One of the keys to activating resilience is identifying and living by a clear purpose. In these times of crisis, we vitally need this clarity.
Victor Frankl, the Austrian neurologist and psychiatrist, survived four concentration camps, an experience that profoundly deepened his understanding of human beings. He learned that our main drive or motivation in life is neither pleasure nor power but meaning. He wrote,
“Life is never made unbearable by circumstances, only by lack of meaning and purpose. Those who (were) oriented toward a meaning to be fulfilled by them in the future were most likely to survive.”
I often notice this same reality for me as I go through my life and work these days. When I'm clear about my purpose, the mission I'm designed to fulfill that's larger than my own life, I am far more able to put current circumstances into a survivable context.
Can you state your unique purpose in one sentence? Is it clear to you? Does it move you?
Ch. 3 of my book "The Strategic Stop: Taking Back Your Life in a World Obsessed with Busyness" describes the why and how of discovering your purpose. How would you articulate yours? Let's share ours with each other in the comments below.
#purposefulliving #purposedrivenlife #purposedrivenleadership#purposefulbusiness #resilience #stressmanagement #anxietyrelief
