COMING SOON!
The Art of Conscious Aging
The Operating Manual
for an Extraordinary Third Act
“This book is a gift for those of us who hope to embrace our New Third Act in a different, more meaningful way. Wayne provides a step-by-step guide to rethinking our own growth and evolution and embracing our mortality providing the opportunity for this final life stage to be the most fulfilling, richest and exciting period in our long productive lives.“
Jeannine English, Former President AARP
Authentic Happiness, Meaningful Relationships & Self-Actualization
In our society, aging is often viewed negatively, focusing on loss — of youth, of vitality, and of purpose. The Art of Conscious Aging redefines the journey into our later years. It's about aging consciously, embracing the inevitable changes and transforming them into a journey of self-discovery, growth, and fulfillment. It's about making the rest of your life the best of your life.
Book Overview
The Art of Conscious Aging is about waking up from the illusion of immortality by embracing the responsibility of conscious living and committing to an inspired Third Act. It’s dedicated to the revolutionary idea that we can find redemption, value and even resurrection in our later years, no matter what life we have lived so far.
The basic premise is that as we age, we change. As we change, we need to acquire and develop new tools, skills, attitudes and motivation to transform our Third Act into a relevant next step in our personal journey towards authentic happiness, a sense of inner peace, and the spiritually uplifting experience of truly knowing your Self.
The idea behind The Art of Conscious Aging came to me as I began to confront the issues of my own aging. I had lived a relatively healthy life, eaten well, exercised regularly, practiced yoga, and accomplished many of my personal goals. I was the person who, when others heard my age, always said, “you look so much younger.” In fact, I was so healthy that I hadn’t been to the doctor more than once or twice in more than twenty-five years. I’d enjoyed bulletproof health.
Then, sixty-four arrived. Holy Crap! A random age, but it was the one that tipped the scales – when my first physical issues surfaced. It was the first time I began to hear a voice inside reminding me, that I had so many things left to do and accomplish; that I was not going to live forever and that I was mentally, emotionally, and financially unprepared for what was coming.
I found myself flirting with a low-grade depression, I could not identify, and sought professional help. Moreover, my second parent died and my son, daughter-in-law and three granddaughters moved away. At 64 I felt like an abandoned orphan.
I now know it was my first real confrontation with grieving the loss of my youth, facing a world of shrinking possibilities, and the “M word” – Mortality.
Nothing in my life had prepared me to face these feelings. I was fifteen years from eighty — confused, depressed, and overwhelmed by what I felt was the approaching “end.”
I’ve since come to understand ths as a natural Rite of Passage – an Identity Crisis — that each of us must face as we transition from our Second Act to our Third Act.
The Art of Conscious Aging is the Operating Manual for both the changes and adaptations required to successfully navigate the transition into our Third Act. It is the Operating Manual for living, what I believe can be, the richest, most meaningful, and most inspiring period of our lives.
By reading and practicing the principles in The Art of Conscious Aging, I have no doubt that,
“the rest of your life will be the best of your life.”