Daily blog #11

The Classic Mistake

Recently I was asked by a friend if I would help her start getting up earlier and maintaining a more strict schedule. She mentioned that she felt she needed to be more productive but being a healthcare worker, didn’t want her energy to be affected. She then proceeded to make the classic mistake of going into the details; how much sleep, tips for energy, etc. In the book Man’s Search For Meaning, Psychologist and holocaust survivor Viktor Frankl quotes Nietzsche – “A man with a why can endure any how”. Throughout the book he shares his insight that the survivors were only those whose chose to find meaning in their lives throughout the extreme circumstances. I explained to her that the details of what she was going to accomplish matter less than why she is doing those things. If you decide to make the habit of waking up at 5am every day but aren’t sure why this is beneficial for you, eventually human nature will take over and you will default to your natural habits. As humans we are at are best with clear and defined purpose. This has been demonstrated by Viktor Frankl and other countless stories where we have overcome limits to accomplish extraordinary feats.