The People, Process, & Progress Podcast - How to Improve from Suffering with Viktor Frankl's Tragic Optimism Approach | Foundations Friday 85

Episode Date: March 3, 2023

Man's Search for Meaning is the most influential book I've read. We learn about Frankl's loss and suffering, but more impactfully, about how he maintained optimism and hope during his agony in the Nazi concentration camps.In this episode, I share quotes from his book on the value of suffering and three key ways we can all use tragic optimism within our lives.

Welcome to the KevTalks podcast. Now that you're logged in, let's get locked on and hear people's compelling stories, share industry-leading best practices, and the hope that we can all make progress together. Be sure to visit KevTalksPod.com to read more articles and in-depth information about these great episodes and learn more from leaders in the healthcare, technology, wellness, and public safety spaces. For now, though, let's fly back into this episode in three, two, one. We must never forget that we back into this episode in 3, 2, 1. tragedy into triumph, to turn one's predicament into a human achievement. When we are no longer able to change the situation, just think of an incurable disease such as an interoperable cancer. We are challenged to change ourselves. This is the meaning of suffering from page 112

of Viktor Frankl's Man's Search for Meaning that I've mentioned quite a few times on this podcast because it is that impactful. It's been that impactful to me and millions of others, 16 million copies sold. And for me as at work and sometimes in life, I'm in that messy middle of long projects or programs or workouts or commitments or fasting or whatever it is, it's hard to think about it. Or when I've gotten scary medical advice or my family members have to think about what has come from or what can come from that instead of being dragged down in the quagmire of despair that is so easy to do that I've done that I'm sure you all have done. It's to look at what good comes from this. Did we get closer? Did I open my eyes? Did I take more advantage of the time with those around me, the time that I have?

Did I realize, hey, I need to make a life change or a job change or a relationship change that's unhealthy? Suffering has positive meaning and it sucks, right? It can be literally painful. It can be emotionally painful. But there's also gauges of suffering. And to me, that's what Viktor Frankl's book does. It gauges really my suffering. I suffer ongoing, I'll say,

kind of with a thought because I had cancer in 2009, kidney cancer. And so it's always there. It's always in my mind, but it was surgically removed. And I've been lucky and I'm pretty sure there's none in me, but it's always there. Whereas for him, the lingering death was literally standing in front of him, beating him, starving him, making him work constantly when he was in the concentration camps. And he saw that with others. And when I'm a little tired because I didn't sleep, I think, well, at least I'm sleeping in a warm bed in my house, not with nine other humans on a rack with no blankets, pads, no shoes maybe because my feet are swollen as he describes in there. And sometimes I think in 2023 in this world we live in with the comforts we have, it's so

easy to forget how good we have it. And not everybody has it great, right? There's super poor people all over the world here in the United States that don't have everything, but a lot of folks have it way better than other folks have. And we forget that and you see it and you see folks getting upset about lukewarm French fries in the McDonald's or something that's just petty and then losing their minds. That's where that exercise, that mindfulness, that taking a second to breathe, eating a little better, getting better sleep, really looking into how are you taking care of you before you take care of those around you will help us be better people for ourselves and for those around us.

And it's not always easy. And as Viktor Frankl talks about the meaning of suffering and all throughout his book, there is suffering everywhere. He's been to the worst parts of it, the worst exposure of it. And then always again with his why, his why of getting there to see his family, which unfortunately didn't happen,

but he figured out how and how we can do that. And if it's a repetitive message here, I think it's because people need to hear this a lot. People are saying, I don't know what to do and woe is me and I've worked 20 jobs. Well, then slow down and figure it out. Look at what someone else is doing. Ask them questions. Don't just count on the internet for your answers.

There's some good sources out there, but not random person you don't know, right? Talk to somebody whose profession it is to do the thing that you want to do. Get the information. Don't know how to work out? Ask somebody, right? That works out regularly. So how do we turn this suffering and have tragic optimism? This starts on page 137 from Man's Search for Meaning. And what Viktor Frankl says is that tragic optimism allows for one, turning suffering into a human achievement and accomplishment. Two, deriving from guilt the opportunity to change oneself for the better. And three, deriving from life's transitoryness an incentive to take responsible action. Action. Action is what we have to do to make ourselves better, to help those around us,

which is another opportunity. So if you are going on the upward path and you're getting better, bring someone along that you notice isn't doing well. Thank you so much for listening to this podcast, for the interviews that I've done, for the solo episodes, and for taking your time to hit play when you're walking around, when you're driving, when you're sitting in your office or at home. I really appreciate all of your time every time you listen. Thank you. about the show. Follow me at Penel KG on Twitter and Instagram. And remember, have a plan for yourself and for your teams so you can stay aligned, stay informed with facts, not fear, and get involved so you can make a difference for yourself and for those around you and for the world. Godspeed.