Some time ago I read Viktor Frankl’s book on the search for meaning in life. I think many of us go through periods where we don’t really know what to do, where to go. Nothing really sets us in motion. It happened to me, it still happens, and this book gave me some great realizations. Frankl survived the death camp and made it the most powerful (in)human experience of his life.
One passage particularly struck me:
“When an individual finds the WHY of
his life then he can deal with all the HOWs.”
Even those that involve suffering and disappointment.
When we no longer know what to expect from life, we need to change our attitude towards it.
Ultimately, what Frankl says is not about what we expect from life but rather what life expects from us. We must not look for the meaning of our life, but rather think about how life questions us, every day and even every hour.
We cannot define a general purpose of life. Life has no vague meaning; it has a real and concrete one. As real and concrete as the tasks we strive to carry out on a daily basis. They define each person’s destiny, which is different and unique.
So, what if we decided to pay attention to how life tests us?
Only our actions, reactions and the choices we make gradually shape the path of our lives.
For my part, as a nomadic entrepreneur, I naively thought that travel would be enough to give meaning to my life.
That each day would be fantastic enough to fill the void I felt before leaving. I was wrong.
Traveling and roaming are ways of giving life the opportunity to ask me other questions. Questions I was not at all prepared for.
And the tipping point is here. To give meaning to your life when it lacks purpose, one’s still have to allow themself to have experiences that take them out of what they already know. Give life the opportunity to pose puzzles to solve, problems to resolve and all kinds of difficulties.
Because I realize that
it is in adversity that we can truly reveal ourselves.
Faced with obstacles, we can choose to collapse or cope. Then, at the end of the journey, to learn lessons.
And you, have you recently asked yourself what questions life has raised in you?
