It was Cicero who once said, ‘gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all others.’  Many people since have concurred with this statement.

The one thing all humans have in common is that each of us wants to be happy, says Brother David Steindl-Rast OSB, founder of ‘A Network for Grateful Living’ (http://www.gratefulness.org). And it is happiness, suggests Steindl-Rast, that is born from gratitude.

In a recently released TEDtalk ‘Want to be happy? Be grateful‘, Steindl-Rast presents a reflective journey where the benefits of slowing down and being grateful are explored. You can watch his presentation here:

And if that gives you a taste for the power of gratefulness, you can try incorporating a daily gratefulness meditation into your routine. Instructions on how to do basic meditations can be found on the ’16 Guidelines for Life’ website here: http://www.16guidelines.org/gratitude-meditations.