“Man’s search for meaning is the primary motivation in his life… this meaning is unique and specific in that it must and can be fulfilled by him alone.” – Viktor Frankl
Head Scratching Habits
So with all the cards on the table, or at least this one. What is the next step? Well in 3 easy steps I will tell you exactly what to do to find your meaning in life. Step 1: Go to the store, find aisle 12 and… oh wait, this doesn’t seem right. Even though we would all breathe a little easier if finding meaning was as easy as 3 steps, or even 10. Life just doesn’t work that way.
“For the meaning of life differs from man to man, from day to day and from hour to hour. What matters, therefore, is not the meaning of life in general but rather the specific meaning of a person’s life at a given moment. To put the question in general terms would be comparable to the question posed to a chess champion: “Tell me, Master, what is the best move in the world?” There simply is no such thing as the best or even a good move apart from a particular situation in a game and the particular personality of one’s opponent. The same holds for human existence. One should not search for an abstract meaning of life.” – Viktor Frankl
If you just find yourself scratching your head in hopes of knocking something loose inside your skull that may just give you a eureka life moment, stop. And if you still feel like scratching then you may need to see a doctor. An overarching meaning of your life is not your meaning in life. Life is made up of moments. Moments found in minutes, in hours, in days. This is where meaning is found and actually lived out. If you have found your so called “meaning” then you are blessed. But for those of us who fear a bald spot from our confusion induced habit, we may need to just take it one day at a time. One baby-stepping day at a time.
Baby Stepping To Find Waldo
“In other words, what matters is to make the best of any given situation.” – Viktor Frankl
Day by day we find meaning. It is found as we baby step from each circumstance and situation and choose to find meaning. Meaning to better ourselves and others. But we all have an overlying meaning that we can pull motivation and direction from. Frankl wrote about a more broad meaning of life. He believed there was a meaning to one’s life as a whole. With the culmination of our days, we find that each one has a purpose which we can glean meaning from. Meaning is found in making the best of any and every situation we find ourselves in. When we are meaning to find what each day holds, then maybe we have just found our meaning. But it is only found by looking. Kind of like finding where Waldo is hiding, and what is he hiding from?
2 by 2 All Over Again?
I cannot deny that it seems life can deal some pretty bad hands to people. Some people must be going through life thinking, I got dealt another 2? My life is 2 by 2, its like the flood all over again!” Everyone gets dealt a bad hand from time to time, and others just feel like the dealer has decided a winning hand is just not an option. So what do we do with bad days, tough luck moments, and situations we wouldn’t wish on our worst enemies, except maybe that dealer. I don’t have any simple instructions or even wisdom capable of fixing the bad deck of cards life has stacked against us. Because life is tough, and sometimes the only option is to find meaning in suffering and choose to persevere. To keep on searching, searching, and searching. I heard once from a very smart man, “seek and you will find”. That man is Jesus and He was more than just a smart man and a great teacher. If you are searching for something, then that is the best place to start.
The Making Of A Wildcard
In playing bad hand, after bad hand, you start learning bad hands actually can be turned into winning hands. We all wish for those great wild cards to be dealt to us. Great financial situations, fun-filled friendships, and jobs that don’t feel like work. But perseverance makes a pretty good wildcard that we all have been dealt. It just is not a very fun card to play. In learning to live the life we are dealt, we need to stop blaming the dealer and choose to play our hands. Instead of trying to find a different dealer or play off other’s shiny decks. But it is your choice, not the dealer’s.
“Everywhere man is confronted with fate, with the chance of achieving something through his own suffering” – Viktor Frankl
How Far?
“Life ultimately means taking the responsibility to find the right answers to its problems and to fulfill the tasks which it constantly sets for each individual” – Viktor Frankl
Life is so beautifully complex that there is no situation where meaning cannot be found. From thriving in luxury to surviving in poverty. It is in our choices, right where we find ourselves, in which we will find ourselves. Where we will find our meaning. A purpose that makes us want to wake up. And for some, the strength to endure another 24 hours. Frankl showed that even in the most gruesome of circumstances, if one searches for the little bit that life still has left to offer. That one may still find a meaning big enough to fill one’s heart with hope. We are all searching for meaning. How far are you willing to go?
“Whoever was still alive had reason for hope” – Viktor Frankl
Life, keep it simple and live it
Josh