Roaring is Boring, Boasting, Bullshit

Another quiet Sunday. Another excuse to digest two or three books. Recently, to fill a dull day and to maybe get some Gen X advice as I move into a new stage of my life, I grabbed Roar: Into the Second Half of Your Life. What garbage. The author boasts: Discover how to make the second half of your life happy and productive with this perceptive and inspiring guidebook that will help you achieve your dreams and get more out of life—whether or not retirement is in your future plans. The idea intrigued me. With my retirement from the law and my venture into life as a full-time creative, I thought author Michael Clinton, a super-successful creative in his own right, would have great advice. Clinton was President and Publishing Director @ Hearst Magazines, a published author, a popular photographer. And a philanthropist. Good guy. Very impressive. And the book becomes a drawn-out self-celebration of this silver-spoon boy: I did this. I did that. I achieved this. I won that. Puke. Worse, the story examples he uses to inspire the reader are all people who live in his high-earner circle. How these well-to-dos leave executive positions to become artists and humanitarians. And all of them are healthy and financially secure. Sure, in that economic stratus, you can afford your insulin or even your regular medical check up. Well, isn’t that special. I need a book to help this blue-collar chick – and other GenXers like me – who come from nothing and want to celebrate and succeed well into our 90s. Hey, Michael? Take your boasting to your next fru fru cocktail party. No, I didn’t link to his book. Because he loves himself enough. Image courtesy of Glen Carrie on Unsplash