Second Acts--part 1
I've just read a very good book by Bruce Frankel called What Should I Do With the Rest of My Life. Frankel located a handful of people whose life's had second acts that fit his criteria of success. He tells us about these people, covering their earlier lives as well as how they found the path to their second acts, giving a picture of the frustrations and tribulations they dealt with before they turned their lives around. His subjects' lives took new directions at any time from age fifty to ninety--so their stories say that it is never too late for new adventures.
One very interesting aspect of Frankel's book is that he recognizes that making a great deal of money is not the prime criteria for judging a life to be a success. Several of his subjects found acclaim in the arts. One man developed an interest in modern dance in his fifties and is dancing with a professional troupe in his seventies. Another woman went to college and became a grade school teacher whose work with children brought her acclaim from her community in her seventies. Another man wrote all his life and finally got a number of books published in his nineties.
The key factor of Frankel's successful subjects is that they are all expressing their talents and feeling fulfilled after late starts. Some are making money along the way, but not necessarily huge amounts. In fact, the greatest success of his subjects as a group is that they've all reached a level of contentment by attempting something they hadn't risked earlier.
After reading the book, I had a better appreciation for the way that painting and beadwork are my own second act. Odds are I will never earn more money from these activities than the few hundred dollars I made last year selling at holiday craft fairs--actually not enough to cover the cost of the beads I bought in 2009 much less the paints, too--but I've enjoyed compliments on the beauty I've created. Both painting and beadwork have opened doors to meet wonderful new people. In all honesty, I would prefer if this hobby truly paid for itself. Maybe some day it will. But for now I'm content to create and to offer my creations to the public, knowing that my crafts are giving people small, affordable treats while times are tough.
Frankel's subjects have each won recognition in the form of awards or fame, but the world is full of private heroes who have successful second acts without so much public recognition--or only local acclaim.
I would love this blog to explore second acts of ordinary people. I hope some readers of this blog will put their two cents in while I go poking around for more people who have second acts to tell about. I have already convinced one friend and one relative to share their stories--stories easily as meaningful as those of any celebrity.
It shouldn't be too hard to find people who are launching second acts. The current economy--which in fact has been troublesome off and on for at least a decade now--has surely forced many people to re-evaluate their lives, find new directions and follow new paths to the peaks--if only for the view.
One very interesting aspect of Frankel's book is that he recognizes that making a great deal of money is not the prime criteria for judging a life to be a success. Several of his subjects found acclaim in the arts. One man developed an interest in modern dance in his fifties and is dancing with a professional troupe in his seventies. Another woman went to college and became a grade school teacher whose work with children brought her acclaim from her community in her seventies. Another man wrote all his life and finally got a number of books published in his nineties.
The key factor of Frankel's successful subjects is that they are all expressing their talents and feeling fulfilled after late starts. Some are making money along the way, but not necessarily huge amounts. In fact, the greatest success of his subjects as a group is that they've all reached a level of contentment by attempting something they hadn't risked earlier.
After reading the book, I had a better appreciation for the way that painting and beadwork are my own second act. Odds are I will never earn more money from these activities than the few hundred dollars I made last year selling at holiday craft fairs--actually not enough to cover the cost of the beads I bought in 2009 much less the paints, too--but I've enjoyed compliments on the beauty I've created. Both painting and beadwork have opened doors to meet wonderful new people. In all honesty, I would prefer if this hobby truly paid for itself. Maybe some day it will. But for now I'm content to create and to offer my creations to the public, knowing that my crafts are giving people small, affordable treats while times are tough.
Frankel's subjects have each won recognition in the form of awards or fame, but the world is full of private heroes who have successful second acts without so much public recognition--or only local acclaim.
I would love this blog to explore second acts of ordinary people. I hope some readers of this blog will put their two cents in while I go poking around for more people who have second acts to tell about. I have already convinced one friend and one relative to share their stories--stories easily as meaningful as those of any celebrity.
It shouldn't be too hard to find people who are launching second acts. The current economy--which in fact has been troublesome off and on for at least a decade now--has surely forced many people to re-evaluate their lives, find new directions and follow new paths to the peaks--if only for the view.
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