Create More Stop Signs

David Steindl Rast, a Benedictine monk living in New York, gave an inspiring Ted Talk a few years ago that revolved around the theme of happiness. In his talk, he stressed the importance of being more mindful by taking time out each day to silently reflect on what is going well in our lives. 

A simple but profound thought that David shared was that we need to create more stop signs in our lives that slow us down to a halt in order to become more appreciative and grateful for the blessings that we have. 

How often do we actually do this? We can get so caught up in what’s not working well in our lives that we negate opportunities to focus on the good. In focusing on the good, we can begin to put more gratitude into practice in our lives. 

According to Steindl-Rast, putting more gratitude into action in our lives leads to greater happiness and fulfillment. 

This can be tough to do on some days, but just thinking about David’s work reminds me of the importance to take more action in this area. I’ve included David’s Ted Talk below for those interested in watching it.