Friday, June 13, 2008

Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl

mans search for meaning

I’ve heard rave reviews about Viktor E. Frankl’s book “Man’s Search for Meaning” for years. Yesterday I finally read the book. I was captivated and I read it in one sitting. There were so many gems inside the book. If you have not read it, I really recommend this book for you to read. One passage that I’d like to share with you today:

“…everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms - to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way. And there were always choices to make. Everyday, every hour, offered the opportunity to make a decision which determined whether you would or would not submit to those powers which threatened to rob you of your very self, your inner freedom; which determined whether or not you would become the plaything of circumstance,…”

If the last of human freedom that can’t be taken away is the freedom to choose our attitudes in any given circumstances, then we will have no excuse for not being responsible for our own lives.

“I AM RESPONSIBLE”

How often do we try to avoid taking this responsibility? How often do we blame other people for our circumstances and our feelings? How often do we look to the outside instead of inside ourselves?

Personal growth starts when we accept that whatever happens, WE ARE RESPONSIBLE. “I AM RESPONSIBLE”  is the starting point because it gives us complete control of our thoughts, our attitudes, our feelings, and finally what kind of person we become.

Today, let us take responsibility of our own lives! Take back what is truly ours…the last human freedom…the freedom to choose our attitude!

Learn and Grow!

3 comments:

Venna Wongko said...

Saya setuju dengan yang di tulis. Take responsible adalah prinsip pertama yang ditulis dalam buku "The Success Principles" by Jack Canfield.
Ada satu kalimat yang menarik bagi saya:"Everything you experience today is the result of choices you have made in the past"
Jadi kita harus hati-hati dalam memutuskan, karena semua hasil nya adalah tanggung jawab kita.
Ingat rumus E (event) + R (response) = O (outcome)

Unknown said...

E(event) - apapun bisa terjadi pada diri kita, kapanpun, dimanapun. Kita tidak memiliki kontrol atas apa yang terjadi (event)

Cara kita mempengaruhi O(outcome)atau hasil akhir adalah dengan R(response) atau bagaimana kita bereaksi terhadap E(event) tersebut.

R(response) bisa dalam bentuk pikiran, perasaan, sikap, dan akhirnya tindakan...semuanya ini ada dalam kontrol kita.

Anonymous said...

To chose my response. To be in alignment with myself, blissful on the inside. To be for and not against. And to encompass the against energy in my loves.

This is our true 'Ability to Respond' Response Ability.

Nice to find like minded people on the other side of our beautify plant.