a Peek into my journal: Gratitude Challenge
At the beginning of November, I embarked on a gratitude challenge. Every day, I made a commitment to sit down with my journal and write what I was grateful for—whatever came to mind in that moment. My intention was simple: to be present and practice mindfulness. Life’s pace had been picking up, and with overthinking creeping in more than I’d like, I wanted to get ahead of it this time.
What I didn’t expect was how transformative this practice would become. As the days passed and the pages in my journal began to fill, I realized that gratitude was not just about the grand moments or big accomplishments. It was about everything—the tiniest experiences, the most unexpected conversations, or even the quiet satisfaction of making a good decision—began to feel beautiful.
The daily grind—commuting, paying bills, and trying to keep up with the world—didn’t seem as overwhelming or hurried as it often had before. Writing down my gratitude each day became a grounding ritual, a chance to pause and reconnect with the abundance already present in my life.
Now, 42 days later, I find myself reflecting on this journey. My original plan was to write daily until the end of the year, and while I haven’t been perfect—there were a few days I didn’t physically put pen to paper—I still held space for gratitude in my thoughts. Sometimes, as I moved through my day or drifted off to sleep, I would sit with the feeling, letting it settle and expand.
This practice has reminded me of the power of small, intentional actions. It doesn’t take much to shift your mindset—a few minutes each day can make all the difference. Gratitude has a way of magnifying the good and softening the hard edges of life.
As I continue this practice, I’m excited to see where it leads. Maybe I’ll keep going beyond the year’s end. For now, I’m simply grateful for the clarity, peace, and joy this challenge has brought into my life.
As part of this blog, I’d love to share a few entries from my gratitude journal. These moments, big and small, highlight the beauty I’ve discovered during this journey. Some are as simple as appreciating the sunlight beaming in my window, while others touch on deeper connections or lessons I’ve learned along the way.
Here are a few of those moments:
A Peek Into My Journal
November 2, 8:37 AM
Today, I am so grateful the sun. The sunlight gives me so much energy and boosts my mood. The warmth from direct or indirect sunlight feels like its healing my mind, body, spirit, and soul. I am so thankful I get to sungaze and sit in the sun to decompress and meditate. I feel so happy when the sun is allowing plants to grow and gives life to all things.
November 9, 5:11 AM
Grateful for elevating my self-love. I love myself and enjoy spending alone time with myself. I am thankful for the awareness of self and all the areas that needed my FULL attention. I am happy for healing and being able to recognize my traumas, triggers, and unhealed parts of me. So grateful to meet my inner child, love on her, nurture her, affirm her, play with her and apologize to her.
November 2, 3:58 AM
I am so grateful for excellent health. No health issues or concerns. My body is 100% healthy in all areas of my health and nutrition. Thankful that my immune system is strong and I have the mental, emotional, spiritual, and physical ability to self health. I heal quickly and easily. Grateful that my physical health is just as healthy as my mental health. My mind is sharp and I have clear thinking. I improve my health daily by learning about my body. I use vitamins, herbs, fasting, and whole foods to keep me healthy from head to toe.
November 15, 7:28 PM
I am so grateful that I know how to curate my own experiences. I do this by controlling my emotions, keeping and open mind, and operating in a way that feels authentic to me. Thankful that I know how to maintain my own energy and vibe without being influenced by outside energies. I love that I can use my intuition and clairvoyant abilities to navigate people, places, and experiences.
December 5, 9:28 PM
Today, I am grateful for recognizing how poverty mindset and behavior has affected my family for generations. I love this new awareness so I can continue to be an agent for change in my immediate family. Thankful for the compassion and understanding around how systems have embedded this in my family's mind - and it's not their fault. So Happy I’ve had the education, resources, willpower and ambition to want better for my life. I am proud to step out of this learned way of living (limiting beliefs) and step into higher levels of thinking around wealth, success, and lifestyle. Grateful to enter millionaire status!
Closing Thoughts
Sharing this challenge has been as transformative as experiencing it. Gratitude is a practice that doesn’t just happen—it’s cultivated through intention and effort. And though life can pull us in a million directions, taking even a few moments to reflect can center us in ways we didn’t know we needed.
If this post inspires you, I encourage you to try your own gratitude challenge. Start small, and be kind to yourself as you go. Whether you write it down or simply reflect in your heart, the practice has the power to change your outlook and invite more joy into your life.
Thank you for being here, for reading, and for being a part of this journey with me. I’m so grateful for you.