Finding a way through anything

Viktor Frankl’s story is such a powerful demonstration of resilience and mindset that it should be taught in schools.

In the winter of 1944, Frankl, a Jewish psychiatrist from Vienna, was transported by the Nazis to Auschwitz. It was the fourth concentration camp he had endured during the war. Survival there was statistically brutal. Of the roughly 1.3 million people who passed through Auschwitz, an estimated 1.1 million were murdered.

Frankl survived.

Before the war and the multiple camps, Frankl had been a doctor on a mission to help people feel better in their minds. Amazingly, that work didn’t stop when he was locked up. Inside those camps, stripped of his freedom, identity, and dignity, Frankl continued to pay attention to others. He somehow found a way to connect with other human beings and help them find some sort of meaning in the moments of utter despair. He did this through conversations, observations, and somehow finding a way to keep encouragement levels high. He noticed that prisoners who could anchor themselves to a sense of meaning, however fragile it might be, seemed to hold on longer. They fought harder and endured more.

Frankl understood that suffering, when unavoidable, doesn’t have to be meaningless.

This belief became the foundation of his life’s work. He encouraged fellow prisoners to imagine a future moment worth surviving for. Reuniting with a loved one. Completing unfinished work. Seeing a familiar place again. He also urged them to pay attention to small pockets of beauty, like a sunset breaking through the wire, or an act of kindness between strangers. These weren’t designed to be distractions from reality, but they were more the lifelines within it. Amazing to think that people could be in the middle of a hellhole and still pause to appreciate the beauty of a vanilla sky!

Perhaps most importantly, Frankl noted that, while almost everything can be taken from a person, one thing remains untouchable. And that is our ability to choose our attitude.

“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.” - Viktor Frankl

After liberation in 1945, Frankl devoted his life to studying this idea. His approach, later called logotherapy, centered on the belief that the primary human drive is not pleasure or power, but rather meaning. He understood that life is filled with suffering, but he also believed that we need a life where that suffering makes sense.

Thankfully, our modern professional lives bear no resemblance to the horrors Frankl endured. And yet, the emotional mechanics are surprisingly similar. Pressure, loss of control, uncertainty, unfairness, exhaustion, and the often-ignored erosion of purpose show up for many people at work every day. That’s what’s killing us these days and spiking our stress, anxiety and burnout.

Frankl’s work reminds us that resilience is ultimately how we show up to the difficult moments that life throws at us. That there is meaning inside the work that we do to forge a way forward.

The last of the human freedoms at work today.

So how do we bring this philosophy into the modern world and workplace? Here are three practical ways to apply Frankl’s thinking this week.

1. Acceptance without resignation. Most of our workplace stress comes from fighting reality. We want people to behave differently, or we want decisions to change. Sometimes we think circumstances need to be fairer, clearer, or easier. But the list of things outside our control will always dwarf what we can control. Also, acceptance sometimes gets misunderstood as “giving up” but it’s actually about getting honest. Honest with the moment in front of us and honest about exactly what it is that we can do. So… what is actually in our control right now? Thankfully, the answer is simple. It’s our attitude. Our effort, our communication, and our boundaries. When we stop wrestling with what we can’t influence, we free up energy to act where we can.

2. Choice as a daily practice. Frankl also wrote, “When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves.” Every frustrating work moment contains a choice. A last-minute request or a difficult colleague… we could default to resentment, complaining, or withdrawal. Or we could ask a better question about how we want to show up. The choice we make might be as simple as deciding to practice calm under pressure, or saying no with respect. We don’t have to like a situation, but we always get to choose our response to it.

3. Meaning before motivation. As most of us know by observing the success rate of New Year’s resolutions, motivation alone is unreliable. We start out strong, but then life gets in the way and we tend to lose momentum. It’s the same when we have a bad day and nothing seems to go our way. We need meaning to make it durable. Instead of doubling down on our motivation and willpower, let’s adjust to find a deeper “why?” amongst it all. Why are we here? Why does this work matter? That meaning might come from supporting our family, building mastery, serving clients well, or setting an example for others. When work connects to something larger than today’s mood, resilience joins the party naturally.

Frankl’s story is incredible (and a lot more detailed than what is written here with these few words!). He showed us that even in the darkest conditions imaginable, humans can endure almost anything if they can find a reason why.

If we don’t practice acceptance and choice, the alternatives are familiar. Chronic complaining. Emotional shutdown. Or eventually, quitting.

So the question remains the same today as it was then.

What will our choice be today?

Until next time friends, stay resilient.

Carré @ Resilient Minds

PS - If you’d like to know more about Frankl’s life and work, his book “Man’s Search for Meaning” is exceptional. Or you could also spend a few minutes on YouTube.

PPS - If your team needs help navigating the challenges of daily work and life, let’s chat about a workshop or keynote presentation to set you up with real-world practical tools and ideas to navigate the trickiest of times.