What’s the Point of Carrying On?

Woe to him who saw no more sense in his life, no aim, no purpose, and therefore no point in carrying on. — Viktor Frankl

When met with loss, setbacks, adversity, and traumatic events, it’s not uncommon to lose your sense of purpose (your why). My why was tested after a motorcycle accident, after burnout at work, and after my wife Vicky died. I asked two why questions: “Why did this happen? Why am I now here?”

Have you ever asked those questions?

Where to Look After You Lose Your Why

Historic mentor, Viktor E. Frankl, taught me a lot about this, having navigated the trauma of a German concentration camp in the 1940’s. In his book. “Man’s Search for Meaning,” he describes his experience in the concentration camp both in how they lived as well as how they survived.

A Friedrich Nietzsche quote he uses often in the book is:

He who has a why to live for can bear with almost any how.

What do we make of these words? According to Frankl, to succeed in life, you must have a future goal — also called your why or aim.

Those in the camps who had a why were strengthened and able to bear the terrible how of their existence. Those who didn’t, he said, “Woe to him who saw no more sense in his life, no aim, no purpose, and therefore no point in carrying on.”

A Naive Hope or True Hope

If prisoners had what was called a naive hope, they were unable to survive difficulty. A naive hope said, “We’ll be home by Christmas,” but time pasted and there was no encouraging news so the prisoners lost courage, were overcome with disappointment, and died.

True hope, in contrast to a naive hope, was worth attaching oneself to. Those with true hope believed they would get out eventually but they did not hold firmly to a time table. While they waited, they learned to find meaning in their day to day circumstances and situation.

Three Key Ideas for Finding Meaning

Frankl’s taught three anchor ideas to find meaning.

1. Life has meaning under all circumstances – even the most difficult ones

This is easier said than done but the truth is, we tend to find what we’re looking for. Our expectations shape our outcomes.

It does not really matter what we expect from life, but rather what does life expects from us. — V. Frankl

2. Our main motivation for living is our will to find meaning in life

Never underestimate the power of choice. During difficulties and losses, we can throw the book at God, at life, at others, and stay mad or we can look deeper for a reason to live, carry on and add value to others.

Five months after Vicky died, I had a light bulb moment when I realized I was to take all that I had learned and mentor others in their grief. It was a seed idea that continues to grow into a shade tree for many.

3. We have freedom to find meaning in what we do and in what we experience

Freedom is a byproduct of the choices we make to live on purpose and find meaning in our day-to-day lives. If suffering is your lot in life, build something important on it and feel the freedom making a difference can give you.

Final thought

This journey isn’t quick or easy. Nothing worthwhile ever is. The point is for us to take what happens to us and turn it into a gift or opportunity — eventually. Finding meaning to your life is one of the most important pursuits you can go after.

What is the meaning of your life now?