THE SEARCH FOR MEANING PART II

In Part II of “Man’s Search For Meaning,” author Viktor Frankl elaborates on his study of logotherapy.

A practice Frankl invented, logotherapy involves confronting patients with questions oriented toward finding meaning in life to overcome neurosis, or what today we more commonly refer to as anxiety.

Why is finding meaning a part of the human experience?

Frankl suggests finding meaning is not a “secondary rationalization,” but instead, the “primary motivation” in one’s life.

Therefore, if you have not found meaning, you may feel lost, anxious, and unproductive in society.

To live your best life, an Ascent Life as I term it, finding meaning is essential.

The difficulty in finding purpose and meaning in life is that life constantly changes. Every day we learn, make mistakes, grow and evolve .

Finding meaning will differ for each one of us, hour by hour.

So how do we find meaning?

First, a qualifier about uniqueness…

“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… One should not search for an abstract meaning of life. Everyone has his own specific vocation or mission in life to carry out a concrete assignment which demands fulfillment. Therein he cannot be replaced, nor can his life be repeated.”

❝

“He who has a why to live for can bear almost any how.”

—Nietzsche

Frankl’s answer to living a meaningful life is thus:

“…true meaning of life is to be discovered in the world rather than within man or his own psyche… thus, we can discover meaning in life in three different ways:”

by creating a work or doing a deed
by experiencing something (such as goodness, truth and beauty) or encountering someone
by the attitude we take toward unavoidable suffering

Meaning, to Frankl, comes down to experiences—doing things: loving another person, working diligently on a project, or transforming tragedy into triumph.

I take from this that finding meaning is dynamic, ephemeral and necessary.

My Mission: help one million people a day become the best version of themselves through living an Ascent Life.

Share this newsletter with a friend. Send them this link: https://ascent-life.beehiiv.com/subscribe

Be Inspired with The Ascent Life Podcast

Inspiring one million people a day to live their best lives, and be the best version of themselves. That is living an Ascent Life! Host, R. Brandon Long speaks with leaders, artists, CEO’s, Entrepreneur’s, Dad’s, Mom’s, and those who want to share their definite major purpose, and their definition of success.