Practice, expectations, inspiration
I am fortunate enough to spend most mornings with a hot cup of coffee and my journal. In it I write my thoughts, and feelings (and sometimes dreams) upon waking. I write in detail about the day prior. It helps my memory and I can recount with better clarity all the events of each day. Not that every day is perfect but sometimes when I recall things in written form I realize how amazing things truly are. Any problems that come up are untangled, better articulated and sometimes not as bad as I make them out to be in my mind. I can then take action towards a reasonable solution if needed. Journaling vs Therapy
Journaling is probably the safest space there is and I’d argue that it’s better than seeing a therapist. Firstly, if you can afford a pen and a journal, you can have at it. Finding a therapist, then seeing if they’re in your insurance network (if you have insurance to begin with), then budgeting for expensive co pays and then scheduling your appointments is not as easy. Secondly, therapists (at least the ones I’ve had) don’t challenge me or provide input in the way I expect (although, I have read some amazing books recommended to me by a couple of them). From what I understand, a therapist’s goal is to help you to help yourself, so you might as well skip the cost and the middle person and discover yourself through writing. Thirdly, who are you more likely to be 100% honest with - someone else or a private journal? Exactly. Also, revisiting what I’ve written helps me to see the progress (or lack of progress) I’ve made. I’m not sure you can get that with therapy. And after a few months of doing this, I’ve come to Love my Dark Weird Self. 
How Journaling ties into Gratitude
I end each journal entry with a mantra that has evolved over time in relation to what I’ve learned about gratitude. As of this writing it is: “Today I take the time to remember how blessed I am. That Gratitude not be taken lightly because life can change in the blink of an eye and everyone and everything as I know it will pass away.” Then I start a Gratitude list with my heart beat, my breath, another day of life, and then I list every member of my immediate family, starting with my Dad, my Mom, then my siblings, their spouses and children. I come from a family of 3 Daughters and 5 Sons - most of whom are married with children. So, you can imagine how tedious this might be. When I catch myself rushing through it, I try my best to slow down because the whole point is to think about each person for a moment as I write their name and to not take anyone for granted. Then my list extends to my friends, then all the luxuries of modern middle class American Life (access to water, food, shelter, internet, blankets, indoor plumbing, etc). I also always try to remember how blessed I am to be born with musical talent, a beautiful singing voice and creativity in my blood…and I remember how amazing it is that I do it for a living. I also acknowledge that I am grateful to have the problems that I have. I try and write down each one. Eventually, I get to a point where trying to find a problem to write down becomes difficult. It takes me pretty quickly to get to that point. It's then that I remember how few my problems are, and that I wouldn't trade mine for anyone else's. My daily Gratitude list is never truly complete, perfect, or organized, but I do my best. 
Expectations of Daily Gratitude Practice
This part is possibly a crossroads, but possibly not too. I am a drug addict / alcoholic and I have been sober for over 11 years. I have had the habit of living my life in such a way that when the novelty of a new experience wears off, I start to doubt the experience altogether. Maybe this way of life also extends to our current dopamine driven nation i.e. a nation constantly checking phones for a short tiny burst of pleasure. My experience with Gratitude has been a total psychedelic transformation from the inside out. For about a solid month there wasn’t a single negative force able to penetrate my peace. True story: An uninsured driver hit my car and I was seriously considering letting them off the hook because of how good I was feeling (Don’t worry. I didn’t let them off the hook). But much like a drug experience, the high has worn off (although, this could also be a bad case of Holiday Blues read all about that here). However, I know I’m on the right path because this change happened internally - not externally or through any material means; and my lowest moments now are not so low. Gratitude has been both a rocket and a parachute. Inspiration: A side effect of Gratitude
After a while, I’ve discovered that constantly writing and paying attention to my thoughts/feelings and being grateful becomes BORING. However, this is healthy for two reasons. Firstly, I’ve realized how good of a problem that is to have. Secondly, it's made me want to look outside of myself. I’ve started to care about what’s happening in the world because the anxieties around what’s important to me are being addressed. North Korea has been my obsession lately. My father escaped when he was a young boy. Barbara Demick’s book, “Nothing to Envy, Ordinary Lives in North Korea,” helped me to figure out that my dad escaped during the Japanese occupation right before The Kim Dynasty took over. It’s inspired my songwriting and has further fortified my sense of Gratitude. More on this later…
Conclusion
Thank you for reading about my Daily Gratitude Practice. I hope you found some value in it. It’s changed me in such a profound way that I thought it selfish not to share my Discovery (Part 1) and Practice (Part 2). My recent experience with The Holiday Blues (click here to read about that) has shown me that I still have much to learn. I wasn’t even aware of what was happening until I wrote about it and discovered that my ambition (the kind that I wrote about in Part 1) was yet again taking hold of me. Lastly, I realize due to the diversity of life situations and experiences that this might not resonate with everyone. What I’m most concerned about in regards to the perception of this writing are my thoughts on journaling vs therapy. It should go without saying that this is my perspective. But you can’t be too careful these days. I'm not a doctor and I don't claim to be a mental health professional. If you don’t agree with my experience - that’s ok. I’m not out to debate what works for anyone else. My goal is to share some hope with anyone struggling, provide an easy method that virtually anyone can practice AND to also reveal a behind the scenes look at where my next batch of songs is coming from. I can see how releasing blogs is a random turn, but I promise you it connects to music. Stay tuned ;)I wish you well my friend,- Judah 