Gratitude is more than a feeling—it’s a practice, a mindset, and, when done intentionally, a quiet revolution that can transform how we move through life. In Musings for Maddie: Quotes to Live by When Life Gives Us Life, author Stephanie H. Malbasa shares many life lessons, but one of the most profound comes wrapped in simplicity: her “Golden List.”
This isn’t a to-do list or a set of lofty goals. It’s a habit. A ritual. A moment of stillness that has reshaped her mornings and, by extension, her life. And the best part? You can start yours tomorrow, with nothing more than a pen, a notebook, and a few minutes of presence.
The Birth of the Golden List
Stephanie Malbasa is a woman of experience and many roles—attorney, business owner, foundation leader, wife, mother, and grandmother. Through decades of navigating life’s responsibilities and transitions, she found grounding in something seemingly small: writing down five things she was grateful for each morning.
This practice became her “Golden List”—a daily ritual that brought clarity, calm, and a renewed focus on what truly matters.
In her book, she reflects, “It doesn’t have to be profound. Sometimes it’s a warm cup of coffee, a child’s laughter, a moment of peace.” The beauty of the list lies in its accessibility. It doesn’t ask for perfection—only for presence.
Why Gratitude Works
Gratitude, as science and spirituality both tell us, is transformative. Research has shown that consistent gratitude practices can reduce stress, increase happiness, improve relationships, and even promote physical health. But it’s not just the act of writing that matters—it’s the shift in perspective it creates.
Focusing on what’s right, even when things feel wrong, trains our brains to notice the good. Stephanie’s Golden List is an invitation to pause before the rush of the day begins—to root ourselves in joy, awareness, and intention.
Her reflections echo the teachings of thought leaders and philosophers alike: what we focus on expands. When we begin our day with gratitude, we start from a place of abundance instead of lack.
The Morning Mindset Shift
Mornings set the tone for the rest of the day. Stephanie’s Golden List isn’t just about gratitude—it’s about conscious beginnings. Before diving into emails, to-do lists, or life’s demands, she makes space for stillness. That act of self-connection becomes a kind of armor—one made not of rigidity, but of awareness.
Imagine beginning each day by acknowledging your blessings, seeing beauty in the ordinary, and reminding yourself that, even in seasons of hardship, there is always something to be thankful for. This will change how you interact with people, handle stress, and speak to yourself.
This is how Stephanie begins—with words of thanks, with intention, and it has made all the difference.
From Obligation to Appreciation
One of the most striking elements of Stephanie’s practice is how it reframes responsibility. Like many working parents and caregivers, she spent years juggling schedules, emotions, and expectations. But over time, and through her Golden List, she began seeing these responsibilities not as burdens, but as blessings.
“I realized that so many of the things I once felt overwhelmed by were actually the things I would miss most,” she shares in her book. That shift—from obligation to appreciation—is one of the most powerful outcomes of daily gratitude.
It teaches us to see the sacred in the mundane, to turn routine into ritual, and to anchor our days not in what we must do but in what we get to do.
How to Start Your Own Golden List
Creating your own Golden List is beautifully simple. There are no rules—only the commitment to pause, reflect, and write.
Here’s how you can begin:
- Set aside five quiet minutes each morning. Before the chaos of the day unfolds, find stillness.
- Write down five things you’re grateful for. Big or small. Recent or timeless.
- Be honest. This isn’t a performance—it’s a moment of connection with yourself.
- Repeat daily. Like any habit, the power of the Golden List grows with consistency.
Over time, you may find yourself noticing more to be thankful for throughout the day. Your awareness expands. Your energy shifts. You begin to walk through life more open, more grounded, more present.
A Ripple Effect of Positivity
Stephanie’s Golden List isn’t just for personal growth—it creates a ripple effect. Gratitude has a way of softening the edges of life. When we’re grateful, we’re more patient, more compassionate, more forgiving.
The energy we bring into the world begins with how we speak to ourselves each morning. Stephanie’s practice teaches us that self-care isn’t always about grand gestures—it’s about conscious presence. And the Golden List becomes not just a private ritual, but a public gift. As we show up more centered, we offer others that same grace.
A Habit That Heals and Elevates
In Musings for Maddie, Stephanie H. Malbasa invites readers to embrace life fully—with all its complexity and all its blessings. Her Golden List is one of the book’s most enduring gifts. It reminds us that change doesn’t always require upheaval—sometimes it begins with five quiet lines, written by hand, before the world wakes up.
So tomorrow morning, grab a notebook. Sit in silence. And begin your Golden List. You might just find that this small act of gratitude holds the power to change everything.
Because when you start your day with thanks, you open your life to grace.