In September 1942, Viktor Frankl, a prominent Jewish psychiatrist and neurologist in Vienna, was sent to a Nazi concentration camp with his wife and parents. Three years later, when his camp was liberated, most of his family had perished. But he, prisoner number 119104, had lived.

In his bestselling 1946 book, Man’s Search for Meaning, Frankl describes people who would walk through the camp giving words of comfort to others, even though their circumstances were no better. He concluded that the difference between those who could give comfort and those who couldn’t came down to one thing: Meaning.

A summer stroll in Ocean City, NJ.

As he saw, those who found meaning even in horrendous circumstances were far more resilient to suffering than those who did not. “Everything can be taken from a man but one thing,” Frankl concluded, “the last of the human freedoms—to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.”

Whenever I find myself in a really bad mood, or mired in boredom or life’s challenges, I remind myself that I can choose a different attitude. Something that helps is focusing on being grateful, even if it’s just to say, “I’m thankful for having the wisdom to recognize I’m in a funk so I can choose a different attitude.” I also remind myself that my circumstances are never as dire as what Frankl faced, and if he could do it there, I certainly can do it in my blessed life.

Mr. Frankl continues to teach us that we do not always choose our circumstances but we can choose how we respond to things that happen in our lives.

Sincerely,

Matt Haviland
Your Real Estate Consultant For Life

P.S If you are celebrating something special I’d like to hear about it. Please contact me.

P.P.S.  For more great articles download or print my September Newsletter:  September Newsletter – Matt

I want to share a story with you that touched me deeply, reminding me to slow down and focus on doing

things that are really important. This is a true story, written by a NYC taxi driver:

I arrived at the address and honked the horn. After waiting a few minutes I honked again. Since this was going to be the last ride of my shift I thought about just driving away, but instead I put the car in park and walked up to the door and knocked. “Just a minute,” answered a frail, elderly voice.

After a long pause, the door opened. A small woman in her nineties stood before me. She was wearing a print dress and a pillbox hat with a veil pinned on it, like somebody out of a 1940’s movie. By her side was a small nylon suitcase. The apartment looked as if no one had lived in it for years. All the furniture was covered with sheets.

She took my arm and we walked slowly toward the curb. When we got in the cab, she gave me an address and then asked, “Could you drive through downtown?”

“It’s not the shortest way,” I answered quickly.

“Oh, I don’t mind,” she said. “I’m in no hurry. I’m on my way to a hospice.” I looked in the rear- view mirror. Her eyes were glistening. “I don’t have any family left,” she continued in a soft voice. “The doctor says I don’t have very long.”

I quietly reached over and shut off the meter. “What route would you like me to take?”
For the next two hours, we drove through the city. She showed me the building where she had once worked as an elevator operator. We drove through the area where she and her husband had lived as newlyweds. She had me pull up at a furniture warehouse that had once been a ballroom where she had danced as a girl. Sometimes she’d ask me to slow in front of a building and would sit staring into the darkness.

[After dropping her off] I didn’t pick up any more passengers that shift. I drove aimlessly lost in thought. For the rest of that day, I could hardly talk. What if that woman had gotten an angry driver, or one who was impatient to end his shift? What if I had refused to take the run, or had honked once, then driven away?

On a quick review, I don’t think that I have done anything more important in my life.

Sincerely,

Matt Haviland
Your Real Estate Consultant For Life

~ This story is excerpted from the original, which can be found at: http://www.snopes.com/glurge/cabride.asp

P.S If you liked this story, let me know how it touched you. Contact me at:  SJHouses.com or 609-338-3773

P.P.S.  If you’d like to view or download our entire April 2015 Newsletter click here:  Matt’s Home News April 2015