What would Viktor Frankl do if he was faced with today’s crisis?
Many of you might know about Viktor Frankl and his book ‘Man’s search for meaning’. Viktor Frankl was an Austrian psychiatrist and a holocaust survivor, who later developed logotherapy . Frankl’s thoughts about exploring one’s meaning of life can be utilised to shed light on what you can do in today’s health and economic crisis, which has left millions of people all over the world due to no fault of theirs in some precarious situations.
I will use some of Frankl’s words to shed light on how you can utilise his wisdom to overcome all the fear and negativity that surrounds us in today’s crisis laden world.
1) “If there is a meaning in life at all, then there must be a meaning in suffering”
In today’s crisis we can learn from the quote above on how to better handle what is happening around us. You might have lost your job or your business might be hurting, but you have the choice to reframe your perception and see that this crisis can only make you and your business stronger. Use this crisis to innovate, step out of your comfort zone and understand who you are and what values you stand for. One of the ways to truly understand who you are and for people around you to know what you stand for is to audit what your personal branding is doing to you. And whether you are portraying an authentic personal brand of yourself. An authentic personal brand can go a long way for you to understand the meaning in ‘suffering’ and the opportunities today’s ‘suffering’ presents!
This crisis or ‘suffering’ will present you with many opportunities, however, the big question that only you can answer is are you ready to grab onto those opportunities?. Or will you be someone who uses this crisis to justify that nothing good can come out of this fear-induced experience.
2) “For the world is in a bad state, but everything will become still worse unless each of us does his best”
If there was ever words that everyone needed to know right now, the above are it. There is no question that we are living in some difficult times that have affected “most” of us in diametrically different ways. However, is it okay to do nothing but blame everything that is wrong in this world for our ‘sufferings’? It’s a choice every individual faces. However, experience tells me nothing good can come out of blaming challenging circumstances for your hardships! The smart action to take is to become responsible for all your thoughts and re-create possibility.
It is you who needs to make the most of what a crisis presents. A victim mindset (even when you are a real victim) will not help you to achieve your unlimited potential. You have to find ways, evolve yourself and your authentic personal brand in a way that allows not only you but also the people around you to become successful even in a crisis like the one we are facing today.
3) “Whoever was still alive had reason for hope”
It is not all doom and gloom right now. This is not the end of the world, there were much more challenging situations in the past and there would be more of them in the future. Although, the above quote from Frankl refers to a very dark time during the holocaust, however, this is something that is very valid today.
Yes many of us are going through challenging times, but you still have faith to come out of it and become successful. If you are feeling overwhelmed, reach out to your family, friends and your trusted mentors who have the ability to guide you through this crisis. The main thing to understand here is that you can still make a positive difference to your life such as securing your ‘dream job’ or scaling new heights with your business even in a crisis like today! It’s already happening for people who have the courage to lead and create new possibilities. Be optimistic and open your eyes to the opportunities around you rather than cursing the current circumstances for your ‘sufferings’.
4) “When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves”
The above message sums up what you can do in a crisis. What’s happening around us is beyond our individual control. This does not necessarily mean you have to change everything about yourself, but it means that you have to evolve and adapt. You cannot change the circumstances, but what you can do is evolve with what today’s scenario demands out of you. Your go-to methods for success in a normal world might not work well in world ravaged by a global crisis. This is your time to get out of your comfort zone and innovate! What is something you can do right now that will make get you hired for a job you want or what is something that will make a positive impact to your business even in a crisis? These are some of the questions you need to ask yourself.
One of the ways you can answer these questions is by analysing your personal brand ASAP! Do you have an authentic personal brand? Does it justify who you are and the values you stand for? Once you package and position your authentic personal brand, it empowers you to evolve as an individual and allows you to make the most of the opportunities a crisis presents and profit.
Times are indeed tough, perceptions or otherwise. But as you can see from Viktor Frankl’s teachings from a very dark time that all is not lost, there are opportunities for you even in a crisis or as Frankl says in ‘sufferings’. It is you who is in control of your destiny!
I would love to hear your stories about how you have evolved during this crisis or if you are struggling and feeling overwhelmed.
