I just finished Man’s Search for Meaning by Victor Frankl and am deeply inspired, yet again by this book’s powerful message.
It’s as if Victor Frankl traveled to the inner depths of the soul through some of life’s darkest tragedies and brought us back spiritual diamonds & rays of light we can use to shine our way along life’s path.
One of the these glistening diamonds of truth is the realization that finding meaning is essential for both inspiration to move forward and for finding fulfillment from the present moments of life.
If one can find meaning in the midst of a Nazi concentration camp, surely one can find it in the midst of a normal everyday life.
But it’s up to us.
According to Logotherapy, the school of therapy Dr. Frankl founded, we can find meaning for life in 3 ways.
- By creating a work or doing a deed.
- By experiencing something or encountering someone
- By the attitude we take toward unavoidable suffering.
I’m reminded at the simple sense of fulfillment I receive by doing simple things where I feel like I may be adding value to the world in someway.
- 1 example for me, is publishing daily blog post. Based on Mr. Frankl’s suggestions, it’s quite possible that this is more valuable to me than it is to any of my readers. 🙂
For the past 7 years I’ve been a part of a daily mastermind where I get to experience personal development and encounter others and their experiences along the way. (An mixture #1 and #2 on Frankl’s list).
I’ve received and continue to receive a profound sense of inner fulfillment from this activity over the years.
As for #3, the best example I have of this in my life right now is my grandparents.
My wife, Corene, and I took my grandparents out to lunch last week. My Grandpa is 97 and my Grandma is 93.
My Grandma has lost her vision, lost her teeth and struggles with a whole host of age related challenges.
She commented “We’ve lost some ground but we make the best of what we’ve got and enjoy the what we can while we can.”
She continues to have such a positive attitude expressing gratitude through her suffering and to me, she’s a perfect example of #3 on Frankl’s list.
Oh that I can handle life’s challenges and struggles like my grandparents do, with honor, dignity and grace.