10 Reasons You Need An End-of-Year Gratitude List

Grateful is something I continually strive to be more of. I’ve found that the more gratitude I feel in life, the more I’m better able to see the positive side of situations, and the more fulfilled I feel. What’s more is research has also shown that gratitude can positively impact our well-being. Check out these 7 Scientifically Proven Benefits of Gratitude from Psychology Today.

With the start of a brand new year, I can think of few things more important than looking back on the year before and reflecting on what I was grateful for. Here are ten reasons why creating an end-of-year gratitude list is a good idea:

Read More: 14 Days of Gratitude

# 1 – It helps you recognize each and every accomplishment

There is something powerful about reflecting back on an entire year and seeing how far you’ve come. Even if your accomplishments don’t seem significant initially, intentionally seeking out even the smallest ones, helps you realize each time you succeeded. This can be really motivating! Speaking of…

# 2 – It motivates you to keep going

There is no better motivation to keep chasing those dreams of yours, than actual proof of things you’ve accomplished the year before. Feeling like anything is possible, and that your hopes and dreams really do come true, is a powerful and inspiring feeling – one that helps you persevere time and time again.

# 3 – It helps you learn that good things can come from failure

Failure sucks, but what doesn’t suck is being able to see the impressive outcomes that arise because you’ve failed at something. I cannot tell you how many times my failures, or what I perceived at the time to be failures, have led me to greater opportunities. After all, when one door closes, another opens, right?

# 4 – It helps you become more optimistic about life

Reflecting back and intentionally seeking times to be grateful for, gets you into the habit of seeing things in a positive light. And a positive mindset can get you through so much!

# 5 – It helps you create realistic resolutions for the new year

When you’re aware of what you’ve accomplished, and the difficulties you’ve faced, you’re better able to set goals for the future that are realistic – ones that are in line with your capabilities, but also ones that will push you outside your comfort zone and help you grow.

# 6 – It helps you learn about your likes and dislikes

A gratitude list helps you reflect on both the positive and negative times. Getting a better understanding of your likes and dislikes enables you to grow as an individual. Becoming more self-aware helps get you closer to living your best life – one where you are at your happiest, and most fulfilled.

# 7 – It helps you recognize your personal growth

Life is all about growth. We were put here on this planet to learn and evolve as human beings. Creating an end-of-year gratitude list can help us seek out the ways we’ve grown over the past year. These moments of growth are crucial to who we’ve become today, and recognizing this helps us be grateful for it.

# 8 – It helps you figure out what you need to work on

Recognizing and learning from our failures helps us better prepare for challenges in the new year and teaches us to not be so hard on ourselves when things don’t go as planned. Being grateful for the challenges we’ve faced the year before, turns each experience, good or bad, into one that can teach us something valuable.

# 9 – It helps you appreciate the good in life

When you are grateful, you see beauty, love, and growth in every aspect of your life. That’s some powerful stuff we’re talking about!

# 10 – It puts you in a better state of mind to take on the new year

It sets the stage for a year of gratitude ahead.

Struggling to get started with your gratitude list? Try answering these questions!

I’ve taken these awesome reflection questions from a Tiny Buddha article that you can find here. I’ve reworded these to apply to the past year, but head on over to the article for more questions that’ll help you nurture your grateful heart.

1. What’s improved about your life from this time last year?
2. What choice or choices have you made in the last year that you’d thank yourself for making?
3. What have you seen in nature in the past year that made you feel happy, peaceful, or free?
4. What movie, book, or article affected your life for the better over the past year?
5. What’s one of the kindest things someone has done for you over the past year?
6. Over the past year, how have your friends and/or family members shown they care about you?
7. What’s something enjoyable you got to experience every day last year that you’ve come to take for granted?

What are some things you will include in your end-of-year gratitude list?