Gratitude works best when you name specific things, and here are 15 of them: from your health and your heartaches to the internet and the fact that you were born at all. At any time, with some accurate perspective, you realise there is far more going right than wrong.
Living with a grateful outlook helps you keep perspective and stay positive through the bumps in the road. After all, life without a few challenges would be no fun. You might be pleasantly surprised by what we at Alux are most grateful for, so read to the end. Welcome to Alux.com, the place where future billionaires come for inspiration. If you are not subscribed yet, you are missing out.
Here is one thing to be grateful for: not having to read a long listicle right now. Watch the video version of this article:
15 things to be grateful for
1. Your heartaches
Ask any singer, poet or artist what their greatest inspiration is, and most will say heartache. Our ability to love, to care, to break and to recover is what makes life worth living.
We are not shaped by the good times, which barely teach us anything. The hard times and struggles help define the best in us. They remind us what we do not want to be. Thank your heartache for the lessons it brings.
2. Your health
Health brings freedom, and living in sickness is like living in a cage. Even if you are not the healthiest person or have the fittest body, praise your body for the machine it is, for all the processes it runs every second.
Gratitude for your body leads to treating it better, which improves your health in turn. The numbers are on our side too: world life expectancy at birth was 73.3 years in 2019, far above the Bronze Age figure of around 24.
3. Family and friends
The proverb “It takes a village to raise a child” holds up, and our inner child never stops needing friends and family. These relationships are among the greatest gifts of being human.
Even if your family is a motley crew, or you have a chosen family of friends, be thankful for them. They support us in the most difficult circumstances, because we know we can always go home.
4. Human invention
God bless human invention and the tasks it makes easier. Imagine buying a stamp and posting a letter, then waiting weeks for a reply. Or bridling a horse to go to the gym. We have streamlined, accelerated and removed so much risk through invention.
Today that spirit of problem-solving includes AI tools that draft, translate and summarise in seconds. Without science we would not be as advanced as we are, so check out the Most Expensive Science Experiments.
5. Life and the universe
Take a minute to think about your existence being possible at all. One popular estimate puts the odds of you being born at 1 in 10 to the power of 2,685,000, a 1 followed by more than two and a half million zeros. Treat that as a thought experiment rather than precise maths, but the point stands.
Then, through all the chaos, you have stayed alive to be here in this exact moment. Astronauts describe a cognitive shift called the overview effect when they see the Earth from space, a state of awe and a sense of connection to everyone and everything. You do not have to leave the planet to borrow the perspective: from far enough away, our minor problems do not rock the world’s perfect spin.
6. The small things
There is nothing quite like a crisp Sunday newspaper, a perfect summer day or finding money in your jacket. Take a minute to appreciate these gifts.
Next time your house plant sprouts a leaf, you have the perfect cup of tea, or a friend texts just as you are thinking of them, remember how great the quiet small moments are.
7. The big things
The huge days that go in the picture frame: graduations, anniversaries, new babies and first days of school. They make us smile until our cheeks hurt and swell with pride.
These are the bright lights in the timeline of our lives. Enjoy the pay-off for the hard work, and take time to be present for them.
8. The internet
Hail the internet. It gives us ease of access, entertainment and connection, and during the 2020 lockdowns it kept millions of people from solitary confinement.
It also shows us how many similarities exist between cultures and places. And we mean more than the effects of Match.com.
9. Pets
Pets are one of the best parts of the human experience. The joy and comfort they bring is the reward for coming home from a hard day at the office.
No matter how much money you have in your bank account, or how many matches you get on dating apps, your pet will always think you are number one.
10. Your single days and your partnered days
If you are feeling down for not having a partner, this is a temporary season for many. Appreciate the upsides: less shaving, no obligatory snack sharing and no checking your schedule with anyone. You can invest in yourself and choose any travel destination your budget allows.
If you are in a committed relationship and long for your single days, consider how lucky you are to have someone to come home to, who adores you regardless. Be grateful for the hand that holds yours in this wild and wonderful chaos.
11. Your senses
Our senses are a marvel. As kids, we spent hours touching, smelling, looking and listening with great contentment. As adults, we mostly pause to appreciate taste, while the others fade into the background until they stop working.
The design of our senses, constantly feeding us the information we need to move through the world, is worth gratitude, and so is the joy of the sights and sounds of the day.
12. Your education
No matter what schooling you got, take a minute to be grateful for it. Education does not end at school; it includes the knowledge you can reach through reading, YouTube and conversation.
At Alux we value continued learning. If you want a new way to upskill, take a look at our course on cryptocurrency.
13. Nature
Nature is an unstoppable force. However built up your area is, nature finds a foothold in every nook and cranny and beautifies it.
Being in nature is our default, and we find wonder and calm when we return to it. Spend a minute watching trees or birds and it is hard not to feel thankful.
14. Access to knowledge
Try to fathom how much information you can reach right now. Practically every fact, theory and skill we might need is a search away, and now an AI assistant away. We are the first generation with this gift.
It is hard to plead ignorance on anything when we can reach so many smart minds.
15. All that you have
Let us go back to basics. Most of us have a lot: some form of a home, meals, clothes, transport and, for the most part, access to an income. Over the long run, the share of the world’s population living in extreme poverty has fallen from over 80% in 1800 to around 10% in 2025, according to UN estimates, or roughly 831 million people, down from 2.23 billion in 2000.
Many problems remain, and 831 million is still far too many. But for most readers it is a great time to be alive. Give some thanks.
What are you most grateful for? Let us know in the comments.
Keep reading
- 15 mindset shifts that will change your life: a practical next step once gratitude becomes a habit.
- 15 things that impress people more than money: what matters beyond the balance sheet.
FAQ
What should I be grateful for every day?
Start with health, relationships, the small daily moments and the access you have to knowledge. Naming specific things works better than a general feeling of thanks.
Does practising gratitude actually help?
Many people find that a grateful outlook helps them keep perspective and stay positive through setbacks. It also tends to lead to treating your body, relationships and money better.
How has life improved globally?
The share of people in extreme poverty fell from over 80% in 1800 to around 10% in 2025, according to UN estimates. World life expectancy at birth was 73.3 years in 2019.
What is the overview effect?
It is a shift in perspective reported by some astronauts when they see the Earth from space: awe, appreciation of beauty and a stronger sense of connection to others and the planet.
How do I start a gratitude habit?
Write down three specific things each day, say thanks to a person in your life, and pause during the small moments, such as a good cup of tea or a text from a friend.
Is it OK to feel grateful when life is hard?
Yes. Gratitude does not deny hard times. Heartache and struggle often teach us the most, and recognising what is still going right keeps them in proportion.
How we put this list together
We kept the original 15 themes and replaced dated 2020 references with current data. Figures for life expectancy and poverty come from international statistics and are approximate.
Last updated: October 2026.
