Man's Search For Meaning is a staple in the Personal Development and Psychological world. The book is comprised of two parts; Viktor Frankl's incredible story and then the theory (Logotherapy) which came from this experience.
Viktor E. Frankl recounts the horrors of living in the Death Camps of Nazi Germany through the eyes of a psychiatrist. Shortly after his admittance, he becomes curious as to what attributes to the survival of some and the demise of so many. In circumstances which soon equalize all who enter, how is it that some prisoners live on for years while other quickly die? A clue to the answer: "everything can be taken from man but one thing; the last of the human freedoms - to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one's own way."
In the ultimate test of one's psychology, as you learn of the horrors of what went on within the camps, it is impossible not to wonder... if faced with such circumstances, how would you show up? would you be amongst the few that lived or the many that perish.
Worth noting, Viktor Frankl does a fantastic job of recounting and not dimissing the horrors of what happenned within the camp without diving into all the details which could turn off some readers.
The second part of the book is the science behind it all. Quite frankly (no pun intended), this part isn't for everyone. Although valuable to all, it is a tough read. There is more information packed into one paragraph than found in entire psychology text books. As Viktor himself notes, the 60 pages which comprise the end of the book are a compilation of twenty volumes in German. If you are a coach, tough it out. It is well wort the read.
Inspirational/Key Quotes & Excerpts:
"Man, however, is able to live and even die for the sake of his ideals and values!"
"He who has a why to live for can bear almost any how." - Nietzsche
"Live as if you were living already for the second time and as if you had acted the first timeas wrongly as you are about to act now!"
"The more one forgets himself - by giving himself to a cause to serve or another person to love - the more human he is and the more he actualizes himself."
"We must never forget that we may also find meaning in life even when confronted with a hopeless situation, when facing a fate that cannot be changed. For what then matters is to bear witness to the uniquely human potential at its best, which is to transform a personal tragedy into a triump, turn one's predicament into an achievement. When we are no longer able to change the situation... ... we are challenged to change ourselves."
"Consider a movie: it consistsof thousands upon thousands of individual pictures, and each of them makes sense and carries meaning, yet the meaning of the whole film cannot be seen before its last sequence is shown."
"People have enough to live by but nothing to live for; they have the means but no meaning."
If you joined me at my last seminar, you would have heard me talk about the meaning of life at the very end. So again I say...
"Instead of asking 'What is the meaning of life?' ask, 'What is a life of meaning?'" - Bryce Healey
Your friend and Coach,
Bryce
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