| You want to be happy, but do you know how. Read | | | | as study guides for many thousands of American and |
| further to understand why for social, spiritual creatures | | | | foreign pastors. We feel deeply honored to have |
| such as ourselves aquiring power, prestige and | | | | taken part in their outstanding ministry. LEADERSHIP |
| material possessions is never enough. Our emphasis is | | | | PSYCHOLOGY was the lead-off book in the |
| on joyful living through spiritual values (or ethical virtues), | | | | Executive Growth Series offered by New American |
| positive attitudes, high expectations, mature beliefs and | | | | Library, a major American publishing company. NICE |
| responsible choices. | | | | GUYS was an American best seller while |
| During a FULFILLMENT seminar, at the University of | | | | LEADERSHIP POWER was extremely useful to |
| Arizona for the Affiliated Women's Clubs, a charming | | | | executives and managers throughout Japan. Obviously, |
| and successful woman unintentionally made our point | | | | we are not novices and we believe you can find a |
| about success, satisfaction and happiness. Catherine | | | | great deal of help by studying the materials we offer. |
| Hendricks spoke about several major problems that | | | | Fortunately, life can become deeply meaningful for |
| are caused by living too secular a life-style in this | | | | loving persons who are maturing, who are meeting the |
| period of swift, destabilizing and often disconcerting | | | | needs of their spiritual unconscious that Frankl wrote |
| change. Catherine lamented; | | | | about - which is as vital to satisfaction as our |
| "I'm one woman who did everything well. I stayed out | | | | psychological unconscious that Freud discussed. It is |
| of trouble in school, married the right guy and joined a | | | | this spiritual unconscious that is so often neglected by |
| great company when it started taking women | | | | persons who live with secular values and too |
| seriously. I've made sound business decisions along the | | | | pragmatic choices - which is why we combine the |
| way and shall surely become a V P before I'm forty. I | | | | psychological and the philosophical in our books and |
| live in a home my parents think a mansion and have | | | | articles. After all, every society from primitive clans |
| two beautiful children. I do a job thousands envy. | | | | with be-feathered shamans chanting spells around |
| Obviously, I have everything. Right? Wrong! Much of | | | | campfires, to building mysterious Stonehenge, to |
| my life feels incomplete and caught up in trivia. My kids | | | | completing towering European cathedrals, and even |
| are rebelling with sex and drugs and I'm almost certain | | | | attending Billy Graham's relational campaigns, has been |
| my husband is having an affair with a little twerp. I feel | | | | trying to meet the spiritual yearnings throbbing within |
| deeply dissatisfied at the most inopportune times, as if | | | | every human soul. These hungers are universal and |
| nothing counts except for my sixty hour work weeks | | | | repressing or neglecting them causes spiritual |
| and paying for the house and the Mercedes. There | | | | bankruptcy or what Frankl called existential frustration. |
| must be more to life than this but when my therapist | | | | We have researched the emotional and spiritual |
| asks what's missing, I can't even tell her. I worry that I'm | | | | aspects of satisfaction for half a century, drawing |
| going mad to feel this way despite my | | | | from brilliant existential philosophers, theologians and |
| accomplishments in the company and my prestige in | | | | psychologists of whom Soren Kierkegaard, Carl Jung, |
| my community. What do I do when I've won | | | | Karen Horney, Tielhard de Chardin, Otto Rank, Melanie |
| everything I've ever wanted and it isn't enough to keep | | | | Klein, Paul Tillich, Viktor Frankl, H. Orton Wiley, Laura |
| me happy?" | | | | Perls, Rollo May and Carl Rogers are representative. |
| What, indeed -- and what of the many persons who | | | | Wayne Dyer, who remains a contemporary existential |
| fall short of her achievements, who fear life is passing | | | | seminar leader on Public Television, has an excellent |
| them by, who feel stuck in their careers or frustrated | | | | approach for improving spiritual health. We have |
| in their relationships? They are not mentally ill but | | | | learned beyond a shadow of a doubt, that fulfillment is |
| virtually always spiritually maladjusted through secular | | | | never won directly but always the by product of a |
| values, negative attitudes, low expectations, immature | | | | maturing life-style. We didn't stop with concepts, |
| beliefs and often irresponsible choices. They are left | | | | however, but hammered the issues of life out in the |
| wondering how they can find consistent satisfaction. | | | | real world, getting down into the mud and blood of |
| Our work answers Catherine's troubling question along | | | | existence with people experiencing differing degrees |
| with a great many more. Our emphasis is on joyful | | | | of emotional and spiritual failures. We have also |
| living through spiritual values (or ethical virtues), positive | | | | discovered that human existence can indeed be filled |
| attitudes, high expectations, mature beliefs and | | | | with purpose and permanence for perceptive women |
| responsible choices. We have learned as Viktor Frankl, | | | | and men. However, there is a major Catch - 22 in the |
| Karen Horney, Karl Jung and many others taught, that | | | | search for consistent satisfaction. There is nothing |
| the unfortunate souls who are suffering from neurotic | | | | automatic or universal about succeeding in our quest. |
| ailments and existential alienation, are those persons | | | | There is no single approach to Fulfillment with a capital |
| who have failed to find a consistent sense of meaning | | | | F that meets every person's needs. Each one of us |
| that assures their satisfaction through life's several | | | | has to open personal channels by applying our own |
| stages. We have also learned that few persons are | | | | powers along lines of excellence. We must move |
| going to simply get lucky and have fulfillment handed to | | | | beyond the theoretical to the practical. |
| them on a solver platter. Life is filled with many | | | | Despite the assumptions of so many persons, our |
| quid-pro-quos in which we must do our part wisely and | | | | search can seldom be for happiness per se. |
| well to have life become consistently satisfying as a | | | | Happiness is a fleeting emotion that will always fade |
| by-product of our responsible choices. | | | | and eventually vanish. We all need times of joy, |
| Obviously this means that those persons doing the | | | | obviously, but it is far more satisfying to create lasting |
| best they can - while still feeling stuck in their careers, | | | | sources of meaning in our lives - in those places of the |
| dissatisfied with their love relationships and anxious that | | | | heart where we belong, connected to persons with |
| life is passing them by, must learn better ways of | | | | whom we share love, acceptance and support. |
| managing their existence. Of course, that is what this | | | | We all hold values, attitudes, expectations and beliefs |
| book is all about! | | | | and make choices that are relevant to our lives. These |
| This approach was first conceived when Jard was | | | | key aspects of life affect us according to our inherited |
| psychology professor and convocations chairman at | | | | traits, environmental experiences and formative |
| Olivet College. He had Viktor Frankl flown from Vienna | | | | choices. Naturally, not one of us is exempt from |
| to the campus to lecture and counsel about his | | | | civilization's pressures. All men and women inherit |
| approach to psychospiritual healing. Viktor had written | | | | homosapien angst and rage, resist childhood |
| several outstanding books, including MAN'S SEARCH | | | | socialization, and struggle to break the apron strings |
| FOR MEANING, PSYCHOTHERAPY AND | | | | during adolescence and to remove emotional scar |
| EXISTENTIALISM and THE DOCTOR AND THE | | | | tissue in the unconscious aspects of our minds. We |
| SOUL. The Viennese psychiatrist and psychologist | | | | are indeed forced to deal with the tragic elements of |
| called his approach Logotherapy - which means spirit | | | | suffering, guilt, rage and death. It doesn't end there, |
| healing - for existentially frustrated or spiritually | | | | fortunately. We are pleased to report that despite |
| bankrupt souls. Viktor, who spent more than three | | | | many existential frustrations, spiritually-minded persons |
| years in Nazi Germany's brutal death camps, was | | | | who convert their earthly meanderings into purposeful, |
| spiritually transformed by his covenant relationship with | | | | love-filled quests can enjoy consistent fulfillment. |
| God despite the suffering and fear surrounding him, into | | | | Women and men who cultivate faith, hope and love do |
| a virtual saint. Even in that anteroom of hell, with God's | | | | find joy even as waves of complex change batter |
| help, he found meaning by helping others survive. In our | | | | society relentlessly. |
| distinctive religious approach to Logotherapy, you shall | | | | We recently had this approach confirmed by an |
| study crucial presentations and use revealing reality | | | | unlikely source in an entirely unexpected setting. The |
| checks, self-focus exercises and powerful projects to | | | | carnival barker on the Minnesota State Fair Midway |
| consider serving society well, worshipping devoutly, | | | | didn't look like a philosopher. His fingernails were ragged |
| relating warmly, persevering bravely, learning wisely | | | | and dirty and a broken tooth gave him a cynical and |
| and playing enthusiastically. New insights can lead to | | | | somewhat sinister leer. Tough-Tony Gallo seemed too |
| spiritual values, positive attitudes, high expectations, | | | | rough-hewn a man from whom to learn much about a |
| mature beliefs and responsible choices that enhance | | | | meaningful life. Nevertheless, Tony went right to a |
| life for persons who apply them wisely. | | | | major aspect of fulfillment when he said; |
| This approach when piloted some hundred times in | | | | "Life's sorta like ridin' a bicycle uphill. Ya gotta keep |
| business organizations, churches, professional | | | | pedalin' along or ya gotta stop and get off. There ain't |
| associations and universities, often received a standing | | | | no reverse gear and ya gotta keep yer balance." |
| ovation from the many participants. The authors won | | | | How marvelously well expressed! There you have it - |
| a 3.68 evaluation with it on a one to four scale for | | | | much knowledge and wisdom in a nutshell! Tough |
| years. We have learned, in our presentations that | | | | Tony had just relieved Jard of six dollars in a futile |
| range from hour long church forum lectures, to | | | | attempt to win a stuffed panda for a granddaughter at |
| business seminars, to three day summer college | | | | his milk bottle-toss game. Neither Jard's arm nor his aim |
| classes, that participants are indeed fascinated with | | | | is what either was in his youth but he was delighted |
| our materials. And while we are not entirely unbiased, | | | | with the transaction. After all, in these days of |
| we feel this interest is the result of our addressing vital | | | | expensive therapy, that was a bargain price for such |
| human needs that are seldom considered in | | | | excellent counsel about living successfully. As our |
| commercial seminars or even religious classes - | | | | philosophical friend with dirty nails so succinctly said, a |
| despite their importance to each human soul. We are | | | | satisfying life has an ongoing flow that must be |
| dealing in applied Logotherapy - the healing of the | | | | embraced if we are to find consistent meaning and |
| human spirit through a covenant relationship with God | | | | belonging with the powers God through nature has |
| the Cosmic Creator. | | | | given us to invest in spiritual growth. To sum this up |
| If you or a loved one faces career, relationship, | | | | even more succinctly than Tony did, we use this |
| emotional or spiritual challenges that leave you | | | | simple equation; |
| dissatisfied and feeling stuck in life, worried that life | | | | PERSONAL FULFILLMENT = f (Heredity x |
| itself is passing you by, that your life is bereft of | | | | Environment x Choices) |
| meaning, this can be the most valuable single | | | | Everything we inherit from all of our ancestors is acted |
| experience of your life. It can and will assist anyone | | | | on by our environment whether it is good or bad. And |
| seeking consistent fulfillment in many special ways - | | | | that product is multiplied by the excellent, mediocre or |
| that is, helping the reader find satisfying sources of | | | | disastrous choices we make about life and our place in |
| lasting meaning in those places of the heart where he | | | | it. |
| or she belongs. | | | | Through these articles, we use the word existential to |
| For a generation we, Jard and Roberta DeVille, have | | | | mean that something relates to the cultural and |
| written such psychology books as NICE GUYS FINISH | | | | personal life-style humans choose to follow or have |
| FIRST, LOVERS FOR LIFE, LEADERSHIP | | | | thrust upon them by society. It has nothing to do with |
| PSYCHOLOGY, LEADERSIP POWER (Japanese), | | | | the grim European philosophy of Existentialism taught |
| LOS BUENOS TAMBIEN GANAN (Spanish), THE | | | | by Sartre, Camus and others in the desperate |
| PASTOR'S HANDBOOK ON INTERPERSONAL | | | | decades of the World Wars, the murderous Holocaust |
| RELATIONS, THE PSYCHOLOGY OF WITNESSING | | | | and the long, debilitating Cold War. To us, existential |
| and others. One religious denomination, one of the | | | | just means that something being discussed is related |
| fastest growing church organizations around the world, | | | | to the life-style we follow. |
| used our PASTOR'S HANDBOOK and WITNESSING | | | | |