from old strengths to new strengths

There comes a time for us all when working harder doesn’t work. When working harder no longer produces the thrill it once did, nor the results. Arthur C. Brooks discusses this inevitable juncture in his book From Strength to Strength: Finding Success, Happiness, and Deep Purpose in the Second Half of Life. His research shows that the strategies that lead to career success in the first half of life do not work for the second half of life. This is because we use different types of intelligence in each half of life: fluid intelligence (raw knowledge) in the first, and crystallized intelligence (wisdom) in the second. And also because over time the external markers of success (money, power, prestige) never satisfy us for very long and it takes more and more effort to attain (or maintain) them. If we refuse to adapt and make the necessary changes in our lives when the time comes, unhappiness is sure to follow.

This is true not only in the context of careers but it is also true of our bodies. We can treat our bodies like a mound of clay to be pushed, pounded, and molded for decades…until we can’t.

Brooks insists that when we make the shifts that the second half of life requires—away from extrinsic approval and toward intrinsic values, we can find even more happiness than in the first.

This rings true. In my classes, I’ve seen many people completely change the way they treat their bodies. They move away from giving commands and into asking questions. Away from rushing to produce immediate results to relishing an open-ended process. The result is a calmer person with less pain. It’s so satisfying to witness this transformation!

What attitudes toward your body do you want to move away from? What do you want to move toward instead?