Customer Reviews

And Never Stop Dancing: Thirty More True Things You Need to Know Now

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Why don't people like to see themselves in the mirror? Because they don't like what they see... One true thing. Step parents and step children will both be happier if they let the birth parents be the disciplinarians...another true thing. When long married couples divorce, it's often because while they have grown and changed, they couldn't find a way to stay friends...

So many authors of advice want to push their ideas onto you... to convince you or persuade you that theirs are the real truths. In contrast, Dr Livingston says "based on my many years in psychiatric practice, these are what I think are truths;" then it's up to the reader to consider his thoughtful and gentle advice.

There are thirty 3-5 page chapters, each a little essay and observation. Some you will like, some you will disagree with; but at the end of the book you will probably have found at least one new truth about yourself to take to heart, and in my book that's worth the price of admission.

The reader gets the benefit of the author's years of experience sitting with hundreds and hundreds of patients and his synthesis of their problems, his observations and potential remedies. I found this book to contain a number of insightful observations however it falls short of answering: "ok, so now what does one do?" In many of his lessons, Dr. Livingston digresses in his views on war and politics which seem to be detached side-pockets to the core message he is trying to convey. I found that this book fell short of the author's prior work ("Too Soon Old, Too Late Smart") but nevertheless contains a series of very insightful observations - including my favorites below:

Chap 7
It is better to be spent than saved

I frequently ask patients, "What are you saving yourself for?" People spend a lot of time conserving energy, usually while they wait for some event outside themselves to trigger their taking action...Passivity is the enemy of progress in therapy...I prefer to challenge people to relinquish passivity, stop waiting for answers outside themselves, mobilize their courage and determination, and try to discover what changes will bring them closer to others and to people they want to be.

Chap 17
We all live downstream

Most of the threats to human existence derive from the desire to bend the world to satisfy our need for rapid gratification. This, of course, is the basic philosophy of a consumer society. Look at the message conveyed by the advertising with which we are inundated. Over and over we are presented with images of people who are clearly enjoying life more than we are. They are younger, more attractive, with more friends and apparently an inexhaustible supply of leisure time. And how can we be more like them? By spending money, of course...At some level, all of us are sensible enough to know that what we have and how we look are going to keep us off the pages of People magazine indefinitely. Still, a chronic sense of dissatisfaction pursues us, and it is hard to live in a world in which we imagine that most other people are happier than we are. What this creates is a kind of disposable society that elevates a desire for the "new and improved" version of everything to a level of desirability that can never be satisfied. The state of mind encompasses both greed and envy; they're called deadly sins for a reason. If our relentless pursuit of the latest thing is the engine that drives our consumerist culture, the by-products and side effects are worrisome and include a perceptible decline in the environment in which we must live, and ultimately in the quality of the lives we will lead.

Chap 27
Happiness Requires an ability to tolerate uncertainty

"Those whose are willing to improvise do better than those who imagine they are working from a script. Put another way, if we think of ourselves as (largely) the authors of our own life dramas, we are likely to enjoy the trip more than those who rely on others for instruction.

Chap 30
Most people die with their music still inside them

...we might do well to write one (an obituary) for ourselves, starting in our twenties, and revise it every year or two. What better way to confront who we are, what we're doing, what it all means, and whether we are making any progress toward becoming the people we would like to be remembered as?...what we write about ourselves can be a work of fiction. But the process of selecting how we would wish to be remembered has a way of focusing attention on what we have done, or - more important - failed to do with our lives...the real power of the exercise, however lies in the regret most of us feel (and that is never mentioned in actual obituaries) about our unfulfilled dreams. It turns out that few of us are living the lives we imagined for ourselves when we were young. We are often better off financially than we would have predicted, but it is unusual for someone to report that he is happier than he ever thought he would be. In fact, there is a kind of wistful quality among most people in middle age or older. This frequently takes the form of nostalgia for a simpler life that held more possibilities than the one we are actually living.

I really liked "Too Soon Old, Too Late Smart" but I LOVED "Never Stop Dancing" . . . somehow Gordon Livingston managed to top his first little gem with an even better sequel. It can be summed up as a compassionate discourse on "Life is difficult - - so what?" . . . a real treasure.

I read Dr.Livingston's book Too Soon Old, Too Late Smart and it became my secular bible; I read it and re-read it for comfort and advice. This book is more of the same; just good advice on how to live life in a meaningful way with as much kindness as possible for our fellow human beings. He is pithy and wise and I highly recommend both books.

Gordon Livingston has given the world yet another wonderful book with his latest "And Never Stop Dancing: Thirty More True Things You Need to Know Now". In thirty simple and easy to read and understand essays of "truth" the author unfolds his views of life and wisdom. Each essay is an observational piece from the author's own heart and soul. He makes his points without having to beat the reader over-the-head with his point of view.

I was moved by several of his short pieces in the book but in particular, his story relating to his tour of duty in Vietnam and his efforts with enemy POWS. His courage was not about facing just combat but at dealing with the much larger issues on the conduct of how the military treated prisoners. He made a moral decision that effected his career as an officer. Having faced these same kind of personal issues in Vietnam myself, I know well that there is a huge price to pay when one choses to oppose what is wrong. He showed a lot of class and stayed true to himself and his beliefs. This story shows that the author is not just a "good talker" but also a man who listens to that inner voice within; he walks his talk!

There are many interesting stories that he uses to express his view of life. The result of reading all of them is to feel much richer in spirit - for having learned something new and to realize that there are still some good people out there in the world who are trying to make it a better place.

The book would make a wonderful gift to those people you love in your life. This book has been given the highest book ratings by both The American Authors Association and The Military Writer's Society of America. I also give it my personal recommendation.

The 3 CD, 4 hour, complete and unabridged audiobook And Never Stop Dancing: Thirty More True Things You Need To Know Now is written by Gordon Livingston and narrated by Bruce Barker. A sequel to Gordon Livingston's Too Soon Old, Too Late Smart, this new and expansive collection of living wit and wisdom offers listeners a compilation of thirty innovative, experienced-based fundamental attributes of living a successive and productive life. And Never Stop Dancing supplies an informative and occasional inspiring guidance through such commonly encountered issues as the paradox governing life, forgiveness as a gift to self, marriage as the destroyer of many good relationships, seeing oneself through the eyes of others, fear, growth in aging, and so much more. And Never Stop Dancing is very highly recommended, especially for those who have enjoyed and profited by Livingston's Too Soon Old, Too Late Smart.

Another great book by Dr. Gordon Livingston. You can learn how to move out of the rut and move on with your life. You wouldn't sit in your car racing your engine and spinning your tires if you weren't moving out of the mud hole would you? Of course not, you would find a way to get out and continue on your way. Well do it! Read this book and get that extra push you need.

Much of the information in this book is a repeat (in different words with different chapters) of Too Soon Old, Too Late Smart: Thirty True Things You Need to Know Now ;

With that said, it is an excellent refresher and is just at poignant as the first book Livingston wrote. I have read both. "Too Soon Old" is superior in my opinion, but I found that I enjoyed this one because it offered some additional stories and information and also reminded me of other lessons I learned in the other book.

Not a necessity, but definitely worth the money if you are a fan of Livingston. I would recommend reading Too Soon Old, Too Late Smart: Thirty True Things You Need to Know Now ; first though.

so much good material. so much insight. and yet I could never put the book down without a heart full of loss; never pick it up without incipient dread. the book is powerful, but not empowering. Despite its title, and the good doctor's name, it would appear Dr. Livingston HAS stopped dancing; has, in fact, stopped living, thriving, and deriving passion from his life.

The book is a resource of helpful and timeless wisdom with interspersed wit, beautifully written in easily readable chapters. This the first of Gordon Livingston's I purchased. After reading it in 2 days, I bought 2 more of his books, and they are equally as good. His books you will wan't to re-read several times. I intend to purchase more of his sage writings. Very Highly recommended.