I was going to eviscerate Valentine’s Day today, but in the spirit of gratitude for the topic of the week I will play nice.

One of my habit goals this year is to have a daily gratitude journal. After meditating in the morning, I take a few minutes to write down what I’m grateful for every morning. I’m not going to get into all the reasons why this is a good idea, but I do want to share what the experience has done for me so far.

My default brain mode is usually laced with sarcasm. I look for the joke and making light of most situations. It’s good to laugh a lot, but it’s also a thin line to cross into bitterness. Maybe it’s the prehistoric lizard-brain that is still rooted in fear and imagining the worst things that could happen.

After writing daily in my gratitude journal for about a month and a half, I feel like my thinking and behavior are starting to shift. Starting the day with gratitude shifts me into being appreciative of what I have and seeing how good my life is. I am happy for other people instead of jealous. I wish the best for people and not the worst. I start the day thinking about how I can add value to others. I could go on and on.

The point is that gratitude is powerful and important. If you have a practice like this, I’d like to hear about your experience. If not, I would highly recommend that you incorporate some type of gratitude practice in your life.