Happiness must happen, and the same holds for success: you have to let it happen by not caring about it. For success, like happiness, cannot be pursued it must ensue, and it only does so as the unintended side-effect of oneвЂ™s dedication to a cause greater than oneself or as the by-product of oneвЂ™s surrender to a person other than oneself. вЂњDonвЂ™t aim at success- the more you aim at it and make it a target, the more you are going to miss it. In perhaps the most quoted passage from ManвЂ™s Search for Meaning, FranklвЂ™s wisdom is a prescription for modern times: He knows the вЂwhyвЂ™ for his existence, and will be able to bear almost any вЂhowвЂ™.' So strongly did Frankl believe that taking responsibility is a precursor to finding purpose and freedom that he proposed a Statue of Responsibility be built on the west coast of the United States to complement the Statue of Liberty.Д«y taking responsibility, we then have opportunities to love, to do meaningful work, and to bear our suffering: вЂњA man who becomes conscious of the responsibility he bears toward a human being who affectionately waits for him, or to an unfinished work, will never be able to throw away his life. вЂњEvery day, every hour, offered the opportunity to make a decision, a decision which determined whether you would or would not submit to those powers which threatened to rob you of your very self, your inner freedom which determined whether or not you would become the plaything of circumstance, renouncing freedom and dignity to become molded into the form of the typical inmate.вЂќ At this moment, are you renouncing your inner freedom? Frankl observed, Man does not simply exist but always decides what his existence will be, what he will become in the next moment.вЂќ DonвЂ™t Renounce Your Inner FreedomДЄs purpose emerges when we take responsibility, so also Frankl believed, inner freedom comes from taking responsibility. In other words, man is ultimately self-determining. вЂњMan,вЂќ Frankl wrote, вЂњdetermines himself whether he gives in to conditions or stands up to them. Taking responsibility as a precondition for finding purpose is a theme that echoes throughout ManвЂ™s Search for Meaning. Frankl would tell you that your blame is misplaced. If starving concentration camp prisoners can choose their attitude, what is our excuse for eschewing responsibility? Observe your thinking and how often you blame your attitude on other people and circumstances that didnвЂ™t meet your expectations. Observing starving prisoners who gave away their meager bread rations, Frankl wrote, вЂњEverything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms- to choose oneвЂ™s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose oneвЂ™s own way.вЂќ Having a meaningful life, Frankl believed, begins with taking responsibility. FranklвЂ™s reflections on his own and his fellow prisonersвЂ™ suffering have helped tens of millions across the world take more responsibility for their actions in pursuit of a purposeful life. The book is widely considered one of the most influential of all time. In 1946, not long after being liberated from a concentration camp, in the heat of inspiration, psychiatrist Viktor Frankl wrote ManвЂ™s Search for Meaning. Strecher observes that media frequently report on the debilitating health effects of вЂњtobacco use, a poor diet, inactivity, stress, and other lifestyle factorsвЂ¦but far less is written about lack of purpose in life yetвЂ¦it contributes at least as much to disease and death as do these other factors.вЂќДЇor example, even small increases in a sense of purpose result in significant decreases in the risk of heart attacks and strokes. In his book Life on Purpose, Victor Strecher, a professor of public health at the University of Michigan, reports on studies showing those having вЂњa strong purpose in life, on average, live longer lives than those with a weak purpose.вЂќ Without purpose can anyone truly live a full, happy life? As Bill Murray discovered in his classic comedy Groundhog Day, a life focused on hedonic pleasures wonвЂ™t lead to happiness. Many Americans find their lives devoid of meaning up to 40 percent of Americans have вЂњnot discovered a satisfying life purpose.вЂќ

Viktor frankl meaning of life