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From Strength to Strength
From Strength to Strength: Finding Success, Happiness, and Deep Purpose in the Second Half of Life | Arthur C. Brooks
2 posts | 2 read | 4 to read
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.
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review
ImperfectCJ
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Mehso-so

I picked up this book after hearing the author on Peter Attia's The Drive podcast. I was intrigued by his ideas and hoped that in the book he might delve more into a common midlife transition for women, that of shifting priorities or starting a new career as the demands of childrearing diminish/all but disappear as kids become adults. In the end, the book doesn't contain much more than the podcast. ⬇️

ImperfectCJ It's all about people (mostly men) who have devoted their lives to "success" as defined by society and now have to face the reality that their natural senescence in middle age makes it more challenging to win at that game. He doesn't address those of us who have set aside external validation for the fulfillment of raising children only to find ourselves in middle age with a huge resume gap and having had little opportunity to flex our intellect.⬇️ 2y
ImperfectCJ The author also makes assumptions based on his personal experience (a trap fallen into by many a social scientist), like that women naturally make lots of friends and men need special help connecting. His main suggestion for finding and deepening friendships: do woodworking with a group of men. Women's experience is pretty much dismissed. Actual quote: "...and for women who need to rebuild relationships, perhaps it's something else entirely."⬇️ 2y
ImperfectCJ I would like to read a book by his wife about her experience raising three kids while her husband was working 60+ hours a week while earning three college degrees and then writing a book about midlife transitions. I suspect I would relate to her midlife transition more. 2y
See All 10 Comments
The_Book_Ninja Was it written in the 90s?🙄 2y
ImperfectCJ @The_Book_Ninja I wish. I think the main trouble the book has is that it focuses on such a narrowly defined kind of mega-success, which even in 2023 means it's mostly about men just because of the CEO imbalance we still have. Or maybe the author just knows more men so asked more men about their experiences for the book. 2y
The_Book_Ninja We need more books about men CEOs🤔 2y
ImperfectCJ @The_Book_Ninja And how challenging it is to be a man CEO. 2y
Clare-Dragonfly Wow 🙄🙄🙄 2y
SamAnne 😬 😳 😡 🙄 2y
43 likes10 comments
review
NovelNancyM
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Pickpick

I almost wish I had read this book 10 years ago (but it wasn't written until this year!). Social Scientist Arthur Brooks provides research backed ideas for how to navigate transitions in life especially in the second half of life. No surprise - what matters over everything else is love and relationships. Priorities shift as we age and this book is an excellent guide. It's one I intend to re-read and recommend to many.