I have very little will power when it comes to doing things I don’t want to do. Viktor Frankl helped me work on this. In his book, Man’s Search For Meaning, he articulates the will to meaning is the one you want. Let me explain…
Frankl was a neurologist, psychiatrist, philosopher, author and Holocaust survivor. He spent 3 years in 4 different concentration camps and lost his father, mother, brother and wife along the way. During this time, he would regularly meet with fellow prisoners to help them during this dire situation. In reflecting on their ability and likelihood to survive, he discovered optimism alone was not enough to sustain the mental fortitude needed to make it. Rather…
“Once an individual’s search for meaning is successful, it not only renders him happy but also gives him the capability to cope with suffering.”
Frankl observed prisoners, who had given up on having any meaning, would stop caring about their future and sought immediate pleasures with no regard for the consequences (often lethal) that would most certainly follow. In other words, their will lost power without meaning. Now, thankfully, you and I are not in a similar situation. However, our failure to find meaning in our work can lead to an inability to sustain the effort and discipline needed to do the things that matter.
Want a more powerful will to do hard things? Find more meaning. You can do this…
BUILT TO LEAD 