What is the first thing you think of when you awaken? What is the last thought you have before you go to bed? Those are two of the first questions I ask my clients when they are in a funk.

Choosing to be soul-cially conscious, to live a more blissful life, takes work. How we begin and end each day sets the tone for our daily lives.

Abraham-Hicks said, “You have the ability to pivot under any and all conditions. But most of you are habitual in nature, and your patterns are so well entrenched that at times the fastest path to the joy you seek is for you to take your pivot as you sleep. By reaching for good-feeling thoughts before you go to sleep and then experiencing the benefit of the quiet mind that occurs while you sleep—and then upon awakening, immediately turning to good-feeling thoughts—you can accomplish the ultimate Pivoting experience.”

Whether you are spiritual/religious or not, every minute gives you an opportunity to count your “blissings”, those little (sometimes big) things in life that bring a sense of peace, joy and contentment.

Studies have shown that by practicing being grateful we experience lower levels of depression and stress, we are more optimistic about the future, we exercise more, we are more likely to reach personal goals, and we increase our capacity for compassion and forgiveness, including forgiving ourselves.

Additional research shows that in as little as 21 days we can form long-lasting habits. A habit is merely pattern of behavior that we have either consciously or subconsciously adopted.

We are creatures of habit. You can create a new habit and detox from negative thinking by beginning and ending each day with a joyful, positive thought, one that includes gratitude for the abundance in your life.

The first and last words I say to myself everyday are very simple:   “Thank you, God, I am breathing, I am alive, and I am connected to something”.

For the next 21 days, I challenge you to begin a new habit of detoxing from negative thinking by waking up and falling asleep with a grateful heart! One simple thought could be all it takes.