I read this book in 2019, and it left a lasting impression on me. I had been meaning to read it for a while and it did not disappoint. Viktor Frankl was a psychiatrist and Holocaust survivor.The key points for me were:
- Most people are looking for more meaning in their lives
- The “meaning of life” is unique to everyone, and each person’s life purpose can only be fulfilled by them
- The search for meaning normally results in discomfort rather than peace (what we call “resistance” in coaching)
- Meaning can be created in various ways: creating a piece of work, or doing a deed; experiencing something or someone (i.e. love); our (positive) attitude in a hopeless situation
- Human suffering is relative – each person feels his own problem is the greatest in the world
- Nietzsche “he who has a *why* can bear almost any *how*”
- It’s not what we expect from life, but rather what life expects from us, i.e. to fulfil our life’s purpose
- Our behaviour is a result of decisions we make, not conditions or situations – given a set of circumstances, we choose how we react
- Happiness cannot be pursued, but rather results from having a reason to be happy, i.e. a meaning
- Unhappiness is prevalent and also stigmatised as “shameful” [creating a vicious cycle], but not everyone is happy all of the time
FIND YOUR WHY
If you’d like to know more about creating meaning and purpose at work, check out my podcast with Fiona English
