Mount Vernon High School

March 22, 2024 Even Then, a Choice Viktor Frankl famously wrote in his book Man’s Search for Meaning that “anything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of human freedoms - to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances.” The authority of those words is bolstered by Frankl’s experience as a Holocaust survivor. He faced challenges most of us can’t imagine - challenges that probably make whatever it is we’re facing seem somewhat silly by comparison. And yet, even then, Frankl recognized in those moments that a winning choice was always available. His words encourage us to recognize it in our challenging moments, too. I don’t know what exactly you may be facing today, but I do know the journey to becoming a champion in any area of life is filled with all kinds of adversity. If you’re there, in the midst of a challenging moment today, I hope Viktor Frankl’s example inspires you just as it has me, and I hope it validates one of the most important baseline beliefs of the winning mindset we're working to build. That no matter what happens - even when things get difficult - a winning choice is always available for us to make. You are frustrated by a circumstance you can’t control. You’ve been criticized unfairly. Someone important has let you down. You’ve fallen flat on your face. Even then, a choice. You gave everything you had and came up short. The conditions are not ideal. You are tired, sick, or sore. Defeat looks certain. Even then, a choice. You’ve screwed up, and everyone knows it. Nothing is going your way. The people around you have packed it in and given up. Nobody’s giving you a chance. Even then, a choice. That negative voice in your head won’t shut up. You’re not sure you’ve got what it takes. Time’s running out and it’s not looking good. The situation feels impossible. Even then, a choice. A major setback has derailed your progress. You have to wait your turn while someone else gets theirs. What you want feels like it’s a long way off. You haven’t gotten something you think you are entitled to. Even then, a choice. There are of course two sides to the freedom you've been given to choose. That freedom allows that in your challenging moments, you can do what most people do. You can take the easy way out. You can quit. You can pout. You can feel sorry for yourself, find someone to blame, and work hard to justify how you’ve been wronged. You can easily become the victim of your circumstances. To be honest, I’m not sure anyone would blame you for making that very common and very understandable decision. But the freedom to choose also gives you another option. In your challenging moments, you can also choose to do what champions do. You can focus on finding a winning attitude and response. You can dig deep and keep your vision for success alive. You can get back up and stay in the fight. If this is you today, I don’t envy the position you’re in or the decision you have in front of you, just like I don’t envy the position Viktor Frankl found himself in all those years ago. But I do know that just like it was for him, the decision you have in front of you is yours and yours alone. No matter what anyone else wishes you'd do or wants you to do, actually doing the hard thing and making the winning choice is a burden you alone have to bear. At the same time, there’s great power and freedom in that very same understanding - that no matter what anyone else chooses for themselves, you are the only one who gets to choose for you. Fighting to make the winning decision today puts you in the best possible position for success moving forward, and it validates that you are in fact someone worthy of winning in this important area of life. And who knows? Maybe just like Viktor Frankl was for us here today, your response to this challenging moment might be an example for someone who’s watching you when things get tough. You’ll be the one modeling that winning mindset, and - even then - validating the ultimate freedom each of us posses: the freedom we have to choose. -Travis