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Viktor Frankl writes: "We who lived in concentration camps can remember the men who walked through the huts comforting others, giving away their last piece of bread. They may have been few in number, but they offer sufficient proof that everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms--to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one's own way."

I recently started reading "On Freedom" by Jiddu Krishnamurti, and I can't help but trace parallels between his teachings, Stoicism, and Viktor Frankl.

All three offer slightly different takes on a single topic: the freedom to choose.

To choose what, you ask?

Your attitude, opinion, and reaction to whatever life throws your way.

I've used poker as an analogy for this in the past.

Life deals you a hand; you don't get to choose the cards.

You do get to choose how you play your hand, however, and your choice is largely determined by what you believe--about the game, its rules, and the value of any given combination of cards.

Whether any given hand is a winner, loser, or something in between is a matter of opinion, not fact.

The rules are vast, complex, ambiguous, and therefore open to interpretation. The conditions of victory are flexible, though many believe them to be rigid.

So for these reasons, it is crucial that you pay attention, listen and watch closely, and learn the game for yourself.

And if you have the privilege of watching a master like Frankl play the game, you had best take notes.

In the 1940's, Frankl was dealt one of the worst hands imaginable. Yet somehow, he managed to play it well and make something out of it.

His book, "Man's Search for Meaning," and Logotherapy, the school of psychology he founded after his years in concentration camps, both emerged from this seemingly bum hand.

For me, the lesson is simple: no hand is either good or bad, but thinking makes it so.

Therefore I strive to watch and manage my thoughts, as they are key to playing the game proficiently.