Second Acts That Change Lives: Making a Difference in the World [Paperback]

Mary Beth Sammons (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 2009

Are you realizing that the first half of your life is over and you've been so busy concentrating on building a career or raising a family, or both, it has suddenly dawned on you that you may have lost yourself in the process and that the dreams you had when you were younger were set aside for more immediate concerns? Or are you frustrated that you have not had the time to truly give back? Mary Beth Sammons offers readers a chance to change all that in Second Acts That Change Lives. The book offers a collection of honest and inspiring stories delving into the lives of a community of mid-life trailblazers who wanted to make changes in their lives and found that as they reached inward for the strength to change, almost unanimously reached out to share their better self, their skills, their talents to make the world a better place. Second Acts That Change Lives is a wake-up call, an intervention of sorts to help prod readers to pursue their dreams--to turn the "someday I'd love to" into "today I will" and, by doing so, make a profound difference in the world.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Second Acts that Change Lives offers wisdom about how to find new meaning later in life. As practical as it is fun." --Marci Shimoff, New York Times bestselling author of Happy for No Reason

"As Sammon's own story and that of so many others reveal, we all have it within us to pull off a meaningful second act in our lives. This book is a wonderful wake up call to each of us to stop, take our pulse and make a course correction that can and will result in a richness we rarely get to feel while climbing uphill, head down in act one." --Lee Woodruff, author "Perfectly Imperfect-A Life in Progress"

"A manual…to help readers dream, stay focused, and make the changes they want to see in the world. Recommended."  --Library Journal

About the Author

Mary Beth Sammons is an award-winning journalist and women's issues columnist whose work appears frequently in Family Circle, the Chicago Tribune's lifestyle section, and leading consumer women's magazines. She is currently the "Finding You" editor for www.BettyConfidential.com and writes for various health and business publications. As an editorial vice-president, Mary Beth launched the editorial departments of the largest consumer health on-line Web site--RevolutionHealth.com and its subsidiary, CarePages.com, for which she writes separate blogs. In addition, she is currently working with the Stanford Research Institute as editorial director of a storytelling project focused on consumer health and wellness. Mary Beth specializes in stories that inspire ordinary people to do extraordinary things from a place deep in their hearts. She has written six books in the women's self-help and mind/body/health field including, We Carry Each Other: Getting Through Life's Toughest Times (Conari Press, 2007). She lives in Chicago's suburbs with her three children.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 176 pages
• Publisher: Conari Press (March 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 157324368X
• ISBN-13: 978-1573243681
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,635,837 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Inspiring and Butt-Kicking, April 12, 2009

By 

Michele T. Woodward (Arlington, VA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Second Acts That Change Lives: Making a Difference in the World (Paperback)

How do you go about changing your life at mid-life? Is it even possible? How can a lawyer be anything but a lawyer? Or a doctor do anything other than practice medicine? In this useful and inspirational book, Mary Beth Sammons shows us how. She tells the stories of people who have successfully re-invented their lives in middle age and gives tips/questions so the rest of us can follow suit. Her writing is sharp, insightful and funny, and the book is a must-read for anyone looking to make a shift to meaning in their life.