What is My Meaning in Life?

I have been reading the book Man’s Search For Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl. My sister gave it to me and said it was one of the best books she’s ever read, so naturally I decided I would read it. It’s a good book and just so happens to be the source of influence for my blog today.

The author is a Jew that was in a concentration camp. He writes of his time there and comes up with 3 things he believes people find meaning in, which I have written about below.

1. People find meaning by creating a work or doing a deed.

” Frankl said the thing that kept him alive was that he felt he needed to live so he could write his book and tell the world about his idea of logotherapy.  This source of meaning also includes finding purpose in a career or job.

2. People find meaning by experiencing something, encountering someone or love.

Frankl writes, “No one can become fully aware of the very essence of another human being unless he loves him. By his love he is enabled to see the essential traits and features in the beloved person; and even more, he sees that which is potential in him.”

3. People find meaning in the attitude we take toward unavoidable suffering.

The author also states, “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 triumph, to turn one’s predicament into a human achievement.”

I would say we all experience these 3 ideas in everyday life. We all want a career, someone to love, to experience beauty in creation, and we all have to go through some form of suffering. But I believe we find the meaning of our lives in a specific one.

If you have ever seen the show suits, you know the person Harvey. Harvey has a lot of pillars that are important to him. He values family, trust and many other things, BUT Harvey’s life is centered on winning. He lives out of the playbook of Drake, “All I do is win, win, win, no matter what.” Although he values many things, the meaning of his life is winning at his job.

Like Harvey, I think we value many things. But there is one thing that our lives are centered on and gives us the will to keep pressing on. Frankl states that he felt the need to share his idea of logotherapy with the world and that is what gave him the purpose and will to survive the concentration camp. I began to think about my life and what my meaning was. Through much prayer, journaling, meditating, and talking with people I have come to realize what my meaning is. As Frankl states in the book, “As long as one has a why to live for, he can make it through any how.”

I encourage you to go on this journey. When everything is stripped away, what is it that gets you excited? What gets you up in the morning? Take time to think about it and maybe even journal or write things down. Talk to people, hash it out, and get an answer to the question that I think we all wonder about at some point:

What is my meaning in life?