What do you think?
Rate this book
Your Life Calling: Reimagining the Rest of Your Life
Jane Pauley, “America’s baby boomer” (Tom Brokaw), offers an inspirational guidebook “chockablock with keen insights for career transitions…Compelling” ( USA TODAY ).
In 2014, every baby boomer will have reached the milestone age of fifty. For most, it’s not an end, but the beginning of something new. Research has shown that people in their fifties are more vital now than they were only ten years ago. They’re saying, “I’m game, I’m up for it, I want to do more.” Jane Pauley, one of America’s most beloved and trusted broadcast journalists, offers humor and insight about the journey forward. The New York Times bestseller Your Life Calling is a fresh look at ideas that have been simmering since boomers first entered midlife with a different perspective on the future than any generation that there was more to come—and perhaps the best of all.
Jane is not an advice giver but a storyteller. Here she tells her own and introduces readers to the fascinating people she has featured on her award-winning Today show segment, “Life Reimagined Today.” You’ll meet Betsy McCarthy, who traded in her executive briefcase for knitting needles; Gid Pool, who launched a career as a stand-up comic; Richard Rittmaster, who joined the National Guard Chaplain Corps; Trudy Lundgren, who took her home on the road in an RV; Paulie Gee, who opened a successful pizzeria in Brooklyn; and many more.
“Jane Pauley is a wonderful guide to all the different ways you can open new doors in life, many of which lead to unexpected places. She shows with humor and insight why the journey to reinvention can come from all kinds of places and produce all kinds of joys” (Michael J. Fox). Your Life Calling is delightful, compelling, and motivating for anyone asking “What am I going to do with my supersized life?”
In 2014, every baby boomer will have reached the milestone age of fifty. For most, it’s not an end, but the beginning of something new. Research has shown that people in their fifties are more vital now than they were only ten years ago. They’re saying, “I’m game, I’m up for it, I want to do more.” Jane Pauley, one of America’s most beloved and trusted broadcast journalists, offers humor and insight about the journey forward. The New York Times bestseller Your Life Calling is a fresh look at ideas that have been simmering since boomers first entered midlife with a different perspective on the future than any generation that there was more to come—and perhaps the best of all.
Jane is not an advice giver but a storyteller. Here she tells her own and introduces readers to the fascinating people she has featured on her award-winning Today show segment, “Life Reimagined Today.” You’ll meet Betsy McCarthy, who traded in her executive briefcase for knitting needles; Gid Pool, who launched a career as a stand-up comic; Richard Rittmaster, who joined the National Guard Chaplain Corps; Trudy Lundgren, who took her home on the road in an RV; Paulie Gee, who opened a successful pizzeria in Brooklyn; and many more.
“Jane Pauley is a wonderful guide to all the different ways you can open new doors in life, many of which lead to unexpected places. She shows with humor and insight why the journey to reinvention can come from all kinds of places and produce all kinds of joys” (Michael J. Fox). Your Life Calling is delightful, compelling, and motivating for anyone asking “What am I going to do with my supersized life?”
271 pages, Paperback
First published January 7, 2014
45 people are currently reading
750 people want to read
About the author
Jane Pauley
6 books6 followersMargaret Jane Pauley is an American television journalist, and has been involved in news reporting since 1975. She is most known for her 13 year tenure on NBC's Today program and later 12 years of Dateline NBC, and has acknowledged publicly her struggle with mental health and bipolar disorder.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 147 reviews
March 1, 2014
The best parts of the book are where Jane Pauley writes about herself. I did not know she was bipolar. She also talks about herself and some of her insecurities.
The book is highly anecdotal. I felt the book should have been divided into two sections with one section about people pursuing new interests and another about people pursuing new careers.
Many of the people in this book I would say are in retirement-they don't have to worry about money. I think that is a common form of reinvention-people in retirement who no longer have to worry about money so they can pursue what they are interested in rather than make money. Benjamin Franklin and Bill Gates might be examples of this type of reinvention.
However, I think this book will be a disappointment to many people who are fifty plus (like myself) who are looking for a change but still need to work. Many of the women in this book did not need to work for money. This is in a contrast to me and many end of the baby boom women who now have major breadwinning responsibilities which their mothers did not have.
Many people both men and women are expecting to need to work until their seventies for money. Most people I know if their fifties if they are lucky enough to be working are feeling the golden handcuff. Their jobs have grown old but they still have major responsibilities and need to work. Many are starting the major expense of sending their kids to college. They have reached a stage in their careers where it is hard to make a change without getting a cut in income and they need the money. In addition, the recession is making it hard for people to change jobs.
Most people I know over 50 want to reinvent themselves. However, many of them lack the means to make this transformation. I think one aspect of the mid-life "transition" that many people face is that they get bored with their adult life and want to do something new. People get a been-there-done-that feeling. They want to rekindle a certain feeling of growth and expectation that they had when they were younger. However, they have more responsibilities then they had when they were younger so it makes harder to do certain things that they would like to do.
Today’s economy makes it tough for people to change in their middle years in terms of jobs. Sometimes boredom with work can be alleviated by new hobbies or interests but this can be hard with family responsibilities and long working hours.
I think a book would be nice that dealt with mid-life transformation in a world where many people are probably feeling stuck in a life situation that they would like to change.
The book is highly anecdotal. I felt the book should have been divided into two sections with one section about people pursuing new interests and another about people pursuing new careers.
Many of the people in this book I would say are in retirement-they don't have to worry about money. I think that is a common form of reinvention-people in retirement who no longer have to worry about money so they can pursue what they are interested in rather than make money. Benjamin Franklin and Bill Gates might be examples of this type of reinvention.
However, I think this book will be a disappointment to many people who are fifty plus (like myself) who are looking for a change but still need to work. Many of the women in this book did not need to work for money. This is in a contrast to me and many end of the baby boom women who now have major breadwinning responsibilities which their mothers did not have.
Many people both men and women are expecting to need to work until their seventies for money. Most people I know if their fifties if they are lucky enough to be working are feeling the golden handcuff. Their jobs have grown old but they still have major responsibilities and need to work. Many are starting the major expense of sending their kids to college. They have reached a stage in their careers where it is hard to make a change without getting a cut in income and they need the money. In addition, the recession is making it hard for people to change jobs.
Most people I know over 50 want to reinvent themselves. However, many of them lack the means to make this transformation. I think one aspect of the mid-life "transition" that many people face is that they get bored with their adult life and want to do something new. People get a been-there-done-that feeling. They want to rekindle a certain feeling of growth and expectation that they had when they were younger. However, they have more responsibilities then they had when they were younger so it makes harder to do certain things that they would like to do.
Today’s economy makes it tough for people to change in their middle years in terms of jobs. Sometimes boredom with work can be alleviated by new hobbies or interests but this can be hard with family responsibilities and long working hours.
I think a book would be nice that dealt with mid-life transformation in a world where many people are probably feeling stuck in a life situation that they would like to change.
July 16, 2014
The objective of this book, according to the author, is "to inspire people through storytelling to imagine their own future in powerful and positive ways." Pauley weaves her story into the telling of those anecdotes, so there's a nice rhythm. She's relentlessly cheerful and self-effacing, and uses her broadcaster cadence in telling each story. The result is a kind of tonal flatness, no real highs or lows. Yet there is still enough in this book for me to feel it was worth reading.
Here are some takeaways:
*instead of empty nest syndrome, one reinventor saw the newly available time as "a gift box that I could fill somehow." That was a refreshingly take.
*the idea of "packing for your future." What might you take with you into very old age, that you can look back upon and think, "I'm glad I did that. I'm at peace because I did that." Also, to be willing to happily give up on some things, like running a marathon or learning a foreign language.
*the idea that "self-discovery is not a prerequisite for reinvention. It's the payoff."
The only knock on this book is broader than one book or Jane Pauley herself: it's a lack of candor about the fact that only a certain economic group can indulge in unpaid dream-chasing. A good number of older people will never have that luxury, and I think we should acknowledge that. Now, if somebody would come along and write a book about "How I Reinvented Myself While Enduring Chronic Illness and Simultaneously Working Three Minimum Wage Jobs," that would be noteworthy.
Here are some takeaways:
*instead of empty nest syndrome, one reinventor saw the newly available time as "a gift box that I could fill somehow." That was a refreshingly take.
*the idea of "packing for your future." What might you take with you into very old age, that you can look back upon and think, "I'm glad I did that. I'm at peace because I did that." Also, to be willing to happily give up on some things, like running a marathon or learning a foreign language.
*the idea that "self-discovery is not a prerequisite for reinvention. It's the payoff."
The only knock on this book is broader than one book or Jane Pauley herself: it's a lack of candor about the fact that only a certain economic group can indulge in unpaid dream-chasing. A good number of older people will never have that luxury, and I think we should acknowledge that. Now, if somebody would come along and write a book about "How I Reinvented Myself While Enduring Chronic Illness and Simultaneously Working Three Minimum Wage Jobs," that would be noteworthy.
July 20, 2014
Don't read this book looking for advice on how to reinvent yourself in middle age. This is not that type of book. The only guidance given was to "connect the dots" from your past experiences in life to look for what has had meaning and passion for you. And, to not be afraid to try something new...fear of failure can be paralyzing.
I did enjoy reading about Jane Pauley's life and the vignettes of the people she interviewed who did reinvent themselves at a later point in life - the dancer who became an accupuncturist, the couple who left the US to open a cooking school in Tuscany, the woman who decided to become a chocolatier. And, some stories were truly inspirational - the woman who established the Half the Sky Foundation which began with an adoption of an infant girl in China and the man who was selling a drilling rig in Maryland and then went on to travel to Ghana and drill over a thousand wells at his own expense! These individuals were blessed to have found their passion and opportunity to make a difference and leave their mark on the world ~ making it a better place for others.
I did enjoy reading about Jane Pauley's life and the vignettes of the people she interviewed who did reinvent themselves at a later point in life - the dancer who became an accupuncturist, the couple who left the US to open a cooking school in Tuscany, the woman who decided to become a chocolatier. And, some stories were truly inspirational - the woman who established the Half the Sky Foundation which began with an adoption of an infant girl in China and the man who was selling a drilling rig in Maryland and then went on to travel to Ghana and drill over a thousand wells at his own expense! These individuals were blessed to have found their passion and opportunity to make a difference and leave their mark on the world ~ making it a better place for others.
March 2, 2014
Disclaimer: I received this book from a Goodreads giveaway.
I have to say I was a little disappointed with this book. Based on the title, and brief synopsis, I thought I would like this book. I didn’t even realize who the author was before I added this book to my reading list. I think if it was an unknown author, the reviews would probably be worse.
I am definitely the target reader for this book as I am approaching 50, but it really didn’t inspire me the way I thought it might. In the intro, Pauley says this book is neither a “must do”, or “how to”, but I still feel it left me wanting for something more.
Pauley does introduce you to a number of people (that is, if you haven’t heard their stories already on the Today Show) who have undergone their own reinventions later in life. And while some of their stories were interesting, I didn’t feel as though I could relate to any of them. Also, as Pauley tells their story, she always says how it impacted her life. The book is as much about Pauley as it is about the people she mentions.
Perhaps if you are a fan of Pauley, you will enjoy this book more than I did. But if not, it Probably won’t inspire you.
I have to say I was a little disappointed with this book. Based on the title, and brief synopsis, I thought I would like this book. I didn’t even realize who the author was before I added this book to my reading list. I think if it was an unknown author, the reviews would probably be worse.
I am definitely the target reader for this book as I am approaching 50, but it really didn’t inspire me the way I thought it might. In the intro, Pauley says this book is neither a “must do”, or “how to”, but I still feel it left me wanting for something more.
Pauley does introduce you to a number of people (that is, if you haven’t heard their stories already on the Today Show) who have undergone their own reinventions later in life. And while some of their stories were interesting, I didn’t feel as though I could relate to any of them. Also, as Pauley tells their story, she always says how it impacted her life. The book is as much about Pauley as it is about the people she mentions.
Perhaps if you are a fan of Pauley, you will enjoy this book more than I did. But if not, it Probably won’t inspire you.
March 21, 2014
I was disappointed in this book. It's choppy and didn't flow well. She speaks candidly and I like that, but there were a lot of vignettes about people she's interviewed. The theme of the book, baby-boomers are now over 50 and reinventing themselves, is interesting. But the delivery of the message is garbled. She writes in a gossipy, chatty way that I became bored with. And my final complaint is that the people she chose to chat about all seem to be quite wealthy -- money is not an issue in anyone's reinvention. There wasn't much I learned from this book and would not recommend it.
January 20, 2016
I expected more from this book. As I recently entered my 50's and my roles are shifting, I thought this would be a timely read. The book includes stories of people who have made happy transitions along with some reflections on Jane Pauley's own journey. But there just really wasn't anything I haven't heard before, and although she comes across as very friendly in her writing, I honestly didn't find Jane Pauley very interesting. The structure was more that of just free writing, and the book just became repetitive for me.
March 31, 2021
The thing I love about this book is that it is NOT a how to book. It is a collection of narratives that make you think and analyze your own situation. Jane Pauley is a master story teller and it does make you think, which was the point!
May 19, 2024
Loved her insights.
January 26, 2014
I think I like this book so much because I am living it. I now have a life I could not have imagined even ten years ago. Sadly, part of the impetus to change has been loss. I lost my mother on my 51st birthday and reading her notebooks and papers made me get serious about writing. Then I lost my biggest supporter in that endeavor, my husband, and have since signed three book contracts, began a job as a library director, and do writing and couponing workshops. I am living my dream, but without the partner that was the wind beneath my wings. I loved reading about other people who began living a different sort of life after the age of 50.
April 18, 2014
There are some nice stories in here. Some are even inspirational. But ultimately, I'm not the right target audience for this. Maybe I'll pick it up in another 15-20 years.
Jane Pauley is shouting from the rooftops that it's never too late to change your career; that things like service and self-fulfillment should be the driving force in your second act, and money can take a back seat; that you can find your life's calling even after retirement. And I think she has such enthusiasm for her message because her generation was the first to figure out those things. But all respect to Jane Pauley, I'm fortunate to be in the preceding generation that says, "Well, duh."
Jane Pauley is shouting from the rooftops that it's never too late to change your career; that things like service and self-fulfillment should be the driving force in your second act, and money can take a back seat; that you can find your life's calling even after retirement. And I think she has such enthusiasm for her message because her generation was the first to figure out those things. But all respect to Jane Pauley, I'm fortunate to be in the preceding generation that says, "Well, duh."
May 11, 2014
It was very interesting to read about Jane Pauley..a fellow Hoosier who we watched on TV from her first days in Indianapolis.. and she relays many thoughts and facts about her life.. I think someone in her place - lifestyle, experience, etc... would not have trouble 'reimagining' her life as the resources available to her all probably almost endless.. I think retirement calls for 'reimagining' of one's life but not always on such a large scale as this book reflects.
August 6, 2014
I enjoyed the stories of individuals who made life changes - found them to be interesting and sometimes motivational. Jane's interlaced anecdotes of her own life showed too much self-aggrandizement for my taste. I often felt she used the book's topic as a means to place her own life on a pedestal.
August 17, 2014
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Pauley writes in a very conversational tone, is funny and humble. She shares stories from her videos that are produced in conjunction with AARP. The people in the book found ways to reinvent themselves in retirement or after a layoff. I'm hoping in a few years I'll figure out what I want and can do next, food for thought.
July 18, 2022
The only thing I did not like about this book was Jane's voice. It isn't easy to listen to, and I say that with all respect for Jane. Her voice is sing-song, up&down on volume, and with an occasional nasal quality.
I wish I could have read it earlier in my life. I am 78. But it wasn't written earlier!
The stories she tells of ordinary people and how they managed to super-size their life and keep contributing long into the aging process can be inspirational to those who still have time to do similar things. Fun to read, light-hearted.
I wish I could have read it earlier in my life. I am 78. But it wasn't written earlier!
The stories she tells of ordinary people and how they managed to super-size their life and keep contributing long into the aging process can be inspirational to those who still have time to do similar things. Fun to read, light-hearted.
September 28, 2018
I enjoyed reading Jane's book but would have liked a little more substance. I understand what she was trying to impart to the reader but as a middle-aged working woman considering adding an additional career by going for passion rather than proclivity, I thought it was a little too much of a light, syrupy read.
October 5, 2017
A good read for those just entering "retirement" or wanting to plan for the future. Jane tells multiple stories of individuals in transition while at the same time providing insights into her own transition. Quick read.
January 28, 2018
Wasn't keen on the organization of the stories or that some of the "reinvention" stories started with people of means. However, this book does give me hope that there is more out there if I can just keep my eyes open and find it.
December 25, 2019
I liked learning more about Jane Pauley, but I didn’t relate to her message. I am a different type of person.
April 26, 2020
Broadcast journalist Jane Pauley tells the tale of retirees who have reinvented their lives and are pursuing a new and satisfying life. Inspiring and delightful and the stories are all real.
September 15, 2020
I enjoyed reading the stories about people who reinvented themselves.
December 12, 2025
tbh just saying i finished this bc 1) i never will and 2) need the extra book for my reading goal (i only had like 30 pages left i just didn’t want to check it out of the library)
December 21, 2016
Reinventing your mid-life and beyond Baby Boomers, is my new subtitle for this book.
January 26, 2015
I saw Jane Pauley speak at the Pennsylvania Conference for Women and promptly put this book on my to-read list. It was immediately available from the library and I snapped it up, eager for inspiration. I'm 42, which mathematically qualifies as middle age, although I suspect the Boomers have wiggled that definition a bit.
This book is half auto-biographical and half stories from other people (most of whom were profiled in Pauley's project "Your Life Calling" sponsored by AARP) who reinvented themselves at middle age. Wealthy people. Wealthy baby-boomer people. And mostly wealthy baby-boomers who had another income stream to support them while they chased their dreams. If you are neither a Boomer or wealthy you are going to roll your eyes at many of the people profiled.
In Ken's story, when he thought about his upcoming retirement he knew "he'd enjoy his classic car collection and his stable of harness horses." Ken sold the cars to finance his new life, but kept the racehorses.
In Betsy's story, she retires from her six-figure-salary job to start a knitting business while her husband continues to work.
And when Bill and Patty decide to buy a house in Tuscany, they "sold their house in Dallas and Bill's real estate business, as well as the gourmet shop he had on the side." Later, when they were missing their grandchildren, Patty "surprised Bill with a condo in Dallas."
We are a double-income, no kids family and I wouldn't think of surprising my husband with anything worth more than $100 without consulting him and working it into our budget first.
So these aren't your ordinary workaday Joes and Janes. And with the exception of three or four people profiled (even one of the hard-knock folks had a Stanford education), all of the beginnings are similar. As a result, I stopped looking for inspiration or how-to, and decided to enjoy the stories instead.
Jane often refers to her own reinventions. But lets not forget that even without her NBC money, her husband Garry Trudeau has a net worth of about $40 million Doonesbury dollars. Even if that's a HUGE exaggeration, it's still a nice safety net to reinvent yourself with.
The most inspirational words I found in this book came from President Reagan's former chief of staff John Sununu (I know, right?). Jane met him at "an annual Washington event where journalists and politicians have fun together" which you, I, and the rest of the world know as the White House Correspondents Dinner. Jane asked him if he had a strategy for making large decisions. He said, "in his experience most decisions can quickly be narrowed down to a couple of competing choices. And his policy was not to waste time parsing the one or two degrees of difference between them but to pick one or the other and focus one hundred percent of his energy on making the right decision."
Was it a good book? Yep. I liked it. But as I said, I had to change my expectations of it first before I began enjoying it. This book is a perfectly nice book, but I am not and never will be the audience for it.
This book is half auto-biographical and half stories from other people (most of whom were profiled in Pauley's project "Your Life Calling" sponsored by AARP) who reinvented themselves at middle age. Wealthy people. Wealthy baby-boomer people. And mostly wealthy baby-boomers who had another income stream to support them while they chased their dreams. If you are neither a Boomer or wealthy you are going to roll your eyes at many of the people profiled.
In Ken's story, when he thought about his upcoming retirement he knew "he'd enjoy his classic car collection and his stable of harness horses." Ken sold the cars to finance his new life, but kept the racehorses.
In Betsy's story, she retires from her six-figure-salary job to start a knitting business while her husband continues to work.
And when Bill and Patty decide to buy a house in Tuscany, they "sold their house in Dallas and Bill's real estate business, as well as the gourmet shop he had on the side." Later, when they were missing their grandchildren, Patty "surprised Bill with a condo in Dallas."
We are a double-income, no kids family and I wouldn't think of surprising my husband with anything worth more than $100 without consulting him and working it into our budget first.
So these aren't your ordinary workaday Joes and Janes. And with the exception of three or four people profiled (even one of the hard-knock folks had a Stanford education), all of the beginnings are similar. As a result, I stopped looking for inspiration or how-to, and decided to enjoy the stories instead.
Jane often refers to her own reinventions. But lets not forget that even without her NBC money, her husband Garry Trudeau has a net worth of about $40 million Doonesbury dollars. Even if that's a HUGE exaggeration, it's still a nice safety net to reinvent yourself with.
The most inspirational words I found in this book came from President Reagan's former chief of staff John Sununu (I know, right?). Jane met him at "an annual Washington event where journalists and politicians have fun together" which you, I, and the rest of the world know as the White House Correspondents Dinner. Jane asked him if he had a strategy for making large decisions. He said, "in his experience most decisions can quickly be narrowed down to a couple of competing choices. And his policy was not to waste time parsing the one or two degrees of difference between them but to pick one or the other and focus one hundred percent of his energy on making the right decision."
Was it a good book? Yep. I liked it. But as I said, I had to change my expectations of it first before I began enjoying it. This book is a perfectly nice book, but I am not and never will be the audience for it.
April 26, 2014
I never looked toward my later years as “retirement” – I bristle at the word. Instead, I looked forward to the day when I could work fewer hours, accept less pay and do more satisfying work. I thought that day would be 10 years in the future. I wasn’t planning on the company I worked for closing their doors leaving me unemployed. A disaster or an opportunity? I wasn’t sure. This book came along at the right time for me.
I now believe it’s never too late to reinvent yourself. The problem is momentum – we tend to keep doing whatever we are doing because change can be unsettling or impractical. As a member of the baby boom generation, and one who had the same career for 20 years, I am the target market for this book, a series of inspiration stories. The people featured in these stories accepted the challenge to change their careers after many years of working in a field that was not giving them the satisfaction they needed.
This is not a self-help book. It doesn’t tell you how to change but instead inspires you to look beyond what you are doing now. What did you love to do? Your passions, your hobbies? Sometimes it takes the first half of your life to realize what you really have a passion for and when you do it, it will not feel like working.
She acknowledges that not everyone will be able to quit their job at age 55 and reinvent themselves. Many of the people she writes about are already retired or had sufficient income to retire early. But some found themselves in the position I’m in – lost a job but didn’t want to go back to the same career – and were able to make the change. I’m still working on it, but I know it’s possible. Whatever your situation, these stories will inspire you to look forward to the day you can change your life to one with more balance and fulfillment.
At times we all need a little inspiration and encouragement to help us realize that what seems like an impossible goal is something we can achieve. A good read even for those who have not yet reached 50 – you’ll be getting there soon enough.
Audio production:
I listened to the CDs in my car over the span of a few weeks. As this book is a series of stories, it is the perfect book to listen to in bits and pieces. Jane Pauley was the obvious choice as the narrator and does not disappoint. Even if I were reading the print version I would be hearing her voice in my head. The audio version would be a good choice for people who don’t often listen to books and want to try out the format. The short, engaging stories don’t require heavy concentration and it’s easy to regain focus if your mind wanders for a moment.
I now believe it’s never too late to reinvent yourself. The problem is momentum – we tend to keep doing whatever we are doing because change can be unsettling or impractical. As a member of the baby boom generation, and one who had the same career for 20 years, I am the target market for this book, a series of inspiration stories. The people featured in these stories accepted the challenge to change their careers after many years of working in a field that was not giving them the satisfaction they needed.
This is not a self-help book. It doesn’t tell you how to change but instead inspires you to look beyond what you are doing now. What did you love to do? Your passions, your hobbies? Sometimes it takes the first half of your life to realize what you really have a passion for and when you do it, it will not feel like working.
She acknowledges that not everyone will be able to quit their job at age 55 and reinvent themselves. Many of the people she writes about are already retired or had sufficient income to retire early. But some found themselves in the position I’m in – lost a job but didn’t want to go back to the same career – and were able to make the change. I’m still working on it, but I know it’s possible. Whatever your situation, these stories will inspire you to look forward to the day you can change your life to one with more balance and fulfillment.
At times we all need a little inspiration and encouragement to help us realize that what seems like an impossible goal is something we can achieve. A good read even for those who have not yet reached 50 – you’ll be getting there soon enough.
Audio production:
I listened to the CDs in my car over the span of a few weeks. As this book is a series of stories, it is the perfect book to listen to in bits and pieces. Jane Pauley was the obvious choice as the narrator and does not disappoint. Even if I were reading the print version I would be hearing her voice in my head. The audio version would be a good choice for people who don’t often listen to books and want to try out the format. The short, engaging stories don’t require heavy concentration and it’s easy to regain focus if your mind wanders for a moment.
February 21, 2017
Lots of examples of various people's stories of reinventing themselves in their later years. Quite a bit of personal examples from Jane Pauley's own life. Interesting, somewhat practical, advice to just take the first step.
June 17, 2014
The concept of the book is good but it ends up being a safe packaged formula written in plain Jane style that will feel comforting to older readers but do little to get them off the couch. The idea here is to tell stories of people who changed their professions or became active in a new field later in life. Most seem to be taken directly from TV segments she has done for the Today Show, and the book feels ghost written and distant.
Pauley has always seemed to have a giant egotistical elitist wall up but she tries to act like the average, everyday woman here by pointing out her insecurities and hesitations about life. The problem is that this is a rich woman married to a famous rich guy. She has known nothing but great fame for the past 40 years. So her words seem disingenuous and there's too much of herself in the book. She tries to force inspiration down your throat, claiming that her gift in life is "helping people see themselves in powerful and positive new ways." So her gift is using other people's stories to get rich and famous?
She names drops way too many times (but gets a few subtle digs in at Tom Brokaw). She mentions her family throughout without really letting us get to know them (if I heard one more story about her brilliant sister I was going to scream!). She repeatedly talks about commencement speeches she has given, as if they were great words from above (she includes sections in the book and she's not that insightful). In the end you feel like this was a book to make Pauley feel good about herself and to justify some of the bad career decisions she made. While it did get me to think more about what to do later in life, the stories of everyday people seemed to be just games pieces used by the author to see herself as inspiring, when in truth it's those non-famous people that are inspirational.
Pauley has always seemed to have a giant egotistical elitist wall up but she tries to act like the average, everyday woman here by pointing out her insecurities and hesitations about life. The problem is that this is a rich woman married to a famous rich guy. She has known nothing but great fame for the past 40 years. So her words seem disingenuous and there's too much of herself in the book. She tries to force inspiration down your throat, claiming that her gift in life is "helping people see themselves in powerful and positive new ways." So her gift is using other people's stories to get rich and famous?
She names drops way too many times (but gets a few subtle digs in at Tom Brokaw). She mentions her family throughout without really letting us get to know them (if I heard one more story about her brilliant sister I was going to scream!). She repeatedly talks about commencement speeches she has given, as if they were great words from above (she includes sections in the book and she's not that insightful). In the end you feel like this was a book to make Pauley feel good about herself and to justify some of the bad career decisions she made. While it did get me to think more about what to do later in life, the stories of everyday people seemed to be just games pieces used by the author to see herself as inspiring, when in truth it's those non-famous people that are inspirational.
October 19, 2015
I am Baby Boomer anxious about the future of our economy. I'm not quite at retirement yet, but inflation rises is subtle ways. I am one of the multitude looking for ways to earn enough money to get by. Jane Pauley has stitched a bunch of interviews of people who change careers in both un/expected ways.
One woman had a huge amount of stress and her doctor said she'd die if she didn't quit the job. She had wanted to make chocolates, took classes, succeeded as Antoinette Chocolatier. One man decided to raise alpacas. Another woman's grandparents died, so she liked visiting elders. From this she got the idea of making special easy-to-put-on clothing and a huge industry was begun. Another woman loved to knit and wound up writing a book on how to make socks, now in the sixth edition.
I liked Pauley's easy style, encouragement, variation on jobs mentioned, and her own story of struggle, success, failure, personal criticism. There are at least two international stories...an early adopter of Chinese girls who noted huge rooms of abandoned girls were quiet, having learned crying didn't get care. Another is of a man ready to sell his well digging equipment. He is asked to bring this equipment to show the church members who are buying it to take to Africa. When the seller takes it to Africa he is appalled at the water they had.
Pauley gives me hope I can parlay my experience, eccentric hobbies, interests, talents, strengths to supplement the income I hope to have...
One woman had a huge amount of stress and her doctor said she'd die if she didn't quit the job. She had wanted to make chocolates, took classes, succeeded as Antoinette Chocolatier. One man decided to raise alpacas. Another woman's grandparents died, so she liked visiting elders. From this she got the idea of making special easy-to-put-on clothing and a huge industry was begun. Another woman loved to knit and wound up writing a book on how to make socks, now in the sixth edition.
I liked Pauley's easy style, encouragement, variation on jobs mentioned, and her own story of struggle, success, failure, personal criticism. There are at least two international stories...an early adopter of Chinese girls who noted huge rooms of abandoned girls were quiet, having learned crying didn't get care. Another is of a man ready to sell his well digging equipment. He is asked to bring this equipment to show the church members who are buying it to take to Africa. When the seller takes it to Africa he is appalled at the water they had.
Pauley gives me hope I can parlay my experience, eccentric hobbies, interests, talents, strengths to supplement the income I hope to have...
July 4, 2014
Engaging collection of stories of midlife "reinvention", interspersed with tales from her own eventful career and family life. Some of them were living on the edge (e.g., a couple who sort of dropped out to go tour the country in an RV), but mostly first-world. In this regard, my favorite line concerned a couple who had moved to Tuscany and started a business as middle people for cooking lessons by the local older ladies--when the wife became homesick and wanted a US base again, "she surprised Bill with a condo in Dallas". In my SES bracket, anything more extravagant than "she surprised Bill with a 6-pack of Sam Adams seasonal ale" would be cause for alarm and a "perhaps we could have discussed this first".
The specific reinvention steps taken won't appeal to all ("I'm tired of my metro commute. that does it! I'm starting an alpaca farm Monday").
Nonetheless, many of the stories were entertaining -- guy who became a volunteer EMT in retirement, guy who got himself in shape in order to fulfill his dream of thru-hiking Appalaichan Trail, etc. And the overall idea of being thoughtful about how to inject a sense of purpose into later stages of one's working life, as well as potentially lengthy retirement, makes a lot of sense. Author's own optimistic spirit shines through; I was not surprised to learn near the end that she is friends with Michael J. Fox, author of "Lucky Man".
The specific reinvention steps taken won't appeal to all ("I'm tired of my metro commute. that does it! I'm starting an alpaca farm Monday").
Nonetheless, many of the stories were entertaining -- guy who became a volunteer EMT in retirement, guy who got himself in shape in order to fulfill his dream of thru-hiking Appalaichan Trail, etc. And the overall idea of being thoughtful about how to inject a sense of purpose into later stages of one's working life, as well as potentially lengthy retirement, makes a lot of sense. Author's own optimistic spirit shines through; I was not surprised to learn near the end that she is friends with Michael J. Fox, author of "Lucky Man".
January 6, 2016
I read the book because I heard Jane Pauley speak and it piqued my interest. This is a summary of her investigation into various people’s mid-life crises – how they reimagined themselves into their true passion. Jane Pauley is a force of nature. She denies it, though, and this is where the book was ultimately unsatisfying. I felt she was lying when she said she was the luckiest person in the world, fell into a broadcasting career, and lacked driving ambition. Those of you who know me realize that I haven’t exactly lived an unexamined life, so I didn’t catch on to this premise that you just fall into your career, work for 30 years, wake up one day, and decide to raise alpacas instead. I examine the worth of my ambitions every day, sometimes every hour, (every minute?) and adjust. I couldn’t identify with Betsy, a successful health care executive who quit at 50 to run a knitting business, or Tripp, who went from Broadway performer to acupuncturist. I did enjoy the story of Ken, who ran a drilling business and then reinvented himself as a person who drilled water wells in Africa for charity: “I would watch these people, with tears coming out of my eyes. It’s devastating. I thought, suppose you have a friend that is sick all the time and you could do something…just click your fingers and do something to heal that person. I could do that for a thousand people a day, maybe two thousand. That’s the greatest gift in the world.” Now that’s a change worth making.
April 10, 2016
For those of you who are either looking forward to the next chapter of your life—or already in the midst of it—an excellent book to help you “reinvent yourself” is Jane Pauley’s “Your Life Calling: Reimagining the Rest of Your Life” (Simon and Schuster, $26.00, 253 pp).
Pauley addresses the issue of “the demographics of aging,” which has added decades to what we refer to as “midlife.” If you’ve ever found yourself yearning for something more out of life, then this book is for you. Pauley interviews and profiles a wide variety of (extremely likable) people who have initiated second—or third—act in their lives. Earlier generations didn’t have this option, but Baby Boomers are discovering that life is giving us a bonus decade (or two or three).
Here are seven points from the book that are worth considering:
• You don’t have to get it right the first time
• There may not be a “more authentic you” waiting to be revealed
• Reinvention doesn’t have to mean a total makeover
• Not everyone has an obvious passion to follow
• Trial and error are the keys to authentic growth and self-knowledge
• Reinvention may require being reintroduced to yourself
• Self-discovery may not be the requirement for reinvention—it may be the payoff
If you like the thought that moving forward in life is rarely a straight line, then you’ll enjoy learning about Jane Pauley’s insights and the people she’s met.
Pauley addresses the issue of “the demographics of aging,” which has added decades to what we refer to as “midlife.” If you’ve ever found yourself yearning for something more out of life, then this book is for you. Pauley interviews and profiles a wide variety of (extremely likable) people who have initiated second—or third—act in their lives. Earlier generations didn’t have this option, but Baby Boomers are discovering that life is giving us a bonus decade (or two or three).
Here are seven points from the book that are worth considering:
• You don’t have to get it right the first time
• There may not be a “more authentic you” waiting to be revealed
• Reinvention doesn’t have to mean a total makeover
• Not everyone has an obvious passion to follow
• Trial and error are the keys to authentic growth and self-knowledge
• Reinvention may require being reintroduced to yourself
• Self-discovery may not be the requirement for reinvention—it may be the payoff
If you like the thought that moving forward in life is rarely a straight line, then you’ll enjoy learning about Jane Pauley’s insights and the people she’s met.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 147 reviews