From Strength to Strength
Finding Success, Happiness, and Deep Purpose in the Second Half of Life
1 of 1 copy available
Many of us assume that the more successful we are, the less susceptible we become to the sense of professional and social irrelevance that often accompanies aging. But the truth is, the greater our achievements and our attachment to them, the more we notice our decline, and the more painful it is when it occurs.
What can we do, starting now, to make our older years a time of happiness, purpose, and yes, success?
At the height of his career at the age of 50, Arthur Brooks embarked on a seven-year journey to discover how to transform his future from one of disappointment over waning abilities into an opportunity for progress. From Strength to Strength is the result, a practical roadmap for the rest of your life.
Drawing on social science, philosophy, biography, theology, and eastern wisdom, as well as dozens of interviews with everyday men and women, Brooks shows us that true life success is well within our reach. By refocusing on certain priorities and habits that anyone can learn, such as deep wisdom, detachment from empty rewards, connection and service to others, and spiritual progress, we can set ourselves up for increased happiness.
Read this book and you, too, can go from strength to strength.
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Creators
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Publisher
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Release date
February 15, 2022 -
Formats
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Kindle Book
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OverDrive Read
- ISBN: 9780593191491
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EPUB ebook
- ISBN: 9780593191491
- File size: 2443 KB
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Languages
- English
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Reviews
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Academic and columnist Brooks ponders a way to "get off the hampster wheel of success and accept inevitable professional decline with grace." [xiii] Drawing from his media columns and research, Brooks approaches the conundrum of the later-life career striver from a social science angle and presents the bounty of his analysis through advice and guidance for those struggling with midlife relevance. [17] He begins with the kind of bad news successful professionals fear most: that the majority will peak in their careers much earlier than they'd imagined, like entrepreneurial tech founders who experience creative decline in their early thirties. [7] It can be personally devastating, he cautions, and bases this conclusion on interviews with psychologists and, most notably, career professionals [88] feeling the pinch of dissatisfaction while hooked [43-6] on producing Sisyphean accomplishments amidst waning determination. [21] Brooks believes this decline process can bruise the pride, elicit fear, and become difficult to comprehend and even more challenging to accept as it contradicts our innate instinct to continue creating successful ventures. In accessible, affable prose which also incorporates spiritual aspects alongside the teachings of ancient Indian and Buddhist philosophers, [149, 211] Brooks discusses the psychology and addictive allure of satisfaction. [79] One of the less attractive but essential keys to achieving contentment, he notes, lies in the power of downsizing. Brooks urges those facing this midlife career quandary to move forward and discover new strengths and skills, zero in on the things that bring real, lasting happiness instead of "adding brushstrokes to an already full canvas". [92] While the duality of wellness and death might not be on a striver's agenda, mindful chapters directly addressing its significance to resistant overachievers makes one of more critical and sobering points in the book. [108] Using his goal-oriented structure [116] and sage guidance, [204] Brooks instructs readers on escaping the "striver's curse" [xiv] of career-driven professionals suffering with disillusionment later in life. There is meaning and happiness in the second half of adulthood, he acknowledges. Thoughtful reflections and practical counsel on career downshifting at midlife and beyond.
COPYRIGHT(2022) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. (Online Review)
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