“Between stimulus and response, there is a space. In that space lies our freedom and our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our happiness.”
-Viktor Frankl
World renowned psychiatrist and neurologist Viktor Frankl survived a concentration camp in Nazi Germany during WWII. Frankl credits his survival to assigning more meaning to his life with a sense of hope for his future. He wrote a best-selling book about it titled 'Man's search for meaning,' which describes Frankl's accounts of finding purpose and strength in times of great despair. (Please ignore the outdated title in exchange for the wisdom inside!)
Frankl's experience helped him conceptualize logotherapy, based on the idea that the primary human drive is the discovery and pursuit of what we find to be meaningful. Much of Frankl's techniques centered around helping his clients replace their "go-to" negative emotions with a more optimistic outlook and attitude toward life, using hope and faith as the foundation.
With nothing in life to be hopeful about and to strive toward, life can quickly dissolve into clinging to negative emotions like doubt and despair, making it tougher to live a better quality of life. I have learned to focus on all of the good going on in my life as it helps to keep the good going. I went from suicidal tendencies to excited anticipation of my future. It didn't take a miracle. It didn't happen overnight. It took hope and striving toward my renewed purpose in life. It wasn't easy, but it is so worth it! Now I can truly say that I am enjoying the ride of life!