Discover inspiring poems that celebrate hope, gratitude, and renewal for a new day.
Updated July 25, 2025, by Catherine Pulsifer
Today is a gift—a brand-new day filled with endless possibilities. When you wake up, do you pause to think, "It’s a new day!"? Each morning brings a fresh opportunity to be thankful, to embrace life, and to live with purpose. Yet, how often do we take this blessing for granted? Every day is a chance to start anew, to shape it into something meaningful or let it slip by unnoticed. The choice is yours.
Let this collection of poems inspire and encourage you to seize the day with gratitude and enthusiasm. These words are a gentle reminder: today is the only day you are guaranteed. Make it count. Be thankful, be joyful, and live it to the fullest.
This is the beginning of a new day.
God has given me this day to use as I will.
I can waste it or use it for good,
but what I do today is important
because I am exchanging a day of my life for it.
When tomorrow comes, this day will be gone forever,
leaving in its place something that I have traded for it.
I want it to be gain and not loss; good and not evil;
success and not failure; in order that I shall not
regret the price I have paid for it.
I'm glad that I don't know it all,
Whichever way I turn,
I greatly fear that life would pall
With nothing more to learn.
It brightens much the dreary way
To wonder what will be
The brand new thing each brand new day
In passing teaches me.
A life without purpose is a languid, drifting thing.
Every day we ought to renew our purpose, saying to ourselves:
This day let us make a sound beginning,
for what we have hitherto done is naught;
Our improvement is in proportion to our purpose;
We hardly ever manage to get completely rid of one fault,
and do not set our hearts on daily improvement;
Always place a definite purpose before thee.
Keep step in the march of life.
One halt will queer the line,
On with the struggle and strife.
No laurels are won by repine.
This life is a battlefield wild,
We must be to our standard true.
'Tis no work for a weary child,
We must fight — both me and you.
'Tis onward each soul in step,
O'er morass of woe and despair,
Without the faintest regret
For the land that seemed so fair.
Keep step in the march to-day,
For this day is a golden time,
And time is a flashing ray
With eternity in chime.
The old days, the old days, how oft the poets sing,
The days of hope at dewy morn, the days of early spring,
The days when every mead was fair, and every heart was true,
And every maiden wore a smile, and every sky was blue
The days when dreams were golden and every night brought rest,
The old, old days of youth and love, the days they say were best
But I--I sing the new days, the days that lie before,
The days of hope and fancy, the days that I adore.
The new days, the new days, the selfsame days they are;
The selfsame sunshine heralds them, the selfsame evening star
Shines out to light them on their way unto the Bygone Land,
And with the selfsame arch of blue the world to-day is spanned.
The new days, the new days, when friends are just as true,
And maidens smile upon us all, the way they used to do,
Dreams we know are golden dreams, hope springs in every breast;
It cheers us in the dewy morn and soothes us when we rest.
The new days, the new days, of them I want to sing,
The new days with the fancies and the golden dreams they bring;
The old days had their pleasures, but likewise have the new
The gardens with their roses and the meadows bright with dew;
We love to-day the selfsame way they loved in days of old;
The world is bathed in beauty and it isn't growing cold;
There's joy for us a-plenty, there are tasks for us to do,
And life is worth the living, for the friends we know are true.
Why do we heap huge mounds of years,
Before us and behind,
And scorn the little days that pass
Like angels on the wind?
Each, turning round a small, sweet face
As beautiful as near,
Because it is so small a face
We will not see it clear.
And so it turns from us, and goes
Away in sad disdain;
Though we could give our lives for it,
It never comes again.
The dawn of a new day invites us to rise with purpose and energy. These morning inspiration poems are crafted to fill your heart with motivation and positivity, helping you greet the day with an open mind and a renewed sense of determination. Let the morning light guide your steps.
What is the work I have done today?
Have I left a mark upon the way,
A kindly word, or a cheery smile
That has lingered in some heart awhile;
Straightened a path or a crooked road.
Lightened the weight of a weary load.
Into the shadow of some one's night
Sent even a tiny ray of light?
Each day I awake I can lie in bed
Or I can get up and get ahead
A new day to achieve my dreams and goals
Or a day to relax and just take a stroll.
My attitude determines what each new day will bring
I can be thankful for all the little things
Or I can be full of dread and fear
And miss opportunities that are so dear.
Life is too short to waste our days
Get out of bed, be happy and say
A new day has been given to me
I bring to it the best I can be.
The sun is rising on the morning of another day.
What can I wish that day may bring to me?
Nothing that shall make the world or others poorer;
nothing at the expense of other men;
but just those few things which in their coming do not
stop with me, but touch me, rather,
as they pass and gather strength.
A few friends who understand me,
and yet remain my friends.
A work to do which has real value,
without which the world would feel the poorer.
A return for such work small enough not to
tax unduly anyone who pays.
A mind unafraid to travel, even though
the trail be not blazed.
An understanding heart.
A sight of the eternal hills and unresting sea, and
something beautiful the hands of man have made.
A sense of humor and the power to laugh.
And the patience to wait for the coming of those things,
with the wisdom to know them when they come.
Written in the early 1900's Dr. Barton's wisdom about how we should start our day still applies today!
Do not, I beg of you, insult the morning hour by talking of your backache.
There are other and more important things to talk about.
Do not contaminate a day as yet unsmirched by complaint
that you did not rest well last night, and that,
in consequence, you have a headache.
Your head will ache the harder for your telling it.
Do not blaspheme by snarling over your coffee
about the price of coal, or
the argument you had yesterday
with a man who proved himself less than a gentleman.
Treat the new day as becomes a gentleman,
and the rewards of the hour shall be yours.
Touch your lips with gladness and go singing on your way,
Smiles will strangely lighten every duty;
Just a little word of cheer may span a sky of gray
With hope's own heaven-tinted bow of beauty.
Wear a pleasant face wherein shall shine a joyful heart,
As shines the sun, the happy fields adorning;
To every care-beclouded life some ray of light impart
And touch your lips with gladness every morning.
For those seeking spiritual strength and peace, these poems remind us that each new day is a divine gift. Reflect on faith, grace, and the power of starting anew with a heart open to guidance. May these verses inspire your journey toward spiritual renewal and connection.
We should fill the hours with the sweetest things,
If we had but a day;
We should drink alone at the purest springs
In our upward way;
We should love with a lifetime’s love in an hour,
If the hours were few;
We should rest, not for dreams, but for fresher power
To be and to do.
We should guide our wayward or wearied wills
By the clearest light;
We should keep our eyes on the heavenly hills,
If they lay in sight;
We should trample the pride and the discontent
Beneath our feet;
We should take whatever a good God sent,
With a trust complete.
We should waste no moments in weak regret,
If the day were but one;
If what we remember and what we forget
Went out with the sun;
We should be from our clamorous selves set free,
To work or to pray,
And to be what the Father would have us be,
If we had but a day.
Listen to the Exhortation of the Dawn!
Look to this Day!
For it is Life, the very Life of Life.
In its brief course lie all the
Verities and Realities of your Existence;
The Bliss of Growth,
The Glory of Action,
The Splendor of Beauty:
For Yesterday is but a Dream,
And To-morrow is only a Vision;
But to-day well lived makes
Every Yesterday a Dream of Happiness,
And every To-morrow a Vision of Hope.
Build a little fence of trust
Around to-day ;
Fill the space with loving deeds
And therein stay.
Look not through the sheltering bars
Upon to-morrow,
God will help thee bear what comes,
Of joy or sorrow.
Let us do our duty, and
Pray that we may do our duty here,
Now, today:
Not in dreamy sweetness but in active energy;
Not in the green oasis of the future,
But in the dusty desert of the present;
Not in the imaginations of elsewhere,
But in the realities of now.
Gratitude transforms our outlook, making each new day a blessing to embrace. In these poems, we celebrate the power of thankfulness and its ability to bring clarity and joy. Each verse serves as a reminder to appreciate the present moment and find beauty in the gift of today.
What will tomorrow bring I think to myself
I can't see the future, I am no elf
But what I do have is this day
And it will be up to me what I do and say.
I can bring happiness to those around me
Or I can be a complainer or just a bully
I can help others in some very small way
Or I can bring misery to everyone's day.
No sense worrying about what tomorrow will bring
There is no guarantee that I will even be living.
But what I do have is this day, yes today,
And I will not waste it or fret it away.
What I do with this brand new day
Is up to me in every way.
We have choices to make
I will live this day, it is no mistake.
Today is the day I have been looking for.
All my life has been spent in preparation for it.
Yesterday and tomorrow are faraway nothings-
The one a faint memory, the other a vague promise.
But this is my day.
It offers all that God has to give,
And I'm a laggard or a coward if I fail
To make the most of it.
This for to-day is my desire
To keep myself in wise control,
Only toward that which makes for good
To bend the forces of my soul.
To feel the Spirit in the wind,
The strength that cometh from the hills,
The sweet and tender messages
With which the air about me thrills.
Nor cry for past, nor forward stretch,
Nor yield my petty woes a place,
But take whate'er each hour unfolds
With thankful and obedient grace.
For this one day to me is given,
I take with joy the gift divine,
Each moment hold in sacred fee
That I may make the vision mine.
This is the day the Lord has made,
A gift to us so bright displayed.
With grateful hearts, let’s rise and say,
We’ll rejoice in Him today.
The sun may shine, or skies be gray,
Yet blessings greet us on our way.
Each moment holds a chance to share,
God’s love and kindness everywhere.
So lift your voice, give thanks, be glad,
Let go of worries, don’t be sad.
For every day His mercies shine,
A gift from God, both yours and mine.
Sometimes, a few simple words are all it takes to ignite inspiration. These short yet powerful poems distill the essence of a new day into brief verses, offering encouragement and optimism in just a few lines. Perfect for quick moments of reflection or motivation to start your day right. All written by Catherine Pulsifer.
The morning's light, a gentle call,
Reminding us, we have it all.
A day to live, to love, to share -
Life’s beauty found in moments rare.
A single step, that’s all it takes,
To mend your heart or heal mistakes.
The path ahead is yours to tread,
Leave doubt behind, and go ahead.
The morning whispers, "Do your best,"
With every hour, find your zest.
The day is yours, let courage soar,
Make it brighter than before.
Each sunrise whispers, "Begin anew,"
Mistakes behind, fresh skies in view.
A brand-new chance to rise and grow,
Today holds more than you may know.
Today’s a page, unwritten, clean,
A chance to live what might have been.
So grab your pen, your heart, your will,
Write joy, write love, write dreams fulfilled.
We hope these poems inspire you to embrace each new day as a precious gift, full of possibilities and opportunities. Life is not without its challenges—moments of uncertainty, setbacks, and trials are part of the journey. However, by focusing on the good in each day, you can find reasons to be thankful, moments to cherish, and strength to move forward.
Let these poems serve as a daily reminder to approach life with a positive attitude, turning obstacles into stepping stones and hardships into lessons. Celebrate the small joys, the simple moments, and the beauty of simply being alive.
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