May ‘24 BOTS: From Strength to Strength
May’s Book on the Shelf
Title: From Strength to Strength - Finding Success, Happiness, and Deep Purpose in the Second Half of Life
Author(s): Brian P. Moran and Michael Lennington
Dimensions of Well-being: Emotional, Occupational
It should be apparent to most by now that purpose and fulfillment are a focus for me. My clients find that the typical successes of life (money and materials, titles and prestige) aren’t filling the gap between where they are, and their ultimate goal of a meaningful life. And while there are similarities to what we all need to find fulfillment (connection with others, serving something beyond ourselves, satisfaction through struggle), there are also many differences in how we approach finding these.
One major difference is the stage of our journey. As Brooks points out in this book “From Strength to Strength”, many of us start our lives and careers in a state of creation and innovation (fluid intelligence). As we mature, we find this state slipping away from us, as our understanding of the world becomes more solidified (crystallized intelligence).
But while many people (including my later-stage clients) see this as a hindrance, we must instead look at this inevitable change as an opportunity. An opportunity to pass along the lessons and knowledge we’ve gained, and use it to help newer players in the game of life to learn from our experiences.
As Brooks suggests, much of my work with clients who are in the final quarter of their career centers on helping them realize the potential of what their years of expertise now affords them. A chance to use their time, talent, and treasure to give back to the world in meaningful ways. To stand on the foundation of their successful journey thus far, and build upon it something more substantial…a life of meaning.
Take-aways: How we view and thus impact, the world is based heavily on where we are in our stage of life. As we go from a younger, more innovative mindset to a more experienced one, we find ourselves faced with the choice. To curse our new “limitations”, or embrace this inevitable change, and find satisfaction and significance through a new meaning of service.
You'll LOVE this book if: You are preparing to enter your 3rd or 4th quarter of your “career” phase, and are beginning to wonder what life might look like in the next chapter.
DON'T read if: You are very young, and/or you are still learning your trade, craft, or direction.
Reasons I love this book: For some reason, clients that are later in their journey than I find that my work resonates with them. Likely, it is because I tend to focus on concerns deeper than the typical “up-and-coming” business person. Concepts like “purpose”, “meaning”, and “satisfcation” regularly find their way into my coaching sessions. For those who’ve been climbing the corporate ladder for years, they’re starting to come to the (sometimes horrid) realization that what they’ve been told or thought for the last several decades….get the job, buy the house, work the hours, collect the paycheck, buy the boat….isn’t leading them to the meaningful life they thought.
To add to the concern, the ways they used to approach their work, through creative insights, nose-to-the-grindstone tenacity, and a strive-to-conquer mentality, just aren’t intriguing anymore. They’re in desperate need for a new paradigm, but they may not even realize it.
What I love about “From Strength to Strength” from Arthur Brooks is how clearly he brings to light the physiological, psychological, and cultural changes that come about as we enter our 3rd and 4th stages of life. Brooks discusses the unique shift that occurs in the way our mind works, how we contribute to work, and the focus of our efforts in life (from learning a craft, to building a home, to giving back, to “going off into the woods”).
The transition into later life is inevitable, as surely as finding the end to our path is one day. But instead of fighting this change recklessly, we can learn to embrace what the future has in store for us, and use it to build a life that has value, for ourselves, and for others.
Find the book here on Amazon.
Ready for more?
If you’re entering the next stage of your life, and you’re ready to build towards fulfillment and meaning, Let’s Chat! - Coach Woody
