Prisoners of Our Thoughts

by PATTAKOS, ALEX PH.D

• ISBN13: 9781576752883
• ISBN10: 1576752887
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2004-10-10
• Publisher: Berrett-Koehler Publishers

Summary

This timely book expands on Viktor Frankl's seminal Man's Search for Meaning, examining the book's concepts in depth and widening the market for them by introducing an entirely new way to look at work and the workplace. Alex Pattakos, a former colleague of Frankl's, brings the search for meaning at work within the grasp of every reader using simple, straightforward language. The author distills Frankl's ideas into seven core principles: Exercise the freedom to choose your attitude; Realize your will to meaning; Detect the meaning of life's moments; Don't work against yourself; Look at yourself from a distance; Shift your focus of attention; and Extend beyond yourself. By demonstrating how Dr. Frankl's key principles can be applied to all kinds of work situations, Prisoners of Our Thoughts opens up new opportunities for finding personal meaning and living an authentic work life.

Author Biography

Alex Pattakos is founder of the Center for Personal Meaning, based in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and a principal of The Innovation Group.

Table of Contents

Foreword	xii
Stephen R. Covey
Preface	xv
Acknowledgements	xix
Life Doesn't Just Happen to Us	1	(12)
Viktor Frankl's Lifework and Legacy	13	(12)
Labyrinths of Meaning	25	(14)
Exercise the Freedom to Choose Your Attitude	39	(18)
Realize Your Will to Meaning	57	(22)
Detect the Meaning of Life's Moments	79	(20)
Don't Work Against Yourself	99	(18)
Look at Yourself from a Distance	117	(12)
Shift Your Focus of Attention	129	(14)
Extend Beyond Yourself	143	(12)
Living and Working with Meaning	155	(10)
Notes	165	(6)
References	171	(2)
Index	173	(12)
About the Author	185