The Spirit of Retirement: Creating a Life of Meaning and Personal Growth [Paperback]

James A Autry (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 24, 2008

Your retirement years should be the best of your life. Free from the burden of making a living, you have in front of you an opportunity for personal development and a time for spiritual growth. These are your years; it is up to you to embrace them and ensure that you enjoy an enriching journey. The Spirit of Retirement is your guiding light to creating and sustaining the post-work life you have always envisioned. Bestselling author and retired Fortune 500 executive James A. Autry illuminates a fulfilling path of meaningful endeavors, healthful reflections, and positive outlooks that will help make these years your most treasured. This engaging book highlights many important aspects of your new life, such as . preparing for the transition; . determining who you want to be for the rest of your life and how to get there; . reconnecting with those you love, appreciating your roots, and reinvigorating friendships; . allowing time to develop your inner self. Inside are moving anecdotes from people whose retirement years are filled with beauty, deep meaning, and purpose. Their stories illustrate the good life and special time that retirement should be and what it can be for you when you follow the guidance and apply the principles presented in this book.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

For some people, the word "retirement" evokes images of farewell parties, vacations, golf games and, at long last, real progress on oft-postponed household projects. But according to Autry (Love and Profit), who once served as the president of a large corporation and is now a public speaker and consultant, the intial euphoria soon wears off, leaving the retiree with a hard realization: "For the first time in my life I don't have a job." In this compact, inspiring book, Autry insists that retirement is actually an opportunity for people to "stop doing and concentrate on being." To that end, he shares stories about retirees who made successful transitions to retirement and juxtaposes these anecdotes with questions and exercises for readers. Retirement is a time for changing one's approach to life, reinvigorating friendships, serving the community, finding nature and expressing one's inner creativity, explains the author, and his book-alternately pragmatic and spiritual-should serve disillusioned retirees well.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Library Journal

Koenig explores the spiritual and developmental aspects of retirement from a Christian perspective, noting that people underestimate how difficult it is to switch from the working world to "the land of no boss." A solid plan for retirement, will provide happiness and a seamless transition from one's career. Far from being the end of one's life, retirement should instead be seen cheerfully as that "last one-third of life that no longer has the restrictions of the first two-thirds." Autry, a former Fortune 500 executive, champions the notion that living healthily, volunteering, and growing spiritually in retirement "can become a liberating path toward a life of opportunity and personal and spiritual growth." An overarching focus on connecting with the people who love and need you, with nature, and with your inner self permeates his book. Offering heart and authoritative how-to advice, Autry's book is recommended for public libraries.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: Smyth & Helwys Publishing, Inc (June 24, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1573125091
• ISBN-13: 978-1573125093
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.2 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,593,362 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great pre-retirement or post-retirement reading!, December 5, 2007

By 

Jim Crane "River Rat" (Elk Grove, California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Spirit of Retirement: Creating a Life of Meaning and Personal Growth (Hardcover)

Whether you are nearing retirement or recently retired, this is a great book if you are wondering about how to spend your retirement years. The book includes some wonderful James A. Autry poems and is very consistent with his other works such as "Love and Profit, the Art of Caring Leadership" which I also recommend. As the title suggests, this book really is about the "spirit" of retirement and really is focused on the psychological challenges of retirement rather than the financial issues.