We humans
Your 5-day gratitude challenge: 5 exercises to increase your gratefulness
These five different exercises -- all from TED speakers -- can help you add more thanks to your life.
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Brother David Steindl-Rast, a Benedictine monk, meditates and writes on "the gentle power" of gratefulness.
Why you should listen
Many first met Brother David Steindl-Rast through a viral video called "Nature. Beauty. Gratitude," where Louie Schwartzberg's footage of time-lapse flowers in bloom is narrated by Brother David's moving words asking us to simply be ... grateful. Since 1953, Brother David has been a monk of Mount Saviour Benedictine monastery in New York, dividing his time between hermitic contemplation, writing and lecturing. He's the cofounder of gratefulness.org, supporting ANG*L (A Network for Grateful Living).
He was one of the first Roman Catholics to participate in Buddhist-Christian dialogue, and is the author of The Ground We Share, a text on Buddhist and Christian practice, written with Robert Aitken Roshi. His other books include Gratefulness, the Heart of Prayer and Deeper Than Words. His most recent book is 99 Blessings, a series of prayers for the general reader -- whether people of faith, agnostics, or uncertain.
What others say
“There are many things for which we cannot be grateful, but there is no moment for which we cannot be grateful, because in every moment, even difficult ones, we have the opportunity to do something.” — Brother David Steindl-Rast
David Steindl-Rast’s TED talk
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Culture
A non-cheesy guide to gratefulness: What to read and watch
Gratefulness isn’t always something that comes easily. Below, some reading and watching to get you into a thankful headspace. Watch: “Want to be happy? Be thankful.” This TED Talk from David Steindl-Rast is the perfect Thanksgiving appetizer. In it, the Benedictine monk and interfaith scholar talks about what, exactly, it means to be grateful and offers a simple process for living […]
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Live from TEDGlobal
Want to be happy? Be grateful: Brother David Steindl-Rast at TEDGlobal 2013
David Steindl-Rast is a monk, and a composed, serene figure to wrap up the last session of TEDGlobal 2013. His theme, gratefulness, is also appropriate for the end of a long and intense week. After all, he points out, we all share the same essential goal: to be happy. And gratitude provides the key. “We […]
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