Below, discover 18 thoughtful gift ideas to encourage, uplift, and inspire! These inspirational gifts make great presents for family, friends, coworkers, and loved ones and are sure to be a hit at all of your holiday gift-giving festivities.

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Inspirational Gifts

When choosing a gift for someone, there’s something especially thoughtful about picking something that will uplift, encourage, and inspire a person to have confidence and go after their dreams. Often, these are the types of gifts that a person keeps for years, and they can have a profound positive effect on the recipient’s life.

Whether it’s inspiring books, powerful affirmation and mindfulness cards, beautiful jewelry, or uplifting home decor, there are tons of awesome gift ideas that can positively influence a person’s life.

Below, I list 18 inspirational gifts that have the power to encourage anyone to believe in themselves and go confidently in the direction of their dreams. And for more gift ideas, be sure to check out my post, 15 Best Meditation Gift Ideas for 2020.

More Gift Guides

• Meaningful Gift Ideas for Manifestors, Growth Seekers, & Spiritual Souls
• 15 Best Meditation Gift Ideas for 2020
• 33 Awesome Mindfulness Gifts for Kids

Books

Books are one of the best all-around gift ideas because they work for all age groups, and by selectively choosing a book for somebody, you show thoughtfulness and care in your choices. They also stand up to the test of time, so when you purchase a book for someone, it’s truly a gift they can keep forever.

There are so many incredible books out there, your biggest predicament with giving a book as a gift is deciding what to choose!

Here are some of my favorite inspirational books that have encouraged and inspired me to think big, go after my dreams, and live my best life:

• Untamed by Glennon Doyle
• Think Like a Monk by Jay Shetty
• Girl, Wash Your Face by Rachel Hollis
• Daring Greatly: How the Courage to be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead by Brene Brown
• Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear by Elizabeth Gilbert
• Atomic Habits: Tiny Changes, Remarkable Results by James Clear
• You Are a Badass: How to Stop Doubting Your Greatness and Start Living an Awesome Life by Jen Sincero

Affirmation Cards

Affirmation cards are the perfect way to bring some encouragement and inspiration to a person’s day. Each deck usually comes with about 40 to 50 cards, and each card has a positive, uplifting affirmation written on it. Your gift recipient can choose a different card each morning to start their day with some high-vibe, positive energy.

I absolutely love these beautifully illustrated Lamare Affirmation Cards with 40 positive affirmations cards that come in a classy gift box. They’re elegant, gorgeous, and truly uplifting!

For something a little more lighthearted and quirky, check out these Affirmators! 50 Affirmation Cards to Help You Help Yourself – Without The Self-Helpy-Ness! These are fun and playful and will bring cheer to anyone on your gift list.

Motivational Quote Cards

Like affirmation cards, motivational quote cards are a great way to uplift, inspire, and bring an extra dose of positivity to anyone’s day. I’ve kept motivational quote cards on my desk for years, and I love to change the card each morning and read what new source of inspiration is waiting for me.

Another awesome idea is to keep the deck yourself, but choose different quote cards from the deck for different people and slide it into a letter or add it to a Christmas, birthday, or graduation present.

I adore these coaster-sized Dessie Motivational Cards with 63 unique inspirational quote cards. They’re cute, inspiring, and the perfect way to uplift family, friends, and coworkers.

Inspirational Jewelry

Inspirational jewelry is one of my favorite gift ideas because it’s truly something your gift recipient can keep with them throughout their entire day. From necklaces to bracelets, there’s no shortage of beautiful pieces to choose from, and I also love that this makes a great gift for anyone at any age.

These Joycuff Bracelets are the perfect gift for a friend or family member. Each bracelet has a different message engraved inside, and there’s an assortment of message choices, so you can choose the one that best fits your gift recipient. And this simple yet stunning “You Are Limitless” necklace is an absolute showstopper. The inverted triangle represents limitless strength and bravery, a message that will absolutely uplift and touch the heart of your recipient.

Mindfulness Jar

What is a mindfulness jar, exactly? Generally, it’s a jar that has 31 different folded slips of paper on it. Each slip of paper has a different mindfulness activity printed on it. Every morning, the person who owns the jar picks a new slip of paper and performs that mindfulness activity sometime during the day. This is a great way to cultivate new, positive habits and to embrace mindfulness in your daily life. As a gift, this is super unique and thoughtful and shows that you put real care into your gift selection.

With time and creativity, this is definitely a gift you could make yourself. If you want to purchase something that’s ready to go, this Rustic Mindfulness Jar is absolutely perfect. It’s well-packaged and already well-suited for gift-giving, and the activities are thoughtful and easy enough for even a super busy person to carry out. For something a little different, you could also go for The Little Calm and Happy Company Positive Quotes Jar. This one has 30 mindfulness quotes in it that give simple yet powerful messages to remind you to stay patient, live in the present moment, and embrace all of life’s ups and downs.

Desk Calendar with Quotes

Just like the motivational quote cards, this is a perfect gift for daily encouragement and inspiration. Your recipient can put this on their desk (or anywhere else they’re sure to see it) and get a new uplifting quote every single day.

I absolutely love the RYVE Motivational Daily Flip Calendar for so many reasons. Beyond the fact that it’s gorgeous, I love that it doesn’t just have inspirational quotes, but it has motivating self-reflection prompts as well. And even better? It doesn’t have days of the week printed on it, so it can actually be used year after year.

Self-Care Cards

Like the other cards on this list, self-care cards allow a person to pick a different card every day and perform the activity on the card. This Self Care Bucket List box has 100 cards completely dedicated to helping you to destress and focus on your own happiness. The cards are color-coded, so depending on your mood, you can choose a yellow card for a challenge, a red card for loving yourself or others, or green for a reminder to enjoy life’s journey. Activities range from cuddling someone or something to walking in the rain to decluttering your wardrobe.

I love this as a thoughtful gift idea because it’s one of those things that someone likely really needs but would never buy themselves. It’s also another super considerate gift that shows that you truly put thought into your selection. And, more than anything, it shows that you care.

Gratitude Journal

Gratitude is one of the most powerful forces in the world to create profound positive change in a person’s life. It’s an extraordinarily simple practice to perform, but actually remembering to choose gratitude throughout the day and to look for things to be grateful for can be hard, especially when we’re caught in the stresses of every day life.

That’s why I love gratitude journals. Most only require a few minutes of your time in the mornings and/or evenings, but their effects go a long way. One of my favorites is this Gratitude Day and Night Reflection Journal. Every morning, you can write your daily focus, some uplifting affirmations, and things you’re grateful for and excited about that day. At night, it gives you space to reflect on good things that happened that day and positive thoughts to carry you to sleep. These are powerful habits for a person to cultivate, and it makes for a super thoughtful present that will have a profound effect on anyone you gift it to.

Coffee Mug

Coffee mugs are a classic gift because you can personalize your choice for the recipient to fit their style and aesthetic. Plus, on top of drinking coffee, tea, hot chocolate, and other toasty beverages, mugs can also be used as decor in the home or office. (I have four coffee mugs sitting on the shelf above me that I use as inspirational decor.) Mugs are also great because you can pair it with other gifts like a deck of affirmation cards, or you can add some tea or hot chocolate packets, or even a gift card to the recipient’s favorite coffee shop.

This White-and-Gold “She Believed She Could So She Did” Mug is perfect for the woman in your life who is out there kicking butt and making her dreams come true. I also adore this “Magical Unicorn” Mug with an image of a unicorn on the front and the words “Believe in yourself,” on the back. It’s both inspiring and adorable!

Positive Energy Throw Blanket

If your gift recipient is anything like me, then blankets are pretty much the greatest gift ever. I’ve lost count of how many throw blankets I own, but I can tell you this: there is never, ever such thing as too many.

This Chanasya Throw Blanket is the blanket of my dreams: soft, plush, warm, and super snuggly. Plus, it comes in multiple color and size choices, and it has uplifting words printed across its surface so you can quite literally wrap yourself in positivity. Maybe it’s my love of warmth speaking, but I can’t think of anything better to uplift, encourage, and inspire.

Organic Bath Bombs

Keeping up with the warm and cozy routine, gifting bath bombs and other bath products is basically like gifting somebody self-care in a box. Bath bombs help to moisturize the skin while giving you the chance to relax and destress. And to add an inspirational element to the gift, you can choose a set that has inspirational messages written on the wrapping. These Organic Bath Bombs with Inspirational Messages come beautifully packaged, and each bath bomb has an encouraging phrase on it, like “You Are Beautiful,” and “Dream Big.” This makes for the perfect gift for anyone looking to add some extra self-care practices to their life.

Scented Candles

And since we’re on the theme of self-care, candles are another gift that contribute to a person’s total wellbeing. There’s just something comforting about a candle’s soft glow, especially in the midst of darkness. Candles are also often used in meditation, so this could be an addition to someone’s meditation practice as well. This Scented Candles Gift Set makes the perfect gift because it already comes beautifully packaged, and the colors on it are gorgeous. I especially like that the candles are made from natural soy wax and pure-grade natural essential oils with a lead-free organic cotton wick. The scents are also light and pleasant, so they won’t give off that overpowering aroma that some candles emit.

Empowering Questions Cards

I was trying not to fill up this list with card decks, but I had to add one more because of how profoundly powerful it is. Card decks that challenge you to answer questions about yourself that you may never have even thought about can truly reframe your entire perspective. When you’re caught up in the busyness every day life, it can be difficult to step back and ask yourself questions like, “What would I do if I had enough time?” This also makes a great gift because you can actually answer some of the questions with your gift recipient if you want. Your gift recipient could choose to journal their answers or simply take a few minutes each day to think about their answer. It’s also a great activity that can be done with a partner, a friend, or a family member.

These Empowering Questions Cards have 52 questions for mindfulness, self-discovery, self-empowerment, building confidence, and so much more. I also love the colorful designs and that the doors and frames you see on the borders of the cards represent the doors to your inner world.

Bullet Journal Supplies

This is a fun one because it allows you to get creative and really tailor your choices to your intended recipient. A bullet journal is a single notebook that allows you to add collections, spreads, schedules, lists, and so much more (the possibilities are truly infinite) as a method to not only stay organized but also to reflect and embrace your inner creativity. Just type in “bullet journal ideas” into your Pinterest search bar, and you’ll be amazed at the creativity that you discover. I’ve loved using bullet journals to track monthly goals, daily habits, daily moods, weekly and monthly reflections, and to create vision boards that I can look at every day.

To get started with bullet journaling, the bare minimum a person will need are a notebook and pens. I’d definitely recommend purchasing a dotted notebook as it makes it much easier to draw on. This Paperage Notebook is a great choice for someone starting out with bullet journaling, and it comes in multiple color choices so you can choose what best fits your recipient. These iBayam Journal Planner Pens are high-quality and have 18 fantastic color choices. And if you want, you can add in some Washi tape as well, like this 40-Rolls Washi Tape Set of nearly every color you can think of, or this gorgeous 48-Roll Washi Skinny Tape Set.

Inspirational Wall Decor

Wall decor is always a great gift because it’s another one you can personalize for your recipient. And there’s no limits to where an inspiring quote can be placed for some extra encouragement and inspiration: an office, living room, bedroom, hallway, kitchen, bathroom . . . even a laundry room can make a great setting for some uplifting words.

This set of six, 8 x 10, black-and-white Inspirational Wall Art adds just the right amount of positivity without going over the top, and I love that they can match virtually any room. (Just keep in mind that they’re unframed, so you can either gift them as is or choose some simple and elegant frames to put them in.) For something that has a little more color and takes up less space, check out this ready-to-hang, 12 x 16 inch canvas print Inspirational Wall Art with Motivational Quotes. It’s cute, inspiring, and full of genuine positivity!

Artificial Succulent Pots

These are a little burst of encouragement and enthusiasm in anyone’s day, and they’re the perfect office accessory to add to a desk or bookshelf. I love these Rose Gold Artificial Succulent Plants because they’re cute, uplifting, and don’t give off the tacky fake vibe that you see in a lot of artificial plants. Just note that you have to stick on the decals to the containers and add in the rocks and plants yourself, but this is super straightforward and easy to do.

Meditation Products & Decor

If your intended gift recipient is already an experienced meditator, then gifting them with meditation products and decor can enhance their meditating experience. (Be sure to check out my post, 15 Best Meditation Gift Ideas of 2020 for more awesome gift ideas.) And if they’re new to meditation or just thinking about starting, then gifting them with meditation products is a great way to support and encourage their growth. It also shows a lot of thought and consideration in your choices!

A meditation cushion is a great gift for a new meditator. Meditation cushions are known to reduce pain and increase comfort, and they’re also great for aligning your spine and helping you to breathe better during meditation. This gorgeous Florensi Meditation Cushion is my go-to cushion for daily meditation. It’s soft, comfy, and absolutely beautiful. Also, note that even though the outer cover is described as “velvet,” the manufacturer has assured that it’s completely vegan with no animal by-products. (The cover is 100% polyester and inside it’s filled with 100% buckwheat hull.)

Audible Gift Membership

If you can’t find a physical gift that suits your intended recipient, or if you want to do something a little outside the box, the gift of an Audible Membership is one of the best presents you can gift to a person. I have always loved reading, but in the midst of my busy daily life, I feel like I never have time to read anymore. To change this, I started listening to audiobooks on my morning runs, and it was a complete game changer in my routine. Audiobooks are also great for anyone who has a long commute, and they can also be listened to while doing daily chores like cooking and cleaning.

With an Audible Gift Membership, you can gift someone a 1-month, 3-month, 6-month, or 12-month membership. Amazon will send your recipient an email on the day of your choosing with redemption instructions, OR you can choose to print the information and give it directly to your recipient.

Zanna Keithley

Zanna Keithley is an author, poet, and social media content creator who writes short prose dedicated to inspiring readers to follow their dreams, trust their intuition, and create beautiful and fulfilling lives. You can find her original writing on Instagram @zannakeithley.

zannakeithley.com/