Are You Living Your Best Life?
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No one on this planet is perfect. In fact, many people fall far short of the ideal that society sets for us.
Viktor Frankl was a psychoanalyst who said that mature people display certain characteristics. I have re-written each of these characteristics in the form of a question which you can answer for yourself if you so wish. Hopefully you will find this exercise both thought-provoking and useful in ascertaining where you are in your life.
Questions Worth Thinking About
- Do you blame fate for the things that happen in your life?
- Do you take responsibility for your own actions?
- Do you view life realistically, objectively and critically?
- Are you actively searching for meaning in life?
- Do you enjoy the challenge of working towards goals?
- Do you have a vision for your future or are you only focused on your day-to-day existence?
- Do you see your future as an exciting opportunity?
- Do you regard your work as a vocation or ‘calling’?
- Do you appreciate things like literature, art, music and the beauty of nature?
- Are you open to new experiences?
- Are you respectful towards the unique qualities in other people?
- Are your interactions with them based on selfish or unselfish motives?
Do you discriminate or act prejudiced towards others?
- Do you see that setbacks and suffering in life can actually hold meaning and make you both stronger and wiser?
There Are No Easy Answers
As you can
see these are not easy questions. I can hardly imagine there are many of us who would
be able to answer a definitive ‘yes’ to all of them. Frankl suggested that the
reason behind this is that it takes courage to be the best we can be. There are
so many things that hold us back, the fear of failure being one of the main
ones. Pushing through these fears is the first step to self-discovery.
Man's Search For Meaning
It's worth mentioning that this is just the view of one person. There are many other theories about what constitutes an ‘ideal’ or mature person.
Viktor Frankl was the author of the book, “Man’s Search for Meaning”. It was based on his experience of life in a Nazi concentration camp where he observed people under the most horrific conditions. One of his main ideas focuses on how we choose to respond to a situation and can be summed up in the following quotation from the book:
"Fundamentally, therefore, any man can, even under such circumstances, decide what shall become of him – mentally and spiritually. He may retain his human dignity even in a concentration camp."
Whilst his theories may be a difficult concept to grasp, sales of the book have exceeded 10 million, proving that man's search for meaning is set to continue indefinitely.
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CommentsLoading...
thought provoking hub, and just at this moment in time i answered yes, too but not long ago would have been a lot of no's in there, thanks for taking the time to write this hub.
Thanks James and poetlorraine. That is simply awesome that you can both answer yes to these questions.
Good questions and an easy to read condensation of that book.
I once read a book (forget the title) about a woman (I seem to remember that she was a nun) who thanked God for the horrific fleas that infested the women's sleeping quarters in a concentration camp. It was so miserable that the guards did not enter. Why? They could read a smuggled in Bible in peace which (despite the flea bites) brought them some peace of mind.
Something to really ponder as we all make our way through life when we hit obstacles in our path.
Thanks Peggy W for your interesting comment
Very nicely done! :)
Lovely Hub! You know so many people are searching so hard for their purpose in life, many spending large dollars on workshops and seminars for just that. We are here to live our best life, just to be the best us we can be, nothing more. That is our purpose. No-one is like you and only you can be you - live your best life.
good questions, nice hub, welcome to hubpages
Thanks for the comment and welcome, kevin1877uk.
I really enjoyed reading this, Taylor Finch. I like how such questions can become a catalyst to our changing our own lifestyle for the better. Great hub.
I'm excellent. Not perfect, but I try to be.
It really seems as though more and more are coming to realize that fear is really the biggest problem that all of us face. I really enjoyed the way you put this together and am looking forward to more :)
Sometimes we all need to ask ourselves such questions. I guess it was a good time for me because you got me thinking.
you have got me thinking and I realy understand what your saying
James A Watkins Level 8 Commenter 2 years ago
Thank you for this thought provoking Hub. I bought a Frankl book a few months upon the insistence of a friend but have not had the chance to read it yet (it's not alone; I have 300 unread books). I appreciate your condensation—especially into the form of questions. I am pleased to note that I answered "Yes" to every one.