Comments on: Our Search for Meaning

By: Steven | The Emotion Machine

Steven | The Emotion Machine — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 03:01:54 +0000

I like framing tension as growth too Charley. And I complete agree that when we align ourselves to a “higher purpose” we are more driven to meet those goals. I really liked the manageable steps exercise…I think I am going to try it out right after this comment!

Really like this post Charley – keep up the good work!

By: Charley

Charley — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 12:56:31 +0000

Hi Emily,

Thank you so much for leaving your comment. That made me feel instantly better about posting this.

- Charley

By: Charley

Charley — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 12:55:41 +0000

Hey Sam,

Yes, I’ve picked up Brian Johnson’s Philosopher’s Notes last year, which is a condensed version of 100 Spiritual and Self Help classics. He pulls out great ideas and condenses them into a 6 page PDF and a 20 – 25 minute mp3. Flow is one of the books he covered. If you’re looking for quick hits on spiritual classics, maybe google him. He was offering the digital version of his program for $47 last year so that’s less than fifty cents a book. I’ve probably only made my way thru 20 of the MP3’s but they are a constant source of inspiration for articles here. Frankl’s book is also referenced several times in the Philosopher’s Notes. Brian’s a good guy. Wish he had an affiliate program because he provides massive value for a low cost.

By: Charley

Charley — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 12:50:52 +0000

@365 Girl,

I hope I’m not forcing you to break your budget. I’m very surprised your local libraries aren’t carrying it though I’ve never checked ours either so I should probably hold my tongue. Do you have anything like Paperbackswap.com overseas? For future needs, of course, since you’ve ordered Frankl’s book already.

By: Charley

Charley — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 12:48:13 +0000

Cousin Matt! How’s the baby?

By: cousin Matt

cousin Matt — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 22:14:54 +0000

Great post! thanks Charley! ~matt

By: 365girl

365girl — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 13:59:57 +0000

Just ordered the Frankl book – I’m on a budget this year so every penny spent on ‘personal stuff’ is seriously considered and pondered upon – but my library does not have copies available! Thanks for the post – it was a good reminder for me . I planned on purchasing/lending the book over the holidays and got distracted! Perhaps it’s the right time to focus again on what life’s purpose may really be…

By: Sam

Sam — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 02:26:37 +0000

Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi writes about people like Frankl (not sure if he specifically mentions him) in his book “Flow.” He talks about how there are all sorts of people who are faced with unspeakable hardships (particularly prisoners of war) and yet, they can report being happy. It just goes to show the incredible power of our minds and the way in which we frame our realities.

By: Emily

Emily — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 00:23:34 +0000

Thank you for posting this, it was very inspirational. I can see what you mean, the Holocaust is of course an emotion-filled subject, but I think your post respected that and used Frankl’s ideas to inspire others.

I am certainly guilty of trying to do everything at once, and getting frustrated when I can’t reach my goal straight away. It is good to be reminded that a single step starts the journey, and there is no cheat sheet for life!

I am going to write that phrase down, “Our search for meaning is solved when we find our higher purpose and develop a plan to align our life with that higher purpose.” This really struck a chord with me and I’m going to go and have a cup of tea and mull it over some more.