Who Do You Want to Be When You Grow Old?
The Path of Purposeful Aging
-
- £8.99
Publisher Description
Grow old on purpose. This book invites readers to navigate a purposeful path from adulthood to elderhood with choice, curiosity, and courage.
Everyone is getting old; not everyone is growing old. But the path of purposeful aging is accessible to all—and it's fundamental to health, happiness, and longevity.
With a focus on growing whole through developing a sense of purpose in later life, Who Do You Want to Be When You Grow Old? celebrates the experience of aging with inspiring stories, real-world practices, and provocative questions. Framed by a long conversation between two old friends, the book reconceives aging as a liberating experience that enables us to become more authentically the person we always meant to be with each passing year.
In their bestseller Repacking Your Bags, Richard J. Leider and David A. Shapiro defined the good life as “living in the place you belong, with people you love, doing the right work, on purpose.” This book builds on that definition to offer a purposeful path for living well while aging well.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In this valuable guide, executive coach Leider (Repacking Your Bags) and philosopher Shapiro lay out a plan for finding satisfaction for those entering their later years. "Taking the path of purposeful aging," they write, requires "growing into elderhood, expressing more of our true selves in all that we do," and waking up every day with the intention to grow and give. Each chapter centers on a common question about aging, such as what's the purpose of living, if everyone is going to die? (The authors believe death gives life its meaning: "Growing old is not a bug in life's program; it is a feature.") Also pondered are "Will I Earn a Passing Grade in Life?" and "How Do I Stop Living a Default Life?" The authors then provide questions readers should ask themselves to inspire further emotional growth—such as what was the finest chapter of one's life and why? What legacy does one want to leave? And what are one's core values? The authors' gentle tone and many helpful suggestions will make readers feel as if they are listening to a close friend. For aging readers inclined to live an examined life, this will provide much food for thought.
