Chapter 28
Finding Meaning and Purpose in Your Life
"Life is not ... a quest for pleasure, as Freud believed, or a quest for power, as Alfred Adler taught, but a quest for meaning. The greatest task for any person is to find meaning in his or her life." (1)
—Harold S. Kushner
Having purpose and meaning in your life is a critical catalyst of long-term motivation, ambition, happiness, and fulfillment.
As Dr. Viktor Frankl so masterfully illustrated in his timeless classic,
Man's Search for Meaning, finding meaning is more than just philosophically satisfying—it is essential to our very survival as human being in
this world
.
Despite the abject and ungodly circumstances inside the Nazi concentration camps, Frankl observed firsthand that purpose-driven prisoners were more likely to survive than those without the hope that springs from having a burning sense of personal meaning within.
Quoting 19th century German philosopher, Friedrich Nietzsche, Frankl echoed the great truth that: "He who has a why to live for can bear with almost any how." (2) Is it any wonder, then, that one of the best-selling books of the 21st century to-date is Pastor Rick Warren's The Purpose Driven Life, which directly addresses this subject of subjects?
Inevitably, we all confront varying degrees of disappointment, failure, rejection, depression, discouragement, personal weakness and mental and/or emotional and/or social illness over the course of our lives. Because of his long life, rich education, and unique experiences, few persons who have ever lived have understood this truth more authentically, lucidly, and luminously than Viktor Frankl. This fact makes him uniquely qualified to comment on a potential panacea to all of the existential ailments we face here in this world.
According to Frankl, there is no better antidote to human adversity and suffering than finding an authentic purpose that provides you with genuine meaning. He was so convinced of this point that he founded a whole new school of psychotherapy on it.
He called his new and original brand of counseling LOGOTHERAPY, and designed it to help patients confront and then manage neuroses by accessing purpose and meaning in their lives.
Frankl understood that without purpose and meaning, every other conceivable therapy or treatment can only provide short-term, palliative relief. The only genuine way to access long-term happiness, fulfillment, inner peace, and mental, emotional, and social health is to find authentic meaning and then continually progress toward Self-Transcendence as it is defined by Maslow and the SAL Theory.
There are, of course, countless different voices that YOU can follow in an attempt to find authentic meaning in your life.
The question is: which one will actually answer YOUR unique call and calling in life?
Freedom Focused would never presume to tell you specifically what that thing is for YOU. However, this entire Life Leadership textbook has been designed to provide you with clues and hints that will help you on your own singular journey to find purpose, meaning, and eventually attain Self-Transcendence.
One thing we can tell you for certain is that material things alone can never fit the bill in the long-run. Nor can social status, or anything else subject to change that is beyond your control. Ultimately, the only way to find authentic meaning, purpose, and Self-Transcendence is to dedicate yourself to something or someone who does not change—in other words, True Principles rooted in Universal Laws.
Frankl articulates this commitment to unchanging principles and practices as follows:
"What was really needed was a fundamental change in our attitude toward life. We had to learn ourselves and, furthermore, we had to teach the despairing men, that it did not really matter what we expected from life, but rather what life expected from us. Life ultimately means taking the responsibility to find the right answer to its problems and to fulfill the tasks which it constantly sets for each individual" (3)
This statement aptly summarizes the fundamental paradigm of this entire Life Leadership textbook and produces another SAL Mantra as follows: It's not Life's job to fulfill your wishes and make you happy; it is YOUR job to fulfill life's wishes and become happy.
SAL Mantra
It's not life's job to fulfill your wishes and make you happy.
It's YOUR job to fulfill life's wishes and become happy.
 |
Admiral David G. Farragut
1801-1870 |
It's not Life's job to bring your "Ship" into the harbor; it is YOUR job to swim out to your ship amidst the crucible-laden obstacles of life's tempestuous seas.
Life will sometimes prove very difficult. At such times, you will be tempted to give up, or at least sit back and bask in those pathetic pools of self-pity. Self-action leaders continually resist the temptation to do so, always remembering the wise words attributed to Admiral David Farragut: a great Union naval commander in the American Civil War. Said he: No one cares what storms you faced, only did you bring in the ship?
"No one cares what storms you faced, only did you bring in the ship"
—David G. Farragut
Existential Greatness
There is a difference between achieving personal greatness in a single life arena and achieving holistic existential greatness as a human being. Achieving personal greatness in any given life arena is often admirable and will likely provide you with a measure of meaning and purpose in your life. It is always positive and noteworthy to aim toward and strive after personal excellence. However, monolithic excellence is not the apex of human accomplishment.
To achieve existential greatness, you must progressively rise to higher levels of Existential Growth and help others to do the same. As you abandon old, less effective paradigms to embrace an attitude and mindset of duty, goodness, and self-reliance, you begin to gradually experience authentic growth and progress. The more you grow as an individual, the more you will be able to help others to similarly grow.
It has been said that you cannot help another to rise unless you are already standing on higher ground yourself. It is a good thing to help yourself to rise. It is a great thing to help someone else to rise. Moreover, service to others is the key to greatness In the words of renowned business philosopher—Jim Rohn—If you want to be great, then find a way to serve; for service leads to greatness. (4)
"If you want to be great, then find a way to serve; for service leads to greatness"
—Jim Rohn
You may achieve greatness in a certain activity, endeavor, art, performance, et cetera, while being quite selfish. But existential greatness requires that you give of yourself in the service of others. To be truly GREAT, you must contribute to the long-term Existential Growth of others as well as yourself.
I have spent a great deal of time in my life pondering, reflecting, and studying the lives and careers of some of our planet's existential giants—people like: Siddhartha Gautama (the Buddha), Confucius, Jesus Christ, Lao Tzu, Joseph Smith, Jr., Mohammad, Gandhi, Mother Teresa, Joan of Arc, Florence Nightingale, Abraham Lincoln, Frederick Douglass, Martin Luther King, Jr., and others like them.
These men and women focused on serving others rather than on being served themselves. That is because great people don't ask what others can do for them; they do what they can for others.
SAL Mantra
Great people don't ask what others can do for them.
They do what they can for others.
SAL principles and practices have, in conjunction with Serendipity, helped me to become something far better and greater than I was when I started out in life. Along the way, I have found my own meaning and purpose in life. I have discovered who I am.
This Life Leadership textbook is an outgrowth of
that discovery. It is the tangible fruit produced by the tree of my life—a tree I have carefully, consciously, diligently, persistently, and patiently cultivated and nurtured for the past four decades. These principles and practices have been so monumentally transformational in my own life that I am eager to share them with others—including YOU—in hopes that you might discover
who you are and find your own pathway to greatness.
Despite what you may currently believe about yourself—or what others may currently think about you—you have the capacity and potential to make this Columbus-esque discovery.
As you launch forth into an existential sea in your own metaphysical Niña, Pinta, and Santa Maria, never forget that there is nothing inherently or existentially special about me; but everything is special about the principles and practices shared in this textbook, which can be liberally applied to the benefit of any and all human beings who have the opportunity to access them and are willing to humbly learn and apply them.
If you have enough money, any material thing in this world can be purchased. But there are some things that all the money in the world still cannot buy. These things include: character, integrity, knowledge, skills, authentic relationships, Existential Growth, and greatness. Such things must be earned one moment and one effort at a time. Good luck, money, and even the right personal connections are insufficient.
Discovering who you really are and pursuing Existential Growth is a slow, challenging, and often painful process. It is also a journey you must ultimately take alone. While other people and Serendipity can—and must—provide continual help along the way, they cannot travel the road for you. In the end, YOU and only you can choose to travel it to its destined end.
In the motivating words of Viktor Frankl:
"The meaning of life ... differ[s] from [person] to [person], and from moment to moment ... man's destiny ... is different and unique for each individual. No [person] and no destiny can be compared with any other [person] or any other destiny. No situation repeats itself, and each situation calls for a different response ... Every situation is distinguished by its uniqueness, and there is always only one right answer to the problem posed by the situation at hand." (5)
SAL guy or no, I don't begin to possess the KEYS to unlocking all of the answers for
your life. Ultimately,
only YOU and Serendipity possess those keys. Through the power of SAL, the assistance and counsel of others, and the aid of Serendipity, YOU can eventually utilize those keys to solve your life's most important mysteries and conquer your most difficult challenges.
Those who are willing to see their journey through to its various ends—those who are willing to accept a penny now in order to earn a hundred dollar bill later—the rewards are handsome and worth it. For those who aren't—those who perpetually demand a dime now and settle for a penny later on—long-term stagnation and mediocrity is inevitable.
Suffice it to say, SAL is not for the faint of heart, the soft and serpentine of spine, or the weak of will. It is for the lion-hearted whose vertebrae are straight and strong. Indeed, SAL is for those courageous souls who are willing to exercise the intestinal fortitude and virtuous chutzpah of a world class warrior who is as brave and resilient as he or she is honorable and trustworthy.
There are many things that can be given away or purchased. For example: land, money, houses, cars, media attention, positional authority, temporary friendship and power, sexual appeal and intimacy (or even a sex change), islands, buildings, businesses, airplanes, et cetera; all of these things can be bought if you have enough money.
But character, integrity, knowledge, skills, personal authenticity and confidence, inner security, quality relationships, resiliency, existential greatness, and Existential Growth must all be forged (earned) one thought, word, and deed at a time.
Because the journey is treacherous and the pain is often great, many—oh, so very many—choose an easier course: the Path of Least Resistance. They take the dollar now and settle for the dime, nickel, or penny later on.
On the other hand, those who endeavor to meet and beat all of life's pressing behests in due order may only get a penny, nickel, or dime now, but inherit hundreds, thousands, or even millions (or billions) of metaphorical (and sometimes literal) dollars later on.
While it may seem ludicrous that anyone would choose to former route over the latter when the latter's pathway is so exponentially more profitable in the long-run, it does go to show just how hard the road really is, and how relatively few are willing to trad it to its stunningly spectacular summits.
What will YOU choose to do, and where will you choose to go and grow on your own journey through life?
Whatever you decide, always REMEMBER that the choice is yours!
In Your Journal
To date, what have been your key sources of meaning and purpose in your education, career, and/or life?
Where might you find greater meaning and purpose in your education, career, and/or life?
How might you help others within your sphere of influence find more authentic meaning and purpose in their educations, careers, and/or lives?
—Dr. JJ
Wednesday, December 25, 2024
Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, USA
Author's Note: This is the 423rd Blog Post Published by Freedom Focused LLC since November 2013 and the 232nd consecutive weekly blog published since August 31, 2020.
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Chapter 28 Notes
1. Frankl, V. E. (2006). Man's Search for Meaning. Boston, MA: Beacon Press.
Page xii.
2. Ibid. Page 76.
3. Ibid. Page 76-77.
4. Rohn, J. (2000). Building your network marketing business (Compact Disc
Recording): VideoPlus. Rohn's full quote reads: "If you want to be great, then find a way to serve the many; for service to many leads to greatness."
5. Frankl, V. E. (2006). Man's Search for Meaning. Boston, MA: Beacon Press.
Page 77.
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