Being Thankful

Thankfulness is a virtue that all can not seem to grasp. Day to day we go about our lives and at times complain about…nothing. You can hear, “I don’t have enough money, I hate my car, this job sucks,” etc.etc. Do you really have anything to complain about? Or is it that you are not thankful? As a Soldier, we as a culture have been known for complaining. One of the old quotes states, “If Soldiers aren’t complaining, they aren’t happy.” That works well for us, but not so much for the general population.


As a Soldier, I have a lot to be thankful for and could easily fill a book where as your average American might take awhile. There are so many freedoms that many complain about but until they loose these things, they will never really know what they had. Some of us were taught at an early stage in our careers that you never complain unless you have three possible solutions to said issue. I’ve found that rule an excellent way of keeping things in perspective and cutting down on the basic bitching that many Soldiers do.

For example, when was the last time your job asked you to leave your family for 12-15 months? I’m sure some jobs may take you on a trip for a few days but a year plus? Not many at all. How many ask you to give up some of your basic freedoms? Many just take for granted that they should have this or that. Be allowed to do what ever it is they choose all based on the assumption that it belongs to them.

Being thankful is a state of mind. You must wake up, look out the window and simply say…Thank you. Why? Well for starters you could be some place where you have no windows to see outside. You could be homeless. Or you could be dead. There are so many things to be thankful for but some of us in society have been conditioned to not see the good things within our lives. They tend to concentrate on the negative.

If you’re a follower of the Laws of Attraction, then you may agree that complaining is counter productive and only brings in more of what it is you do not want. I believe there is a time and place for any and everything; complaining too. But on that note I to believe that there is a right way and a wrong way to say things.

For instance, instead of saying, “I hate my car; it’s a piece of crap.” Rework that and be thankful that you have a car. “You know, I like my lil car, its gets me where I need to be. I’m looking forward to retiring it and getting a new one.” There, that was simple. You are thankful and appreciate what you have. This technique can be used by anyone and for anything. I feel that once you condition yourself to think that way that the negative things begin to shrink and those positive ones begin to grow.

There is not a day that goes by that I can truly complain about. I can say I’m having a rough day and things aren’t going as smoothly as I’d like but I can always…always find something to be thankful for. While in Iraq it was hot and numerous days it just sucked. We complained, but was usually followed up by someone saying, “It could be worse.” It would quickly be agreed upon and the conversation would change to how worse it could be with examples. Looking at the examples…things weren’t that bad and laughter soon followed. We learned to be thankful for the lil things that would happen to us on a day to day basis. Just getting from point “A” to point “B” was a blessing.

I currently have a journal that I maintain. In it I write what I am thankful/ grateful for now and on the other page I write now that. It helps you keep track of the small things that are normally forgotten throughout the course of your day. Like electricity, your internet connection, the pen you’re using to write with. The checks you have. Your house has walls in it. Yeah I know, some may say get real or that’s silly. Well that’s your call or your choice. But writing it all down, day to day or when ever you feel the urge. It can keep you grounded and help you appreciate what good things are going well in your life. If you can focus on what you have versus what you don’t have, then to me you’re headed in the right direction.
So thankfulness is just that, being thankful. There are so many things that we can be thankful for yet, like I said they go unnoticed. I am truly grateful for: being alive today, typing on this laptop, my family, my wife, my children, the abundance of money in our bank accounts, I have a home, I have a job, I have two cars that are paid for, the ability to walk, I have use of all my limbs, I currently serve in a unit of Soldiers I enjoy being around, I survived an IED attack, I didn’t loose any of my Soldiers during our deployment, I have friends that care about me, facebook, e-mail, college football, I’m close to retirement, my kids are doing well in school, my daughter can do a back flip without a spotter now, the office that I have, the cold weather gear we were recently issued, being in Korea, my bills are paid, the body armor that we wear, I can see, I can hear, I have been promoted, I have the ability to change my defects of character, my belief system that keeps me grounded and on the path to success.

I’ll leave you with this though that I think sums it up, “Everyday is a good day that no one is shooting at you.”