Escape Adulthood: 8 Secrets from Childhood for the Stressed-Out Grown-Up [Paperback]

Jason W. Kotecki (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 2005

Being Grown-Up Isn’t All It Was Cracked Up To Be.

Do you ever have the urge to resign from being an adult? Are you burned out by the stresses that come with being grown-up and wish you could be six again – far, far away from the mountains of paperwork and mortgage payments, credit card debt and computer crashes? Unfortunately, no matter how hard you try, you’re never going to be six again. But relief is within your grasp, because the secrets of childhood are timeless, and they’re available to you right now, no matter how "grown-up" you may be.

In this humorous and inspiring book, cartoonist Jason Kotecki invites you to escape adulthood. He uncovers some of the values that come so easily to children, the ones many of us outgrew as we grew up. Filled with funny anecdotes, real-world examples, and practical advice, this book will help you to:

• Break free from the stresses of the fast-paced rat race to find true, abundant happiness.
• Accomplish things in your life that you once though impossible.
• Discover new opportunities to create financial success for yourself and others.
• Become more energized and productive at home and at work.
• Improve your health and decrease your chances of heart disease and cancer.
• Become more respected and admired by your friends, colleagues, the people you lead – even your enemies!
• Gain peace of mind about the things that worry you most.
• Create a family dynamic that is more fun, loving, and supportive.

Author Jason Kotecki is the creator of Kim & Jason, the internationally known comic strip about childhood. He has presented to audiences of all ages on the topics of living your dreams, strengthening your faith and renewing your childhood spirit. His humorous insights will leave you encouraged, entertained, and inspired.

You may not be able to be six again, but with this book you will begin to rediscover your childlike spirit, resulting in a more happy and fulfilled life while increasing your chances of changing the world.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Author Jason Kotecki is an engaging speaker and the creator of Kim & Jason, the internationally known comic strip about childhood. His humorous insights will leave you encouraged, entertained, and inspired.

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: JBiRD INK, Ltd. (August 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0971525331
• ISBN-13: 978-0971525337
• Product Dimensions: 7.4 x 5.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #802,427 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Jason Kotecki, known as "The Champion of Childhood," is an entertaining speaker, engaging author, and creator of the internationally known comic strip, Kim & Jason. Jason and his wife Kim (a former kindergarten teacher) make it their mission in life to fight Adultitis and help people use strategies from childhood to design lives with less stress and more fun.

Before it was a comic strip, Kim & Jason started out as a simple love story. Jason first drew his lovable characters for his girlfriend Kim sometime before the turn of the century. They shared a kindred childlike spirit, and Jason used the drawings, which represented us as children, on many homemade (aka cheap) gifts designed to win Kim's heart.

Luckily for him, this downright sappy ploy helped him to not only win her heart, but also her hand in marriage. The characters took on lives of their own and in 2000, they decided to build a company to share the the comic strip and its inspiring message. It has been a wild ride ever since.

Learn more at KimandJason.com

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Who Wouldn't Want to Escape Adulthood?, April 2, 2006

By 

Jennifer Robinson "Editor of Jen Robinson's B... (San Jose, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Escape Adulthood: 8 Secrets from Childhood for the Stressed-Out Grown-Up (Paperback)

You know how sometimes you get to the end of a book, and you close it, and you just want to immediately go back to the beginning and start reading it again? That happened to me this week with the book Escape Adulthood, by Jason Kotecki. I think that it will really resonate with visitors to this site, especially those of you who are here mainly because you think that children's books are cool.

Escape Adulthood is a book about conquering "Adultitis". It's about recapturing that childlike excitement and optimism that all of us used to have. The book consists of 8 primary chapters, each discussing a "secret from childhood for stressed out grown-ups." Like "delight in the little things" and "play "and "maintain perspective". Each chapter ends with 11 concrete tips for getting started. For example:

From Chapter 3 (Get Curious) we have tip number 8: "Make it a personal mission to learn something new every day. Read lots of books. It is well known that leaders are readers. That's why mansions always have libraries in them."

From Chapter 4 (Live Passionately): "Even if it's just an hour a week, or 15 minutes each day, do whatever you can to try to carve out some extra time for yourself and your favorite hobby."

From Chapter 5 (Play): "Next time you go out to eat, order dessert first."

Some of the tips are more original than this, and not all of them will be relevant for every reader, but I'll bet that everyone could benefit from following a few of Jason's suggestions. Even if you don't intend to actually follow the suggestions (you're quite happy with your own level of maturity, thank you very much) the book is still fun to read. I laughed out loud many times while reading it. It's also a short, quick read. You could easily squeeze in a chapter every night before bed. And there are comic strips sprinkled throughout (Jason is a cartoonist, with a strip called Kim and Jason).

I do have one small caveat about my recommendation of this book. Throughout this book, Jason makes regular references to God and faith and the Bible. I didn't find it overwhelming or preachy, but if you are someone who will be bothered by this, then this isn't the book for you. Stop here, and go read Philip Pullman's The Golden Compass or Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince instead.

But if you think that you might be suffering from adultitis, or if you just want a book that advises you to play more, then Escape Adulthood is just the book for you.

A slightly longer version of this review was originally published on my blog, Jen Robinson's Book Page, on February 3, 2006.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What a fun book!!, October 14, 2005

By 

M. Updike - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Escape Adulthood: 8 Secrets from Childhood for the Stressed-Out Grown-Up (Paperback)

I've been a subscriber to Kim and Jason for years, so how could I resist reading the book? I was not disappointed in the least. The humor and down to earthness I love from the comic strip was all right there in the book. If you love childhood you won't be disappointed. And if you don't you should buy this book to find out how to love childhood again!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Remember the Childlike, October 18, 2005

By 

Joni (Madison, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Escape Adulthood: 8 Secrets from Childhood for the Stressed-Out Grown-Up (Paperback)

Jason's writing style is smart and insightful, as well as humorous. He reminds us that we can retrieve our childlike qualities from the cobwebs of our brains and tells how to use those to have a more fun and meaningful life. I enoyed his references and quotes, but especially his childhood anecdotes...they conjure up my own childhood memories.