Finding Success, Happiness, and Deep Purpose in the Second Half of Life
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Finding Success, Happiness, and Deep Purpose in the Second Half of Life

Arthur C. Brooks and Scott Barry Kaufman
The Psychology Podcast, 2022
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9

Qualities

  • Eye Opening
  • Concrete Examples
  • Inspiring

Recommendation

People often view the second half of life as a decline as they reluctantly surrender some abilities. More properly, says Arthur C. Brooks, later life should be a time of swapping skills from the “first curve” of life. He suggests swapping innovating, for example, for synthesizing, teaching and sharing. In The Psychology Podcast hosted by Scott Barry Kaufman, Brooks – drawing from his book From Strength to Strength: Finding Success, Happiness and Deep Purpose in the Second Half of Life – describes his transition from creator to sage. He encourages those who are getting older to abandon the “hedonic treadmill” of seeking success for a transcendent life of loving, giving and worshipping the divine.

Summary

As people age, their skills shift from creating and innovating to synthesizing and teaching.

Successful people find reward in doing challenging things well. This can place them on a “hedonic treadmill” where, as an addict needs the next hit of a drug, they need the next hit of success.

But as people age, they become less adept than they were in their youth and become less satisfied with how they perform. Their strengths shift from “fluid intelligence” — creating value through innovation — to “crystallized intelligence” — synthesizing, instructing and sharing.

Embrace and cultivate this transition to find fulfillment in the “second curve” of life.

To succeed in later life, accept the lessening of your professional skills and let go...

About the Speakers

Arthur C. Brooks is a professor of public leadership and management practice at Harvard University and the former president of the American Enterprise Institute. His books include his newest bestseller, From Strength to Strength: Finding Success, Happiness, and Deep Purpose in the Second Half of Life, as well as Build the Life You Want: The Art and Science of Getting Happier; The Road to Freedom: How to Win the Fight for Free Enterprise, and more.

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