The Writer’s Coin

Today I want to mention two men that have greatly influenced how I look at things. I consider myself an optimist these two men blow me out of the water. When bad things happen, they happen. Nothing you can do about them. But what these bad times also bring is an incredible opportunity — a chance to see what you’re made of. How will you react when the sh*t really hits the fan?

Randy Pausch

In case you don’t know who that is, his name is Randy Pausch and he’s also the author of a book titled The Last Lecture. I had heard of the book and seen him on TV on Good Morning America a while back, but I never got around to actually watching his speech until recently. The thing that struck me the most was something he says at the beginning, something to the effect of “If I’m not as morose and depressed as you would want, I’m sorry.” He also adds, “You can’t change the cards you’ve been dealt.” While that may sound cliché to a lot of people, it has a very important lesson that all of us can learn from.

I mean, the man has cancer and was give X amount of time left to live — and he’s using his time to the fullest. We should all learn a valuable lesson from him. I know it’s hard to tell ourselves to live our lives as if today was our last day on earth, but his story makes it easier to pretend.

The man was supposed to die a long time ago and now he’s all over the country getting his message across.

Viktor Frankl

The other person I want to mention is Viktor Frankl and his book Man’s Search for Meaning. This is one of my all-time favorite books. If you haven’t read it, just go to Amazon real quick and buy it. Go to the library and check it out. Run out to Border’s and buy it—whatever it takes, just go get it and read it. You can thank me now if you like.

I’ve been meaning to do a full review of this book but haven’t gotten around to it. The first half is Frankl talking about his experiences in a Nazi concentration camp and all the horrible things he experienced there.

The second half is about Logotherapy, which he founded. It came out of his background as a psychiatrist but was greatly influenced by what he talks about in the first half of the book.

Here’s my big takeaway for this book (besides the story itself, which is fascinating): when bad things happen, it’s an opportunity to see what you’re made of. Rarely do we think about negative things this way, but Frankl has a point. And I’m talking about your car breaking down during rush hour, having to make a crucial decision at work, etc. Nowhere near the kind of stress that he had to face in the camps. Yet he still believes that, without those incredibly difficult times, he wouldn’t have been able to “challenge” himself to see what he’s made of. How would you react in extremely difficult circumstances? The idea is that you’ll only find out when you find yourself going through tough times. And that’s why they should be embraced as an opportunity instead of as simply a “bad thing.”

After reading this book I took this idea to heart and it has made me an even more hopeful optimist. Has anyone out there read this book or Pausch’s? I like hearing how they have influenced/affected other people too.

Tags: Man's Search for Meaning, optimism, Randy Pausch, The Last Lecture, viktor frankl