Contents
Foreword by Stephen R. Covey v
Preface to the Second Edition xiii
Life Doesn’t Just Happen to Us 1
Viktor Frankl’s Lifework and Legacy 15
Labyrinths of Meaning 27
Exercise the Freedom to Choose Your Attitude 41
Realize Your Will to Meaning 65
Detect the Meaning of Life’s Moments 91
Don’t Work Against Yourself 113
Look at Yourself from a Distance 131
Shift Your Focus of Attention 143
Extend Beyond Yourself 157
Living and Working with Meaning 173
The Meaning Difference® 187
Notes 215
References
Acknowledgments 225
Index 229
About the Author 235
Alex Pattakos, PhD, is cofounder of the Global Meaning
Institutewithoffices in the United States, Canada, and Greece. His
unique background includes being a mental health administrator,
professor of public and business administration, consultant with
the White House, and advisor to the commissioner of the US Food and
Drug Administration.He is also the coauthor with Elaine Dundon
ofThe OPA! Way- Finding Joy & Meaning in Everyday Life & Work.As a
leader of the Meaning Movement, he is focused on helping others
find meaningin life, work, and society.
Elaine Dundon, MBA,is the cofounder of the Global Meaning
Institute. She is passionate about helping people find meaning in
their personal and work lives, as well as helping organizations
create meaning-centered workplaces to deliver products and services
that truly make a meaningful difference. She began her career in
brand management at Procter & Gamble. A thought leader in the field
ofpersonal and organizational innovation, she authored the
best-selling book The Seeds of Innovation and created the
groundbreaking course on innovation management at the University of
Toronto. Her work evolved to the "human side of innovation,"
incorporating meaning, leadership, philosophy, and metaphysics to
help people and organizations reach their full potential.
Stephen R. Covey was the author of several books, including the
iconic bestseller The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. He
passed away in 2012.
“In this newly revised edition, Alex Pattakos and Elaine Dundon not
only honor the legacy of Viktor Frankl but further it by bringing
his work to a new generation of readers in search of a more
meaningful life. In very practical ways, they show that when we put
meaning at the heart of our lives, we’re better able to thrive and
reach our full potential.”
—Arianna Huffington, founder of Huffington Post and founder and
CEO, Thrive Global
“If you intend to read just one self-help book in your life, pick
this one. You won’t regret it.”
—Alexander Batthyány, PhD, Director, Viktor Frankl Institute
Vienna
“Here is a landmark book that, among other things, underscores how
the search for meaning is intimately related to and positively
influences health improvement at all levels. Reading Prisoners of
Our Thoughts is an insightful prescription for promoting health and
wellness!”
— Kenneth R. Pelletier, PhD, MD (hc), Clinical Professor of
Medicine and Professor of Public Health, University of Arizona and
University of California, San Francisco Schools of Medicine
“Prisoners of Our Thoughts is an important book about creating a
meaningful life— a life that matters and makes a difference. Those
of us involved in the individual quest for meaning will find
valuable information and inspiration in it. Meaning— choosing it,
living it, sustaining it— is a significant personal, as well as
societal, issue of the twenty-first century.”
— Marita J. Wesely, trends expert and Trends Group Manager,
Hallmark Cards, Inc.
“This book is a gem. It is an iconoclastic book, which is set to
become iconic.
With it, Alex and Elaine have altered the Logotherapeutic
landscape. They bring therapy from the clinic into the corporate
world. They show how work can be a source of meaning by applying
the revolutionary ideas and insights of our mentor Dr. Viktor
Frankl. The authors succeed in demonstrating the link between
Logotherapy and labour but more— they do it with bravado and
brilliance. I recommend this book with relish.”
— Stephen J. Costello, PhD, Founder and Director, Viktor Frankl
Institute of Ireland
“In the permanent white water of our lives everywhere and
especially at work, the meaning of what we do and of who we are is
continually in danger of negation. The creation of meaning cannot
be a once-and-for-all, set-it-and-forget-it affair, but rather
needs to become our most basic ongoing achievement. This book is
virtually unique in providing us with both a philosophy and a set
of methods for keeping the meaning of our lives and our work
vibrantly alive, relevant, and nourishing.”
— Peter B. Vaill, PhD, Professor of Management, Antioch University,
and Author of Managing as a Performing Art
“Magical. . . . If you read this book patiently and honestly, it
may begin to change your attitude and thought process. Deeply and
impressively subversive in more ways than one, this book invites us
directly in the search for meaning of our work and life.”
— Ping Fu, Author, Bend, Not Break: A Life in Two Worlds, Founder
and Former CEO, Geomagic, Inc.
“Not averse to giving ‘recipes,’ Pattakos makes them transparent
and convincing enough, and he amply supports them by personal
observations and experiences, by testimonies and quotations, by
anecdotes and proven wisdom, adding more than a sprinkle of wit and
common sense. And he does it all in an immensely readable
style.”
— Franz J. Vesely, PhD, Viktor Frankl Institute, Vienna,
Austria
“Logotherapy was tested in Nazi concentration camps, so it speaks
uniquely of meaning in extremes of unavoidable suffering. But
Frankl also encouraged the discovery of meaning in our everyday
workplaces, and Pattakos offers both a why and a how.”
— Haddon Klingberg Jr., PhD, Author of When Life Calls Out to Us:
The Love and Lifework of Viktor and Elly Frankl
“If you want to bring life to your personal and/or organizational
values read Prisoners of Our Thoughts. It is particularly helpful
if you are committed to living an authentic (values-driven) life.
This is a book you will want all your associates and family members
to read again and again.”
— Ann Rhoades, President, People Ink, and Former Executive Vice
President, People, JetBlue Airways
“The transcendent spirit of Viktor Frankl vindicated human
resilience. Alex
Pattakos nimbly brings essential new life to that spirit. Reading
this book is a choice— a choice to add deeper meaning to your
life.”
— Jeffrey K. Zeig, PhD, Founder and Director, The Milton H.
Erickson Foundation
“Living and working in such changing times takes courage. This book
helps us connect with ourselves and meaning in order to be happier,
develop resilience in life and work, and co-create a better future.
In a time when there is so much unpredictability, Prisoners of Our
Thoughts is a must-read to serve as a prescription for personal and
business leadership.”
— Lisa Schilling, RN, MPH, Vice President, Healthcare Performance
Improvement, Kaiser Permanente
“It is very rare to encounter a book that is simultaneously
profound and approachable, one that addresses the essential crux of
the human dilemma in a manner that is inviting and even heartfelt.
Prisoners of Our Thoughts is just such a book. I highly recommend
it.”
— Jeffrey Mishlove, PhD, Dean of Transformational Psychology,
University of Philosophical Research, and Author of The Roots of
Consciousness
“A must-read for all those who want to lead successful lives. . . .
The book has universal appeal and would help people working in any
part of the world, and at any type of job. Dr. Pattakos’s concepts
resonate well with me— a Sikh by religion. I believe that world
peace would be greatly helped by having more and more people happy
with their lives, as Prisoners of Our Thoughts could help them
be.”
— Karuna Singh, Program Manager, Office of Public Affairs, U.S.
Consulate General, Kolkata, India
“Prisoners of Our Thoughts is an enormously inspiring eye and heart
opener, enlarging the scope of our life and work in a wonderful
way. It’s a book full of wisdom, a road sign to the meaning and
riches of life.”
— Dr. Heinrich Anker, Cofounder, Management Centre Zug
(Switzerland), and President, Swiss Society of Logotherapy and
Existential Analysis
“CEOs, as well as the average worker, can be both informed and
inspired by
Pattakos’s book.”
— Paul T. P. Wong, PhD, President, International Network on
Personal Meaning, and Coeditor, The Human Quest for Meaning: A
Handbook of Psychological Research and Clinical Applications
“It has been a long wait— a very long wait! But Frankl’s principles
and methods have at last been set free to be used and enjoyed and
practiced in the work situation.”
— Dr. Patti Havenga Coetzer, Founder, Viktor Frankl Foundation of
South Africa
“Masterpiece. Challenging. Insightful. Motivational. Inspirational.
Magnificent. Prisoners of Our Thoughts branches all of these into
one central theme: staying true to you, the real you. This book is
a must-read for all educators, parents, and students. It provides
such a clear view of the importance of character and how love ties
it all together. A must-read.”
— Dr. Mark Isley, Principal, Shelby County Alternative School,
Alabama
“Those who seek meaning in their work and life will find much of
value in this practical application of the wisdom of Dr. Frankl, so
deeply experienced and artfully presented.”
— Dee Hock, Founder and CEO Emeritus, VISA
“Don’t let life just happen to you! Let Dr. Pattakos show you how
to apply Viktor Frankl’s core principles to make your work and life
more meaningful. Anyone from mail deliverer to CEO can embark on a
path of self-discovery that will lead to better results and
relationships with others.”
— Jean E. Spence, Executive Vice President, Global Technology and
Quality, Kraft Foods
“I fully recommend reading this great work and applying its wisdom.
Please don’t wait to open your ‘lockbox’ of talents and tasks that
life has set aside for you. Seek what is yours on behalf of all
mankind.”
— Robert R. Thompson, Lieutenant Colonel, U.S. Army
“Use Prisoners of Our Thoughts as a textbook, order it for all your
employees, and buy a copy for yourself.”
— Erik Bergrud, Associate Vice President for Alumni, Constituent
and Employer Relations, Park University, and Past President,
American Society for Public Administration
“Dr. Pattakos provides a commonsense model to resolve the
existential anxiety created by the gap between our thoughts and
reality and to tremendously enrich our lives. Read Prisoners of Our
Thoughts and be prepared to look in the mirror and see the person
responsible for your dissatisfaction and unhappiness!”
— Vann E. Schaffner, MD, Spokane, Washington
“Every thinking person can benefit from the work of Alex Pattakos.
As we wind our way through life’s challenges, understanding life’s
choices and outcomes is foremost. This work adds a great deal of
value to this most important of life’s searches.”
— Robert Agranoff, PhD, Professor Emeritus, School of Public and
Environmental Affairs, Indiana University, Bloomington
“Prisoners of Our Thoughts is a must-read. Not only is it written
in very direct, clear language to assert the case for each of us to
follow the meaning in our lives, but it hits an intuitive nerve as
Dr. Pattakos explains Viktor Frankl’s sources for authentic meaning
in one’s life. This has been a major influence in creating a more
rewarding life for me and countless others.”
— Michael E. Skaggs, Executive Director, Nevada Commission on
Economic Development
“Alex Pattakos does a wonderful job of translating Frankl’s work
into actions for living. He delivers an especially powerful message
for individuals striving to grow both professionally and
personally. I can think of no other book that better prepares
leaders for facing tough challenges. This is a must-read for
leaders!”
— Dr. Mitch Owen, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, North
Carolina State University
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