CHOICE
“Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.” (Viktor Frankl)
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ai Assistant
INTERPRETATION of TODAY’S QUOTE
“This is a powerful quote by Viktor Frankl, a Holocaust survivor and psychiatrist who developed logotherapy, a form of therapy that emphasizes finding meaning in life.
The quote highlights the space between external events (stimulus) and our internal reaction (response). Frankl argues that it’s within this space that we hold the power to choose how we respond. This choice, according to him, is the key to our growth and freedom.
Here’s a breakdown of the quote:
- Between stimulus and response: Life throws things our way, both good and bad. These are the stimuli.
- There is a space: Our initial reaction isn’t automatic. There’s a gap between the event and how we choose to respond.
- In that space is our power to choose our response: It’s within this space that we have the power to consciously choose how we react. We can choose to be happy, sad, angry, or something else entirely.
- In our response lies our growth and freedom: The way we choose to respond shapes who we become. By consciously choosing our responses, we can grow and experience more freedom in our lives.
- This quote is a reminder that even though we can’t control everything that happens to us, we can control how we react to it. By taking responsibility for our choices, we can find meaning and purpose in life.” (Gemini ai)
Interested in a few more ideas?
INSIGHTS for SUCCESS
In following many daily routines, and meeting many daily responsibilities, it is often easy to lose our awareness that underlying all these activities are choices we have made and which we continue to make everyday. Awareness of our choices and of our agency in making them contributes to our potential freedom.
“If you choose not to decide, you still have made a choice.” (Neil Peart, musician)
“The remarkable thing is, we have a choice everyday regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day.” Charles R. Swindoll
“Work ethic is important because, unlike intelligence, athleticism, charisma, or any other natural attribute, it’s a choice.” Mike Rowe
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slow down and REFLECT
on the MEANING and the MESSAGE of today’s quotation
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“Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.” (Viktor Frankl)
From your own personal experiences or observations, what is an appropriate example of someone making an unexpected choice in the face of a challenging situation, a choice that was not at all expected for that person in the situation?
What would have been that person’s expected choice, and why do you think that the person didn’t make the expected choice?
“There are many truths of which the full meaning cannot be realized until personal experience has brought it home.” (John Stuart Mill)
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