We’re all growing older, so why not be experts at this thing we’re so fortunate to be able to do! But society more often urges us to fight aging rather than embrace it. We are discouraged from slowing down, implored to keep our wrinkles at bay, and pressured to be “productive” in our retirement.
But as today’s special guest, psychologist Dr. Charles Garfield, asserts in his new book, Our Wisdom Years: Growing Older with Joy, Fulfillment, Resilience and No Regrets, the later years are not defined by success and self-mastery like they are for young adults. Rather, those entering their sixties find that, instead of anxiously asking, “Do I have what it takes to complete?” they find themselves wondering, “Do I have what it takes to lead a fulfilling life.”
As founder of the Shanti Project, an internationally honored volunteer organization dedicated to the care of the dying, Dr. Garfield is very well acquainted with this shift from “success thinking” to “legacy thinking”. In later years, the drive to keep accomplishing is usually less pressing than the desire to nurture loving relationships and to contribute to something that will live on. Dr. Garfield reminds us that we ourselves can be the difference between zero and one, reminding us each of the important role we can each play in the lives of others.
To address this shift in values, Dr. Garfield offers an invaluable roadmap to help those entering later years assess what they truly value, discover latent interests and passions that have been abandoned for more practical pursuits, and invest in the relationships they value most. Drawing on his own experience with aging, along with the accounts of several others, that he has counseled through the years, Dr. Garfield shares a new perspective to later life, and along with it, new visions and discoveries. From asking listeners to embrace a period of radical self-discovery, to discovering and defining their own joy, to forgiving those who have wronged them, including self-forgiveness, and so much more, this is a must-listen power-hour of enlightYOUment that listeners will find thought-provoking and continue to ponder well after the hour has ended.
Dr. Charles Garfield has innumerable honors, accolades and distinguished accomplishments including earning a PhD in clinical psychology from the University of California at Berkeley. He writes for and serves on the editorial board of Greater Good, a national e-magazine from the University of California, Berkeley’s Center for Science and the Greater Good. To connect with him or buy his book, Our Wisdom Years, visit www.CharlesGarfield.com or to learn more about his Shanti Project, visit www.Shanti.org.
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