I've been feeling kind of meh and grrr at the same time here and there lately, so here I am sharing the prescription I gave myself.

It is important to wake up each day with a grateful heart. Why? Because the mind loves to want, compare, and spin. But we are the masters of the mind (well… we’re working on it, right? lol). We have the will to change our thoughts. This is our God-given right, and it’s what makes us the greatest species so far on this planet.

So what is God’s will for us? Abundance. Love. Success. Happiness. Satisfaction. Connection. We are so blessed—if we choose to be.

What do I mean by “if we choose to be”? The man in the mansion, with every imaginable possession, a beautiful wife, and lovely children, can still be the most wretched and tormented soul. Meanwhile, the woman with nothing, raising her children in poverty and doing her best, can be the most enlightened and fulfilled soul. It all depends on perspective.

Stay with me—we’re going to get a little brainiac this morning…

We have incredible mental faculties: imagination, deduction, reasoning, memory, and deep contemplation. These can be our greatest blessings—or our daily curses—depending on how we care for the mind.

The mind and body carry deep intelligence. They remember the “signatures” of thoughts and emotions. Which means we can train the mind toward gratitude. Gratitude has its own signature—much like appreciation. When we are grateful, we are happy, relaxed, humble, open-hearted, and fulfilled. From this state, love flows naturally, and that love spreads.

The opposite is also true. When we live ungratefully or run mindlessly through life, the mind becomes a source of pain. It compares your body, career, finances, or relationships to others and whispers, “You’re not enough.” It worries about things it cannot change, about things that may never happen, or even creates false stories just to keep you stuck and small. That is the place of fear and lack—the heart closed. And from there, we often reach for vices or distractions, doing things we don’t truly want, just to grasp at comfort and safety.

This is why starting the day with gratitude is so powerful. Appreciate the little things: the quiet of the morning, that first cup of coffee, the warmth of a blanket, a kitchen full of food, fresh air to breathe, running water to drink and cleanse with, the sunrise that fuels life on Earth. Appreciate your ability to read, write, walk, speak, love, and serve. The list is literally endless.

Gratitude is both a tool and a medicine. You can’t complain about your life—or obsess over what you don’t have—while you are practicing gratitude. Try it. And here’s the secret: in this state of gratitude, the blessings and desires you hold in your heart begin to flow to you with ease.

It’s a blessing to speak to you this morning. Sending you love and wishing you a beautiful day.

—Casey