From Strength to Strength: Finding Success, Happiness, and Deep Purpose in the Second Half of Life
Product ID: 320172586
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INSTANT #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER The roadmap for finding purpose, meaning, and success as we age, from bestselling author, Harvard professor, and the Atlantic's happiness columnist Arthur Brooks. 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. Review: Must read for middle-aged professionals. - I’ve been reading Arthur Brooks’ Atlantic articles on happiness for some time and have always loved them. He offers sensible and practical advice for finding happiness, backed both by scientific evidence and centuries old wisdom from philosophers. His articles are both informative and fun, and almost always spurs reflection. So, as a fan of Brooks, as well as being someone in my early 50’s, I had to read his new book, which is specifically about finding happiness in the second half of one’s life. Brooks starts here with brutal facts of aging and its impacts on your career. As a person approaches their late 40’s and early 50’s, their cognitive abilities will decline. This is a fact and a source of frustration for many strivers and successful professionals who try to keep up in their professions but find doing so increasingly difficult. This is obvious in some professions, such as athletes, who rely more on their physical abilities. But it is also true for just about any profession, and it is the cause of much unhappiness in middle age. The upside to a person losing their fluid intelligence, as Brooks calls the more rapid and agile intelligence of youth, is that at the same time there is an increase of crystallized intelligence, which essentially translates to wisdom. The key to happiness in middle age and beyond then, according to Brooks, is the transition from relying on fluid intelligence for your success to utilizing your crystallized intelligence to find a higher purpose. And Brooks is here to help you with that. As with his articles, Brooks’ writing is engaging and a joy to read. What he writes here makes sense, and as someone in my early fifties, resonates a lot. His advice is practical and seems a little scary but also achievable. He backs his points up with both scientific data and the wisdom of the great philosophers. He refers frequently to the importance of faith in the process. He gives someone who is suffering through this transition hope. Most importantly, he shows us his vulnerability by sharing his own journey through this process, which led to the writing of this very book. I cannot recommend this book enough for anyone in middle age who feels stuck in their careers or life in general. From Strength to Strength is a great place to start getting back on track. Review: embrace the inevitable - I have been looking for a book to help me journey the 2nd half of my life. People are afraid of getting old and being invaluable. But this book validates my need to accept the inevitable. Acknowledge and accept the decline of fluid intelligence; and embrace crystallized intelligence.
| Best Sellers Rank | #1,349 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #2 in Job Hunting & Career Guides #10 in Sociology Reference #89 in Self-Help (Books) |
| Customer Reviews | 4.5 out of 5 stars 2,673 Reviews |
P**N
Must read for middle-aged professionals.
I’ve been reading Arthur Brooks’ Atlantic articles on happiness for some time and have always loved them. He offers sensible and practical advice for finding happiness, backed both by scientific evidence and centuries old wisdom from philosophers. His articles are both informative and fun, and almost always spurs reflection. So, as a fan of Brooks, as well as being someone in my early 50’s, I had to read his new book, which is specifically about finding happiness in the second half of one’s life. Brooks starts here with brutal facts of aging and its impacts on your career. As a person approaches their late 40’s and early 50’s, their cognitive abilities will decline. This is a fact and a source of frustration for many strivers and successful professionals who try to keep up in their professions but find doing so increasingly difficult. This is obvious in some professions, such as athletes, who rely more on their physical abilities. But it is also true for just about any profession, and it is the cause of much unhappiness in middle age. The upside to a person losing their fluid intelligence, as Brooks calls the more rapid and agile intelligence of youth, is that at the same time there is an increase of crystallized intelligence, which essentially translates to wisdom. The key to happiness in middle age and beyond then, according to Brooks, is the transition from relying on fluid intelligence for your success to utilizing your crystallized intelligence to find a higher purpose. And Brooks is here to help you with that. As with his articles, Brooks’ writing is engaging and a joy to read. What he writes here makes sense, and as someone in my early fifties, resonates a lot. His advice is practical and seems a little scary but also achievable. He backs his points up with both scientific data and the wisdom of the great philosophers. He refers frequently to the importance of faith in the process. He gives someone who is suffering through this transition hope. Most importantly, he shows us his vulnerability by sharing his own journey through this process, which led to the writing of this very book. I cannot recommend this book enough for anyone in middle age who feels stuck in their careers or life in general. From Strength to Strength is a great place to start getting back on track.
A**D
embrace the inevitable
I have been looking for a book to help me journey the 2nd half of my life. People are afraid of getting old and being invaluable. But this book validates my need to accept the inevitable. Acknowledge and accept the decline of fluid intelligence; and embrace crystallized intelligence.
B**H
Clear articulation of changing strengths as we agei
The author makes some very clear points about how our strengths change as we age that resonated with me. He provides clear examples of how successful people can adapt to these changes and by doing so try to promote fulfillment in our second acts. Get a little repetitive on his main points. The second half of the book promises to help identify strategies to achieve this transition but I found it a bit vague and preachy. Still had a good connection with the ideas and enjoyed this read.
M**D
excellent reading, easy to understand
really good book
S**H
Thinking of retirement? Read this book!
A great book for those afraid of retirement. This a must read.
G**.
Good read for the dedicated career person approaching retirement.
Good book but I think it could have delivered its messages in 70 not 200pp but it's a fast read. I recommend it for people highly driven in their careers, approaching retirement. Life improves when you realize you don't have to prove anything to anyone and you're willing to accept losing some skills of youth while gaining some skills of maturity. As an adult, no one really cares that you get up at 6am and your accomplishments don't mean a lot to those who don't benefit from them. This book inventories skills that build over a career of experience that you might not realize or think are important. They are. One of the most challenging aspects of retirement for those who busted their tails all their career is finding the right relevance to themselves in "retirement." Best of luck. You've earned it.
H**K
Highly recommend for those looking at retirement, or near it.
This was a topical book for me to read as I am entering retirement. Gave me perspective on how I can approach the second half of my life.
J**D
Not worth it
Very disappointed. I'd hope to gift this to friends, but it seems to me to be a well-written series of clichés.
K**N
Life perspective
Strength to Strength is a book that gives great insight and persoective on managing the second half of your life. It tells you why you should stop running after that speed train. The combination of some scientific background and real life stories mske for an excellent read.
L**H
Highly Recommended
A great read for people in the later part of their lives as well as those who are just starting out with careers. This book gives a lot of insight about ourselves and others.
M**T
Buen libro, profundo y de fácil lectura
Me regalaron ese libro y me gustó tanto que lo compré para regalarlo.
A**A
Great food for thought 💫
A great book with many interesting aspects, examples. Great food for thought ✨
G**A
Espero las traducciones para regalarlo a muchos amigos
Un libro por demás recomendable. A lo largo de la lectura me sentí en una montaña rusa de emociones pero siento que fortalecí la valentía de aceptar el paso de los años. LLeno de sabiduría, este libro me acompañará el resto de mi vida. Ojalá pronto lo traduzcan al español, hay tantas personas con las que quiero compartir lo que he aprendido aquí.
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1 month ago
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