In this week’s “Spreading the Word”, I share with you a video. It is a 2017 TED talk given by the writer Emily Esfahani Smith. She has studied how people find and create meaning in (and for) their lives, and has come up with a suggestion of the results – she refers to them as the four pillars. I found the last, forth pillar especially surprising, largely because of its simplicity, of how obvious it is. Emily really manages to weave an inspiring and insightful story to convey her message, she gives examples and shares personal experience. Have a listen and see how it speaks to you. Her findings reminded me of the main conclusions the Austrian psychiatrist Viktor Frankl made about the main ‘paths’ people take to make their lives meaningful: love, work, and attitude to difficulties (he referred to this last one as the person’s last freedom that cannot be taken away by external factors). Adding Emily’s fourth pillar to this rounds it up into a beautiful account of human’s search for meaning.

Enjoy!

Link to the video: https://www.ted.com/talks/emily_esfahani_smith_there_s_more_to_life_than_being_happy#t-393742

Keeping up the “Spreading the Word” tradition, every Thursday I hope to share with you an article I’ve read or a video I’ve seen and considered it to be inspiring or enlightening. I feel it is important to take good care not just of our physical but also of our mental well-being. Humans have always turned and returned to storytelling. My Thursdays’ “Spreading the Word” articles are an online version of sharing worthwhile stories.

keep exploring and storytelling!