One of the best habits I have acquired over time is the habit of keeping a daily inventory.

This daily inventory is just for me… a type of running journal or diary to help me gain clarity about my day-to-day life.

Each night, before I go to bed, I list the following things:

1. Ten things that I am truly grateful for…

2. What I felt I handled positively during that particular day…

3. What I felt I handled poorly and could improve on and…

4. A wish list of what I hoped for most.

Over time… an interesting pattern began to emerge.

By looking back through my daily recollections over the course of several months, I could see exactly who I was continually struggling with in my relationships, what character flaws I had obviously been unwilling to give up, my positive or negative attitude on any particular day, and of course… what came true from my wish list.

It was almost comical to look back on a day where I was particularly moody or fussy and see a gratitude list that said:

I’m grateful for this pizza.

I’m grateful for this bed.

I’m grateful for being left alone… and compare it to a list on one of my spiritually sound days which read:

I’m grateful for the love of my children.

I’m grateful for my job.

I’m grateful for my intelligence.

My daily writing held a historic record of my life: painful emotions I had overcome, gifts I had been granted from my Higher Power and my hard-work, and the change in my maturity and my spiritual growth.

These daily reflections keep me centered, focused, on track, and provide an area to ground myself when I find myself in the middle of a slip.

They remind me when to “go easy”  and when it is time to “get to work.”

Taking the time for a daily inventory, a life assessment, keeps me moving forward on my spiritual path.

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“Dear God, help me to be honest when looking at my strengths and weaknesses. Help me to find gratitude in the smallest things and to learn from my past and use it to improve on my future.”