

4. I’m grateful that I can write for a blog – especially one as awesome as PluginID.

5. I’m grateful that live in a household that has encouraged me to develop my talents.

6. I’m grateful that I live in a household where reading was encouraged, because I think I owe a lot of my success to that.

7. I’m grateful that read and write.

8. I’m grateful that I can hear well and see well.

9. I’m grateful for my health.

10. I’m grateful that all the injuries I’ve ever sustained in my life have been relatively minor.

11. I’m grateful for my talents in school

12. I’m thankful that I live in a country where military service isn’t compulsory.

13. I’m grateful that I have the ability to connect with a bunch of amazing people via services like Twitter and Skype.

14. I’m grateful that I live in a relatively peaceful area.

15. I’m grateful for my unlimited access to clean water.

16. I’m grateful for having a warm home.

17. I’m grateful for never having to go more than 24 hours without food in my entire life.

18. I’m grateful for my family. They’re kind of crazy and a little annoying at times, but I love them because they are good people.

19. I’m grateful that I was raised right and am a good person because of it.

20. I’m grateful for all the free time that I have.

21. I’m grateful for my natural athleticism, and how I’m good at most sports that I try my hand at.

22. I’m grateful for my ability to learn things very quickly.

23. I’m grateful that I live in a society where I am free to choose my occupation.

24. I’m grateful that I live in a society where I am free to choose who I associate with and who I end up marrying – or if I get married at all.

25. I’m grateful that if I got sick, my family would be able to afford the medications that I’d need to get better.

26. I’m grateful that I have a wonderful girlfriend.

27. I’m grateful for the realization that I can choose to feel whole, with or without a girlfriend; she does not complete me.

28. I’m grateful that there ARE good people in this world.

29. I’m grateful for all those cool “Ah-ha!” moments that have been so important to my personal growth over the years.

30. I’m grateful that I’ve made the right decision hundreds of times.
31. I’m grateful that I’ve made the wrong decision thousands of times, and learned from them.

32. I’m grateful that I can fail at many things and it won’t have any real lasting consequences.

33. I’m grateful that I’ll be attending one of the best universities in the world next fall (I don’t know which it is yet, though!).

34. I’m grateful that, when I’ve been true to myself, I’ve succeeded; and that when I’ve not been true to myself, I’ve failed.

35. I’m grateful that vulnerability is actually a sign of strength, and that authenticity is celebrated.

36. I’m grateful that I’ve been able to play hockey for the past 15 and a half years.

37. I’m grateful that I know I’ll be able to make my dreams come true… It’s only a matter of ‘when’, not ‘if’.

38. I’m grateful that I opened my mind to meditation – it is essential to my day-to-day living.

39. I’m grateful that I’ve been around a lot of great influencers over the years… Without them, I wouldn’t be who I am today.

40. I’m grateful that I’ve learned to be okay with my own weakness.

41. I’m grateful that there are thousands of people who are trying to make a positive difference in the world – and are succeeding.

42. I’m grateful that I can choose whether to eat healthily and unhealthily (and I choose the former!).

43. I’m grateful that I’ve been able to write this post distraction-free; people respect my creative time.

44. I’m grateful that life as we know it even exists.

45. I’m grateful for all that the public education system has done for me, even though I resent it quite a bit.

46. I’m grateful for the Internet – without it, I really don’t know where I’d be in my life. Honestly. It has influenced me more than anything else – in incredibly positive ways.

47. I’m grateful for the wage I make for writing for PluginID. Honestly, I’d write for it for free.

48. I’m grateful that people I’ve never met can comment on my work.

49. I’m grateful for the opportunity to change people’s lives with my work – even though I’ll never know how many lives I’ve changed.

50. I’m grateful for all the suffering I’ve gone through, since it’s made me appreciate everything so much more.

51. I’m grateful that my parents are still alive.

52. I’m grateful that my parents are still married.

53. I’m grateful that I’m constantly learning.

54. I’m grateful that I have everything I need – food, clothes, shelter…

55. I’m grateful that I’m living in the best period in the history of human existence – more people have a standard of living that simply blows away every other part of human history.

56. I’m grateful that I live in a capitalist economy, for all its faults and shortcomings.

57. I’m grateful that I have, for the most part, good habits.

58. I’m grateful that like-minded people can get together without anyone stopping them (at least, in this country).

59. I’m grateful that I’ve learned that I no longer have much to fear from life.

60. I’m grateful that I’m alive.

61. I’m grateful that I’ve been blessed with good genes, overall.

62. I’m grateful that I am who I am, and that I’m nobody else.

63. I’m grateful that there are people who care about me.

64. I’m grateful that I could start my own business today if I wanted to.

65. I’m grateful that people can tell when people are being honest and genuine (most of the time).

66. I’m grateful that there are so many great writers in the blogosphere doing great things.

67. I’m grateful that I have the time to just sit and meditate or think about things.

68. I’m grateful that I’m mentally healthy.

69. I’m grateful that I am not involved with drugs in any way.

70. I’m grateful that I can order nearly any good I want and have it delivered to my door within a couple weeks at the most, thanks to the Internet.

71. I’m grateful for the opportunity to do work I love on this site, so I don’t have to work a typical high school job.

72. I’m grateful for all the help I’ve gotten over the years – even when I haven’t asked for it.

73. I’m grateful that my computer is ridiculously powerful – at least, compared to computers from before 2004.

74. I’m grateful that I can listen to music while I work… Without needing musicians in the same room as me. Digital music is truly awesome.

75. I’m grateful that I have a phone of my own that is more powerful than most computers were before the new millennium.

76. I’m grateful that I know that happiness is a choice.

77. I’m grateful that many people are forgiving.

78. I’m grateful that I’ll be able to sit back and say, “Life is good,” when today’s over.

79. I’m grateful for death, since it makes life so much more meaningful.

80. I’m grateful that the Internet has leveled the playing field and shortened the distance between people so connections can be made so much more easily.

81. I’m grateful that I live in a safe place and I don’t have anything to fear when I’m at home.

82. I’m grateful that I am a thinker at heart.

83. I’m grateful for all the opportunities I’ve had so far in my life.

84. I’m grateful that I’ve always put in the hard work when I’ve had to.

85. I’m grateful that there are people whose talents humble me every day – it’s incentive to work harder.

86. I’m grateful that life is so easy compared to how life was 50, 100, or 200 years ago.

87. I’m grateful that I have a good set of values.

88. I’m grateful that I don’t live in a religious household or one where dogma rules all.

89. I’m grateful that I have such a clear vision of what I want my life to look like when I get older.

90. I’m grateful that I’ll have the ability to be touched by so many people and, at the same time, touch so many other people’s lives.

91. I’m grateful that I have not had a major tragedy strike me or my family.

92. I’m grateful that most people around me actually want the best for me and want to see me succeed.

93. I’m grateful that I’ve been able to read so many books over the years.

94. I’m grateful that there is such a large movement towards doing better business – being ethical while making a profit.

95. I’m grateful that the world did not end in a nuclear holocaust during the Cold War.

96. I’m grateful for all the advances in modern medicine that have made life as we know it possible.

97. I’m grateful that there are artists of all kinds producing wonderful work for my eyes to consume.

98. I’m grateful that people can change themselves if they try hard enough – I’m living proof of that.

99. I’m grateful that there is so much beauty and joy to be had in living life.

What About You?

What are you grateful for? Did I miss anything? Was this post too self-centered, or was there something universal in the things that I am grateful for?