Choice | Attitude | Meaningfulness

Choice: The act of choosing between two or more possibilities. We all have them...Possibilities I mean, and we all have choice. Even those who are in situations outside of their direct influence have it; They can choose their attitude and the thoughts that roll through their mind. Sure, that attitude may be dictated by circumstance to some degree, but it's still choice.

I read a book some time ago called Man's Search For Meaning - Viktor E. Frankl about life in the Nazi death camps and its message on spiritual survival. It's based on his own experiences. He talks about a theory which follows that man's primary drive is not pleasure, but rather the pursuit of what we find meaningful. It's a very interesting book and one I suggest the enlightened, or those wishing to be somewhat more so, take the time to read.

So, what do we find meaningful? Well, that depends on the person I suppose; On upbringing, location, circumstance, influence and of course the actual individual. A young boy in the Favela's of Rio De Janeiro may find meaning in something quite the polar opposite to that of a young boy born and raised in Villefranche sur Mer between Monte Carlo and Nice, France for instance. Anyway, what we find meaningful and what choices we make to attain the meaningfulness is an important factor in each an every person's life.

Take the owner of this vehicle for instance. It's a 1957 Buick and as you can see has been amazingly and painstakingly restored to what I would consider showroom floor condition. It was completely immaculate. Can you imagine the effort the owner had to invest to complete this task? The sacrifices he/she (they) made elsewhere in their lives to keep the project on track? I spoke with the owner and the story is quite remarkable. Thousands and thousands of hours went into it and along the way they made choices..."Do we take a holiday or buy those windscreen rubbers and front panels we need?"

Years of effort, sacrifice and hard choices...And all for what? So they can drive the vehicle to a car show or two and sit under a sunshade whilst other people admired their car? Well yeah...Exactly...But not only. You see, the couple exuded an aura of deep satisfaction in their car and, indeed, in themselves. You know, the sort of feeling one gets when reward is gained through effort. In this car they found [find] meaning...Not just pleasure. For me? Well, I find pleasure in looking at it, admiring it's curvaceous lines, the colour, the mind of the original designer who found meaning in its creation many many years ago. I could buy this car. Enjoy it, love it and find great pleasure in it...But meaning? Hmm, maybe but certainly not as much as its original creator and the couple who restored it.

Life is complicated and the endless possibilities, options and chances, and the subsequent choices required, don't make it any easier. However, they need to be made, choices, and decisions reached. I really enjoyed the Frankl book because his meaning theory leads towards what he calls renewed purpose which to me kind of translates to attitude. No matter what one calls it, renewed purpose or attitude, it is essential to move one forward and towards a goal, or purpose, and the ultimate goal of a fulfilled and happy life.

Chatting about this with a colleague yesterday at lunch in the office I mentioned my life-ethos, which you can see written at the very end of this post, and he raised an eyebrow. He's a new team member and so doesn't know me well but he was there listening in [joining in] on my conversation with someone else and I could see I piqued his curiosity. Later in the day he knocked on my door and asked if I could elaborate on the ethos. I did of course. He has gone through a metamorphosis of sorts, reinventing himself in the last year or two and what I had said resonated with him because he had made choices, tough ones, and sacrificed much in life for his future growth.

So, choices. Some are taken out of our control and yet others are made jointly with others but the best choices are ones made internally and that reflect internally, then outwardly. The choice to learn, to gain wisdom and knowledge, to eliminate negativity, embrace change and to exit ones' comfort-zone; The choice to seek reward-through-effort and to take the right degree of ownership and responsibility for oneself emotions, thoughts and actions. The choice to let go of blame, ego and hubris, arrogance and conceit and the choice to show humility and kindness. The choice to embrace the attitude required to pursue the desired path.

The owners of this vehicle and the lad at work found meaningfulness in life, a new path to follow [to create], or a familiar one walked with, renewed purpose, a new attitude. It's not that difficult, and yet not easy...It's...Well, it's life and a life well-lived is one of little regret.

Design and create your ideal life, don't live it by default - @galenkp

P.s. If anyone wants to hit me up on Discord: @galenkp#9209