The Power of Change
I've put dozens of baby boomers' lives under the microscope. To assist me in this analysis, I had at my disposal their answers to the same set of questions from their college years to the fifties, as well as enough details about their careers and family lives to sketch out a picture of how their lives evolved. In this book I share with you not only data from my research on this group but also my own ideas about what might have shaped their lives as they grew through adulthood. My hope is to use this factual data, and my clinical experience, to explore the factors that shape people's lives, support or reject the assumptions about what will bring us happiness, and to show whether we can- and more important how we can- change as adults.
Change can often be frightening but ultimately can lead to fulfillment. As I illustrate in the book, even significant setbacks such as losing your job can provide the stimulus for greater happiness.
Consider the case of "Bart," who I discuss in Chapter 9, The Authentic Road. In his late 40s, he quit his actual job as a business manager for a non-profit agency, and became involved full-time in his hobby of wine-making. The decision to leave his secure, well-paying job to venture off into the unknown territory of winemaking required a strong dose of initiative combined with a heaping of industry. Bart’s life story gave me some of my most powerful insights into the nature of the Authentic Road. He was seeking that most desirable of vocational situations, what psychologist John Holland calls “congruence.” According to Holland, we each seek the ideal match or fit between our personalities and our environments. If there is a mismatch, or a lack of congruence, between the two, we will keep plugging away at attempts to make things right until something clicks into place.
To get on the pathway to the type of fulfillment that Bart was able to achieve, you need to take careful stock of your abilities and identify the possible obstacles to the kind of success you dream about.
If you'd like to learn more about the Five Pathways and discover which path you are on, click here.
*All names and identifying details in this study have been changed or compilations made of several people to protect the anonymity and confidentiality of the participants.
