2023

I love the idea that every moment is an opportunity to have a fresh start. It inspires me to know that, regardless of our circumstances, we always have the power to make our small corner of the world better for the benefit of the future. In a year marked by overwhelming uncertainty and sadness, maintaining this optimism is more challenging than ever, but its importance has never been greater.

In his influential work, Man's Search for Meaning, Viktor Frankl proposes that as humans, our primary motivation is the search for meaning in our lives. He posits that enduring happiness only comes as a natural byproduct of taking action towards that purpose. Frankl shows that meaning can be discovered everywhere: In the beauty of nature, the love of another person, or the commitment to a cause larger than oneself. As such, given the truly infinite opportunities to create meaning, our potential is constrained only by our own imagination and mindset.

As hard as Viktor Frankl's stories of unimaginable suffering are to re-read each year, I also find them inspiring. This book is teaching me to focus beyond my personal goals to consider how I can use those goals to bring more value to the people in my life. In addition, this sentence, "Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms—to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one's own way." reminds me that we have the power to recognize the benefit(s) in every situation life presents. I hope you discover some equally inspiring guideposts in the pages of this book.