When it comes to life the critical thing is whether you take things for granted or take them with gratitude.”

Gilbert K. Chesterton

As we have seen, there are many Mental Toughness tools to pressure proof ourselves.  I have saved the most expedient and powerful for last, GRATITUDE.  This is the howitzer of all the Mental Toughness pressure proofing weapons.  Gratitude provides instant stress reduction.

Be aware, it takes an enormous effort to fire off a salvo from this weapon when you are miserable.  If you are stuck in the mode of self-pity, of complaining, whining and moaning about your circumstances, your job, your relationships and life in general, you absolutely will not FEEL like performing a gratitude bombing run on yourself….but being grateful is extremely effective.  Being thankful and appreciative of all the good things in your life, is akin to a nuclear strike on stress, pressure, and any heaviness enveloping you.

It’s not enough to NOT complain, to NOT whine, to NOT moan about stuff.  To get results, you MUST speak out loud, so your own ears can hear you, language that expresses and acknowledges gratitude.  It works even better when other people’s ears can hear you too.

Here is the beginning of my own list:

I am so thankful for indoor plumbing, especially hot running water for a shower, and toilets that flush. (And all the grunts out there said, “AMEN”.)  If you ain’t thankful for indoor plumbing, spend a few months out in Iraq, Afghanistan, or any other location off the grid.  It might be good for bears to go in the woods, but that’s because they don’t know what they are missing.

I am grateful for a warm bed with an actual pillow and mattress.   Don’t get me wrong, I was grateful to lay my head on my gas mask instead of a rock, and to have a poncho liner to cover me up, but the Bed, Bath and Beyond stuff is soooooo much nicer.

I am thankful for food that hasn’t been dehydrated or flash frozen and packed in a tin foil toothpaste tube.  I appreciate having a meal, any meal, but especially food that wasn’t processed three years before I was born.

I am grateful for fresh and clean water, the kind that is safe to drink.  Thanks to all the water treatment specialists who spend their lives ensuring that I don’t get sick from brushing my teeth in the water that comes out of the faucet.  (A standing ovation for toothpaste and toothbrushes too, while I’m thinking of it.)

Garbage pick-up. Thanks to the all the folks who, in any weather conditions, remove the trash from my home and sanctuary.

And I haven’t even started on the really important things like my family, friends, and electricity.

Write your own list and read it out loud.  Go NUCLEAR on pressure and stress!

Boo Yah!!