Viktor Frankl’s powerful book Man’s Search for Meaning is a gem. (He nearly published anonymously, until someone convinced him otherwise.) It has profoundly impacted my outlook on life.
Frankl was a psychiatrist and Nazi concentration camp survivor who lost everything that he had including family and his wife.
Based on his experiences in the camps, his ultimate conclusion was that no matter what was taken from him, or how he was emotionally and physically abused, the one thing that they could not take was his power to choose what to think.
I think so many times in our lives when bad things are happening, it almost seems like they come in groups and there’s a swirl of negative things happening to us.
During times in my own life when I felt that way, the idea that I have the power to choose what to think no matter what is going on is something that has helped me tremendously.
As Frankl so aptly points out, it is something no one can take away from you.
I hope you find some benefit in that, and if you haven’t read the book, it’s really tremendous.
Question: Is there a book that has profoundly influenced your outlook on life?