"Suddenly you're afraid and you don't know what you're afraid of."

The other day, I was feeling a bit down. You know those days when everything just seems wrong and you’re not feeling very good about yourself? In Breakfast at Tiffany’s Audrey Hepburn’s Holly Golightly called her bad-day feelings The Mean Reds. I was feeling my particular version of The Mean Reds about my appearance. Suddenly, my hair was not right, my skin dull, and I started to suspect that my skin might break out. I was at a party and every other person there seemed more attractive than I could ever hope to be. You’re probably thinking that I’m going to recommend a skin care product here, but I’m not. Instead, I’ll tell you what I did (and how well it worked!).

The day after the party, I sat down and wrote a list of all the things I was grateful for. This gratitude list included all of the amazing, wonderful friends that, just the night before, I’d been feeling envious of. I realized: I don’t love these people because I think they’re beautiful, but because they are smart, interesting, kind, and funny. Hopefully, they feel the same way about me. Also on my gratitude list? My family, the new book I’m reading, my excellent health, and the glass of fresh juice I’d had just that morning. I'm grateful for my home, for my amazing job here at Mario Badescu, and for the opportunity to do what I love. Once I was finished writing out my list, my sister stopped by and suggested that we go to brunch at a new place in town. As I ran out the door, I caught a glimpse of myself in the hallway mirror and suddenly and amazingly, everything (my skin, my hair, my outlook) seemed so much brighter!

What has gratitude done for you today? What are you grateful for?