50 for Your Future: Lessons from Down the Road

by Tavis Smiley

Stepping into your authentic life can be difficult. There are pitfalls of ego, of convenience, of modern society’s pressure to put yourself out there before you’ve even figured out what you really want. It’s easy to lose yourself along the way, conforming to those around you, obsessing over trivialities, letting fear drive your actions. Fortunately, though, you’re not the first one to walk this path . . .On these gorgeously illustrated pages, you’ll find the hard-won wisdom of media mogul and social entrepreneur Tavis Smiley, who rose from humble roots in a cramped Indiana trailer to become a critically acclaimed host of television and radio, as well as an impactful philanthropist. Through his relationships with cultural luminaries such as Maya Angelou and Quincy Jones, and personal mentors such as Rosa Parks, Peter Jennings, and Smiley’s own sagacious grandmother "Big Mama"—not to mention the lumps he’s received through the years—Smiley has learned what it takes to live your best life. Here, he offers both a guidebook and a toolkit to help you get on track, whether you’re just setting out on your own or whether you need a course correction to keep marching toward your dreams.

Genres: Nonfiction

208 pages, Hardcover

First published February 2, 2016

About the author

Tavis Smiley is an American talk show host and author. Smiley was born in Gulfport, Mississippi, and grew up in Bunker Hill, Indiana. After attending Indiana University, he worked during the late 1980s as an aide to Tom Bradley, the mayor of Los Angeles.
Smiley became a radio commentator in 1991 and, starting in 1996, he hosted the talk show BET Talk (later renamed BET Tonight with Tavis Smiley) on Black Entertainment Television (BET). After Smiley sold an exclusive interview of Sara Jane Olson to ABC News in 2001, BET declined to renew his contract that year. Smiley then began hosting The Tavis Smiley Show on National Public Radio (NPR) (2002–04) and hosted Tavis Smiley on the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) on weekdays and The Tavis Smiley Show on Public Radio International (PRI) from 2004 until 2017.
Smiley had an employment dispute with PBS in December 2017 which resulted in his suing PBS for wrongful termination. Smiley is Founder and Chief Executive Officer of SmileyAudioMedia, Inc. headquartered in Los Angeles. Since June 2021 he has served as Chief Visionary Officer for his radio station, KBLA Talk 1580.

Reviews

[Angie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have already learned many of these lessons, being on the other side of 50 myself. But for younger people, this book could certainly push them in the right direction, and encourage them to reflect on their past, present and future choices.

A thought provoking book with useful lessons for any age.

[Michelle [Helen Geek] · Rating 5 out of 5]

04/23/2015 -- INFINITY Stars

A POWERFUL book that really help us with perspective. It is a necessary book to read with your kids. So many life lessons told in a way that is powerful. How do you tell your kids that time is finite? How do you communicate to them to pay attention to what is important, not the temporary or unimportant? It is so tough.

Lesson #50 is a great example. He makes a great appeal to stay focused. While the outside of our being is important .. it isn't more important as our inside. We spend time, money and significant energy on our external being .. and neglect our spiritual being, our ethical being, our intelligent mind, etc. Neither is more important than the other just because one is more visible to others.

On a personal note .. One of the lessons I tried to teach my kids is the transient nature of people in our lives. As children, it is so hard to be strong when there are those kids who bully and tear you down. Maybe you look or act different, are smarter than the majority, have personal challenges or whatever they don't understand. Why care about what these people say when a year from now you won't remember their names? Are they someone you love or care about? You can't control what they say or do, but you do control what you do; your behavior, your reaction to them, etc. This is one of the toughest lessons we can teach our children. Be confident in who you are. Be confident in the fact that you are unique. God made you this person that you nurture and grow. He trusted you with his creation. Make the most of His gift.

I can't recommend this book higher. You owe it to yourself to read it and share it with the people you love. This will be a book I make sure all those growing people I love receive from me. A significant work.

Happy Reading!!

[Jonathan T. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Wisdom

This was a good read that features personal stories from the author that displayed the points of wisdom for each chapter. I took my time working through the book to reflect on each point. I have more respect for Travis Smiley after reading this book. It was very relatable. I will recommend it for younger readers.

[Rachel · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book includes good, yet somewhat obvious points. Nicely designed. However, it is by no means a gripping book and after 50 pages in, it felt more like a chore to pick this one up again.

[Dee · Rating 2 out of 5]

There is some great advice in this book, but it's an obvious ploy for more money and fame from a person who claims to have not sold out - although he defends himself (in this book of advice!) for having his PBS show paid for by Wal-Mart...on the grounds that they do not tell him what to put on his show. Either a corporation owns you or it doesn't, I find it hard to see a gray area with this one. Still, this was a quick read and is heavily focused on improving the futures of its readers as Smiley shares his experiences that helped him become successful. He also plugs his religion, but it isn't done too preach-ily, in my opinion.

[Rick Gregori · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fairly simple book, but he does have the best interview show on television.

[Angela · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book, very inspiring gave many great lessons for life.
I will read this again in the future.

[Pete Nuñez · Rating 3 out of 5]

As inspiring as Smiley can be,this book was mediocre in terms of being inspiring/informative/enlightening/etc.

[Mahad]

GREAT BOOK.