The Choice by Edith Eger: Resilience Forged in the Fire
There’s a quote in The Choice that lingers long after the page turns:
“We can’t change what happened—but we can choose to find the gift in our lives.”
It’s the kind of truth that hits differently depending on where you are in life. When I picked up Edith Eger’s memoir, I wasn’t just looking for another story of survival—I was searching for perspective. What I found was a mirror. Not to my circumstances, but to my mindset on the days when things feel too much.
Dr. Edith Eger is a Holocaust survivor, a clinical psychologist, and one of the most inspiring voices I’ve read in recent years. The Choice isn’t just about the trauma she endured as a teenager in Auschwitz. It’s about reclaiming your agency—even when life strips everything else away.
And that’s what makes this book so relevant. Whether you’re leading a team through change, navigating career uncertainty, or rebuilding after a personal setback, The Choice is a masterclass in real, grounded resilience.
Resilience in Full View
Eger doesn’t present resilience as a lightning-bolt revelation or a flashy turnaround story. Her journey is painfully human: decades of silence, flashbacks, self-doubt, and slow healing. And yet—she chooses life. Not once, but over and over.
This idea resonates in the business world far more than we might admit.
We talk about resilience like it’s a buzzword—something measured in KPIs or ‘growth mindsets.’ But real resilience shows up in quieter ways:
- The leader who shows up for their team the morning after announcing redundancies.
- The founder who pivots after a product launch tanks.
- The mid-career professional who rebuilds after burnout or redundancy (a little close to home).
None of it is glamorous. But it’s real. And it matters.
Eger’s story reminds us that resilience isn’t about being unbreakable. It’s about what you do after you break.
The Choices That Matter
One of the most powerful concepts in The Choice is the idea of mental prisons. Even decades after liberation, Eger realised she was still trapped—by fear, guilt, and the need to “just move on.”
We might not carry the weight of her past, but many of us have built our own cages.
The story we tell ourselves after a failed job interview.
The self-doubt that creeps in after we’re passed over for promotion.
The quiet shame that comes with burnout, especially when we’re supposed to be “high performers.”
The business world loves a comeback story—but what about the messy middle? Eger teaches us that healing starts when we acknowledge the pain, not avoid it. When we realise that our circumstances may shape us, but they don’t define us.
Grace Over Grit
I’ve written before about grit—how it helps us push through tough runs, tough roles, or moments of real uncertainty. But The Choice reminded me that grace is just as important.
Eger doesn’t glorify suffering. She teaches us that self-compassion, forgiveness, and empathy are not soft skills—they’re survival skills. And they’re vital in business too.
We need grace when giving feedback.
Grace when rebuilding trust after a mistake.
Grace when mentoring someone who’s struggling.
When we pair grit with grace, we create cultures where people thrive—not just survive.
A Final Word: Choosing Freedom
If you’ve been through something that shook your confidence—whether in life or in leadership—The Choice offers a hand on your shoulder. Not to push you, but to walk with you.
You don’t have to be a Holocaust survivor to feel trapped by your own thinking. We all carry something. And that’s why this book matters.
So ask yourself:
What mental prison might you be living in?
And what would it look like to choose freedom?
Resilience isn’t just about powering through. Sometimes, it’s about pausing, forgiving, and choosing a better path—even if it’s harder.
That’s the lesson I’ll carry forward.
And maybe, it’s one worth sharing.
If this resonated with you, I highly recommend picking up The Gift—it’s available on Amazon, at most bookstores, and might just be what you need next.
