An e-newsletter for University of Minnesota staff

November 2008

Book of the Month

Man's Search for Meaning

Favorite Book of President Bob Bruininks

"The drive to develop new competencies and connections comes naturally to many of us - it's what brings us to the University," says President Bob Bruininks. "Too many people stop there, however, and fail to discover their reason for being: their personal contribution to humanity."

In his classic book, Man’s Search for Meaning, Frankl advances the theory that humanity is not motivated primarily by a quest for pleasure (as Freud suggested) or for power (as Alder said) but by a quest for meaning. As a Holocaust survivor, Frankl illustrates his theory with an account of the sense of purpose that kept him alive in the camps. He makes a compelling case that the secret to life is, as the comedy City Slickers put it, “’just one thing ... That’s what you have to find out.

Find Your Calling

Fast Company magazine asked 3 experts (Eunice Azzani, Richard Leider, and Nick Coreodilos) to share their thoughts on getting in touch with your calling and discovering your life purpose. Each of these experts believes that a person’s core values, beliefs, environment and character are tied to their calling. http://www.fastcompany.com/articles/2000/10/act_corcazzani.html

Richard Leider who wrote The Power of Purpose is featured in an essay by Michael Finley as a person who “help(s) people tune in to the inner voice that tells them what they could do, and who they could be, that would make them happiest.” http://mfinley.com/experts/renewalday99/leider.htm