Welcome back, friend. I'm Julia Cartwright, and I'm so glad you're here with me today. You know, January can feel like standing in a grocery store with an overwhelming produce section, right? There's so much pressure to be perfect, to have everything figured out by mid-month. And here you are, halfway through January, maybe wondering if you've kept those intentions alive or if they've already slipped away like sand through your fingers. That's completely human. That's actually why we're together right now.

Today, we're practicing gratitude not because you need to feel guilty about what you haven't done, but because gratitude is like turning on a light in a dark room. It doesn't change the room, but it changes what you can see. And sometimes, what we see changes everything.

Let's settle in together. Find a comfortable seat, feet flat if you can, and just let your shoulders drop away from your ears. Good. Now, take a slow breath in through your nose for a count of four, hold it for a moment, and release through your mouth. One more time. In for four, hold, and out. Feel that? You're already here. You're already present.

Now, I want you to think of something small today. Not world-changing, not monumental. Maybe it's that your coffee was warm this morning. Maybe it's that someone smiled at you. Maybe it's simply that you showed up here, to yourself, right now. Sit with that small thing for a moment and notice what happens in your chest when you acknowledge it.

Here's my tip for you: gratitude works best when it's specific and sensory. Don't just think "I'm grateful for my family." Instead, remember the exact sound of their laugh. Feel the warmth of that memory. Taste the specificity. Your brain lights up differently when gratitude is real and textured.

Now, as you move through the rest of your day, I invite you to collect three of these small moments. Not the big wins, just the quiet ones. The way sunlight hits a wall. A kind word. A breath that felt good. Write them down tonight, or just hold them. Let them settle in you.

Thank you so much for practicing with me today. This is Gratitude Practice, your Daily Mindfulness Reflections for Happiness. Please subscribe so we can keep doing this together, because showing up for yourself like this matters. I'll see you tomorrow.

For great deals today, check out https://amzn.to/47ZqpWT

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