Hello, and welcome. I'm Julia Cartwright, and I'm so glad you're here with me today. Whether you're squeezing this practice in between meetings, stealing a quiet moment before the day takes over, or settling in after a long stretch of feeling like you're running on fumes, I want you to know that showing up right now is exactly what you need. There's something beautiful about choosing pause, especially on a Wednesday morning when the world feels like it's asking for everything at once.

Let's take a moment to arrive. Wherever you are, see if you can let your shoulders drop just a little. Maybe your jaw unclenches. There's no perfect posture here, just you, settling in. Take three deep breaths with me. In through your nose, feeling that cool air arrive. Out through your mouth, releasing whatever you've been carrying. One more time. In. Out. Good.

Now, I want to invite you into something I call the gratitude excavation. Because here's the thing about gratitude that nobody tells you: it's not about forcing yourself to feel thankful for everything. It's about noticing the small, genuine moments that already exist in your life that you might have rushed past.

I want you to think about this morning. Not yesterday, not last week. This morning. Maybe it was something tiny. Perhaps it was the temperature of your coffee being exactly right. The way sunlight hit your kitchen. A text from someone you care about. The fact that your body carried you out of bed. These aren't huge celebrations; they're whispers of goodness that are always there.

Let your mind wander gently through your day so far. What's one small thing that you didn't ask for but received anyway? Don't overthink this. Your first genuine instinct is the right one. Feel it in your chest. Notice how it lands. This feeling isn't frivolous. It's actually wiring your brain toward noticing more of what's already going well around you, even when life feels hard.

Now here's my invitation for today. Carry this practice forward. Set a tiny alarm if you like, and two more times today, pause for just thirty seconds. Notice one small gift. It might be different each time, or you might notice the same thing again. That's perfect.

This is how gratitude becomes real. Not through grand gestures, but through daily little moments of noticing. You're retraining your mind to see what's already there, and honestly, that changes everything.

Thank you so much for spending this time with me. I hope this practice brought you a little lightness. Make sure you subscribe to Gratitude Practice: Daily Mindfulness Reflections for Happiness so we can continue this journey together. I'll be here tomorrow, ready to help you find more moments of joy.

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This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI