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16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Mark Goldstein, March 3, 2009
Although there is a current flood of books related to the topic of life's purpose, with new ones appearing every day, I believe that Dr. Dychtwald has managed to find a unique niche. He has astutely avoided many of the tenets that cause fashionable readers to shy away from considering life's greater meaning and the purpose that lies beyond our aging process.
"With Purpose" is a refreshing new approach to an age old dilemma; is there a mission to our later years; and if there is, how might we derive revitalization during the years that typically divert to decline. Written from an autobiographical, as well as philosophical perspective, "With Purpose" provides a combination of method and theory, as the author has been able to draw from both personal experience and his training as a gerontologist and psychologist.
In the same discerning style of Dr. Dychtwald's previous books, "With Purpose" has captivated the defining questions of the aging adult in contemporary society as they navigate the journey from a significant mid-life into meaningful maturity. Recognizing that significance is an attribute which needs to be decided from within, so too is our sense of purpose. Unlike many other authors of this genre, Dychtwald does not take it upon himself to provide "the purpose" for his reader, but rather has the etiquette to merely light the pathway to self-discovery.
It is not that "With Purpose" avoids the connection of spirituality; it rather allows it to prevail without accosting the reader with endless persuasion and personal bias. The reader is urged to recognize the need for later life examination; then given the tools and motivation while being allowed the luxury to construct their own vision towards purposeful aging.
"With Purpose" is a must read for those of us who have acknowledged our own inner questioning of what's next. It is all the more commendable for arriving on the shelves at precisely the time and conditions that it speaks to; boomers on the threshold of senior citizenship in a world gone amuck. Could it be that a generation entering adulthood while questioning authority must now face their golden years while defining a new mission and designing their own sense of purpose?
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15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Tolerable advice, May 24, 2009
With Purpose: Going from Success to Significance in Work and Life
An admission: I start with a prejudice against almost any personal advice book. Thus I typically do not read them. Once in awhile I make an exception when the topic seems compellingly important, such as sorting out one's purpose in life.
With Purpose shares many characteristics that bother me in personal fulfillment books. The advice is mostly commonplace, little one has not heard before -- here the authors recommend that older adults can find it rewarding to "give back" to society by volunteering for non-profits, mentoring, giving to charity, becoming activists for causes they believe in, and so on. The supporting analytics are light: Dychtwald and Kadlec include a few references to the broader research on happiness, invoke Maslow's hierarchy of needs, and cite some well-known demographic trends, for example. The style is formulaic, with numerous feel-good stories about people who found their way, in this case toward meaningful activity later in life. The material is broken down into brief sub-topics, at least occasionally headed with unintentionally annoying imperative titles ("Let Your Inner Butterfly Loose"). There are the seemingly obligatory quotations from cherished authorities, references to celebrity friends, and endorsements from other notable advice givers.
Nevertheless, Dychtwald (the gerontologist) and Kadlec (the journalist) make a complementary pairing and they have done better than most in putting together an advice book that many may find readable and useful. Their subject is sufficiently meaningful and the stylistic afflictions are sufficiently contained that reading With Purpose is a tolerable experience (which, in any event, does not take very long). Most of the components of the text -- the biographical vignettes, the few straightforward self-assessment quizzes, and the simple graphs of survey findings -- support the authors' stated purpose.
Dychtwald and Kadlec seek to help those who wish to move from "success to significance" in lifetime accomplishments (with the unfortunate implication that "success" can be achieved without having done much of any social significance). The assumption is that aging folks will be particularly interested, since as we age we are more likely to be concerned with leaving a legacy, with achieving a sense that we have made a social contribution that will endure. The authors contend that there are many older people with skills and time who are looking to help others but don't know how to get started. Rightfully, I think, they suggest that even small steps will do, that one does not have to be rich, famous, or influential to give back; anyone can contribute something.
For those who think they may need a purposefulness boost, old or young, this book can possibly be helpful as a source of concrete ideas and as a motivator. The three-star rating I have assigned to it balances my stated prejudice (a general distaste for the advice literature) against my sense that this particular offering may indeed be of some value.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Powerful Insight, March 3, 2009
Dr. Ken Dychtwald has written more then a book but provided a meaningful and powerful insight that has a message for everyone given the current state of the world. Too often we lose track of what's really important in our lives. We have so much and give back so little. What is a life with purpose all about? It certainly transcends the toys and material wealth that success brings. This book with this so timely a message, engages us to rethink our lives.
With Purpose touches our soul and speaks to our authentic self. Ken captures this insight in way that enables the reader to go with the author on a journey of discovery to find and express their purpose. His excellent book challenges us to review our lives, regardless of the stage of life we are in and consider new innovative ways we can each live with more purpose through reaching out beyond our limited boxes.
In this turbulent times, With Purpose has truth to it that will touch everyone that reads it. I suggest everyone read it and send it to a friend.
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