Feeling Lost? Viktor Frankl's Blueprint for Discovering Purpose

With over 12 million copies sold, Viktor E. Frankl’s Man’s Search for Meaning is a cornerstone in self-development and psychology.

It distils timeless lessons from Frankl’s own experiences as a Holocaust survivor. Through his observations of fellow prisoners in Auschwitz, he explores the potential of the human will, the profound human capacity to endure, and the search for meaning in even the darkest of times.

His insights offer a roadmap for anyone feeling lost or disconnected from purpose.

Frankl’s message is clear: meaning is the key to transcending suffering. No matter what happens to you, you have a choice—the choice to create meaning and find purpose in life, even amidst hardship.

Let’s explore six of his most impactful lessons and how they can help you navigate the challenges of modern life.

Lesson 1: You Can Endure More Than You Think

Humans have an extraordinary ability to adapt.

It’s evident in the way over 8 billion people live all over the world, facing different weathers, environments, and circumstances.

Our ability to survive, and to live, is in our ability to adapt.

Frankl himself endured unimaginable suffering: malnutrition, torture, and the loss of his loved ones.

Yet he observed that the body and mind—driven by a strong will—can adjust to almost any circumstance. This adaptability is a survival mechanism, but it’s also the foundation for growth and resilience.

Our bodies are stronger than we believe them to be. Our minds are stronger than we believe them to be.

The body and mind will adapt to whatever they are faced with to survive and, in that way, create a greater capacity to live life.

In the unique experiences and challenges you face in life, you can resist their influences and choose how you let them define you.

Finding meaning is one of the hardest, but worthwhile challenges we will face in our lives. No matter who you are or what you have experienced, everyone can find meaning in their life and overcome suffering.

As long as you believe there is a meaning or a purpose to your suffering, you can endure it—and come out stronger.

Actionable Step:

Reflect on a challenge you’ve overcome.

• What did you learn?

• How did it shape your character?

Use this perspective to face current difficulties with courage and resolve.

Lesson 2: Happiness and Success Are By-Products, Not The Goals.

For as long as I can remember, the idea of chasing happiness has been a mantra in society.

Aim to be happy in life — as if happiness is a destination, a place you can reach.

You want to be successful, but what does success look like, what does it feel like?

Many people chase ideals that they can never achieve.

They move through life unfulfilled, always going after something and never present or satisfied with where they are.

Frankl urges us to abandon aiming for success and happiness, because the more we aim for it as a target, the more we will miss.

He tells us that they are by-products of something larger we do.

They will come after we have dedicated ourselves to causes larger than ourselves or to another person.

The endless pursuit of success and happiness leaves many feeling unfulfilled. Why? Because these pursuits are often detached from meaning.

Instead, Frankl advises we have a vision and focus only on the vision.

The more we don’t care about success or happiness, the more likely they will happen.

Happiness and success will follow naturally when you commit to meaningful work or relationships.

Actionable Step:

Define a cause, mission, or relationship that deeply resonates with you.

How can you contribute to it without focusing on external rewards?

Write down one small, purpose-driven action you can take today.

Lesson 3: Your True Character Is Revealed In Adversity

When everything goes wrong and is stripped away — your home, your safety, your loved ones, your work, your name — what remains?

What makes you you?

Frankl witnessed and experienced with his fellow inmates what can only be described as complete misery and hell.

They were tortured, beaten, starved, stripped naked, humiliated and degraded.

They had everything taken away from them that they identified with and used to define themselves.

So what was left?

For Frankl, the answer was clear: your attitude and character.

Your inner freedom to choose how you think, respond and act in any given situation.

In the camps, Frankl observed that some inmates retained their humanity.

He observed the power of humour. How it allowed him and his fellow inmates to rise above the circumstances, to distance themselves from the reality of being in a concentration camp.

He experienced kindness from a guard, whom he assumed was a terrible person.

But in the very same way, he saw how the senior prison warden — a prisoner themselves — adopted the same cruelty as their captors.

That decent and indecent people could be found everywhere and in any group.

Their attitudes could not be taken away from them unless they gave them up.

In the worst of situations, when all is taken from you, what you have left is your attitude and character.

Your confidence, kindness, anger, resilience and more are what define you as a person.

So work on not defining yourself by your possessions, the people in your life or the achievements you earn because these can be taken away.

Focus on your inner qualities.

Build a character rooted in courage, kindness, discipline, humour, gentleness and more.

Your attitude and character are all you will have so cultivate them.

Actionable Step:

List three qualities you admire in others or wish to cultivate in yourself.

How can you embody these qualities today, regardless of external circumstances?

Lesson 4: The Power of Purpose

Purpose is a lifeline.

Frankl witnessed how prisoners who had a clear “why” had a greater will to survive. In contrast, those who lost hope often succumbed to their circumstances.

Humans are very goal-orientated beings.

There’s almost nothing we do without the desire to fulfil or achieve a certain outcome.

Whether it’s:

• Going to the kitchen to make food because we want to satiate the feeling of hunger;

• Scrolling on our phones for an hour too long to avoid the feeling of boredom or stress from doing a certain task;

• Calling a loved one and talking for hours to feel love and connection.

There is always a goal or outcome we are moving towards, unconsciously and consciously.

Frankly witnessed often that those who died didn’t die from sickness, wounds or despair, but from giving up on their lives and from the lack of hope for the future.

When their will to live was gone, it hardly returned and death approached faster.

With no sign of their misery ending, many faded and perished because they had no hope.

They had no “why”.

Frankly highlights the importance of creating a “why” — an emotional why, that is powerful, personal and meaningful.

A reason to keep going and pushing past hardships and challenges.

The path to

success and fulfilment won’t be easy. It will take work, but if you have a strong “why”, you will do what is necessary without question.

You will find a way to keep moving forward despite the suffering, difficulties and struggles.

For some of his inmates, it was the hope of seeing their children.

Frankl’s “why” was to see his wife and to publish his work.

Your purpose doesn’t have to be grandiose; it just needs to be deeply meaningful to you.

Actionable Step:

Ask yourself: What motivates me to keep going?

Write down your “why” and place it somewhere visible.

Revisit it whenever you feel lost or unmotivated.

Lesson 5: Focus On What You Can Control

Frankl couldn’t control being captured and put in a concentration camp.

He couldn’t control the mistreatment or torture he suffered.

He couldn’t control whether we would be sent to the gas chambers or another camp.

There was so much that he could not control or change about his circumstances.

Instead, he chose to focus on what he could control.

Instead, he chose to focus on others in the camp, being as fit as possible to work, being healthy, his attitude and how he engaged with other inmates.

He focused on the possibility of seeing his wife and completing his work.

He chose how he responded to what was happening instead of letting it break him.

He focused on what he could control because he understood that focusing on what he couldn’t control would be a waste of his energy and will.

In today’s fast-paced world, it’s easy to fixate on things outside your control.

Focusing on what is going wrong in your life or what you can’t control is a waste of time and energy.

Rather we should accept what is happening now for what it is and focus on the things we can control. Your feelings, your reactions, and how you will act from this point onwards.

Once you can accept what is and focus on what you can control, you gain back power.

From that place of power, you can choose how you move forward, what you want to experience in the future and what you can do to have that.

You can’t change what has already happened, but you can begin influencing and change will happen by focusing on what you can control in that moment so that you achieve something different.

Actionable Step:

Identify one thing causing you stress that’s outside your control. Let it go.

Then, pinpoint one thing within your control and take action on it today.

Lesson 6: Life’s Meaning Is Yours to Create

Life has no inherent meaning.

If you ask two people what the meaning of life is, you will get two different answers.

The only meaning life has is the meaning you give it. You create the meaning of your life.

Yes, your environment, upbringing and the people in your life have influenced the beliefs, thoughts and ideologies you accept as your own to make sense of the world.

However, if you want a life that is yours, you must take responsibility now.

You have to take responsibility for yourself, for your life, and for what you believe to be true and meaningful in the world.

You will grow and experience more of the world that is outside of your beliefs and things will change.

You will experience joy, suffering, heartbreak, love and so much that can change you and how you see the world.

They will change you.

Things will happen but none of those things have inherent meanings.

The only meaning that these events have comes from the meanings you give them.

How you let them define you and your life.

These meanings have the power to either elevate or hold you back.

There will be suffering in life, it is a part of the human experience, so how can you find meaning from that and in your life?

Frankl suggests three ways that we can discover and create meaning in our lives:

1. By creating a work or doing a deed: Contribute something valuable to the world.

2. By experiencing something or encountering someone: Find meaning in love, beauty, or relationships.

3. By the attitude you take toward unavoidable suffering: Choose courage and dignity in the face of hardship.

There is no one-size-fits-all meaning for life, but the opportunity lies in the journey of finding that meaning for yourself.

This means stepping back from societal definitions of success and crafting a life that aligns with your values.

This isn’t a one-time task; it’s an ongoing journey of self-discovery.

Frankl urges us to endure through the circumstances of our lives because there is a purpose to it, whether we can see it in that moment or not, there is a purpose.

You must trust and will yourself to find that purpose and give your life meaning.

Actionable Step:

Reflect on one of Frankl’s three paths to meaning.

Which resonates most with you right now?

Commit to exploring it further.

Your Next Steps

1. Adaptability: Reflect on a past challenge and the lesson you gained from it.

2. Purpose: Write down your “why” and revisit it regularly, especially when faced with difficulty.

3. Focus: Let go of what you can’t control and act on what you can.

4. Character: Cultivate qualities that align with your values.

5. Meaning: Explore one of Frankl’s paths to creating meaning in your life.

Remember, life’s meaning isn’t found—it’s made. The power to transform your life lies within your choices.

And that’s it from me.

I hope you enjoyed this newsletter as much as I enjoyed writing it.

I’ll see you in the next one.

— Shana

p.s.

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