During the Holocaust, Viktor Frankl discovered his concept of logotherapy, which explains one of the driving forces behind those that survived being victims during this time. 

In short, he found that those who were able to find a purpose or meaning to live for beyond the end in sight were the ones that had the ability to pull themselves out of the tragic events of the Holocaust alive. 

On the other hand, those that only had their focus on the end of the tragedy, but nothing beyond that, did not make it through. 

This concept of logotherapy applies to all of us in different aspects of our lives. 

In order to make it through hard times, one of the best things that you can do is find what is meaningful to you. It will be the strongest motivation that you have to keep pushing forward. 

If your focus goes beyond the finish line, rather than on the finish line, you have a much better shot at coming out of the other side on top.