- Jonathan Rauch, Author of The Happiness Curve: Why Life Gets Better After 50 #078 Marc Miller 32:05
Jonathan Rauch, a Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institute in Washington, is the author of six books and many articles on public policy, culture, and government. He is the contributing editor of The Atlantic, and recipient of the 2005 National Magazine Award, the magazine industry’s equivalent of the Pulitzer Prize. His latest book is The Happiness Curve: Why Life Gets Better After 50.
Key Takeaways:
[1:08] Marc welcomes you to episode 78 of the Repurpose Your Career podcast. Marc invites you to share this podcast with like-minded souls. Please subscribe, share it on social media, write an honest iTunes review, or tell your neighbors and colleagues.
[1:39] Next week, Marc will discuss the next steps the Millers will be taking in their move to Mexico planned for early 2019.
[1:48] In this episode, Marc interviews Jonathan Rauch, author of The Happiness Curve: Why Life Gets Better After 50. Before the interview, Marc announces plans for another “Can You Repurpose Your Career?” series, similar to Episodes 48-51 from October 2017.
[2:20] If you would like to go through this process anonymously with Marc on the podcast, please email Marc at Podcast@CareerPivot.com.
[2:49] Marc gives an introduction for Jonathan Rauch and welcomes him to the podcast.
[3:39] How do you measure happiness? How satisfied are you with your life?
[4:22] Since the 1950s, millions of people in virtually every country have been surveyed about how contented they are with what’s going on in their lives. People are reliable in gauging their happiness. There is amazingly good data on life satisfaction.
[4:43] What is the U-shaped happiness curve? Jonathan explains what the data means. As we age, our outlook changes. We cope with stress better. We focus more on family relationships. We feel more contented.
[8:37] What is the difference between a mid-life reboot and a mid-life crisis? Jonathan tells a personal story about his own dissatisfaction in his mid-forties. In his book, Jonathan shares stories from many people he interviewed. The experience is normal but it is not something to confront alone.
[11:05] Marc refers to Episode #075, with Dr. Joel Dobbs, who climbed the ladder of success, to find it was against the wrong building. Jonathan talks about the mid-life feedback trap. Find out where your unhappiness originates before making a change you won’t like. (It might not be the building that makes you unhappy.)
[12:54] Jonathan endorses the idea of a career pivot for the second half of life. We should expect to want change. As we get older, we age out of the standard ambition and we age into mentorship and giving back.
[13:30] Jonathan likes the CareerPivot concept. You keep one foot on the ground. Marc looks back at his seven career changes by half-steps.
[15:55] Society is not prepared to adapt to our 20 additional years of active life on the upswing of the U-Curve. There needs to be social and institutional change.
[17:42] Marc has no intention of retiring.
[18:03] What everybody wants is freedom. They all know they need to keep working, but it’s probably not punching in and out for a paycheck.
[18:32] Jonathan suggests institutional and intellectual changes that would help, such as different workplace roles not working toward advancement. People don’t want to retire, become pathetic, and then die. Change the way we think of elders.
[22:04] Marc talks about an interview he had last year where the discussion turned to the kinds of work we will do in our 70s, and how we need to start preparing for those roles in our 50s.
[23:24] Jonathan’s book looks at the Transition Network of professional women age 50 and up who help women coming along behind them to prepare for repurposing their lives. It’s so much easier to transition with a support network.
[23:54] Marc has an interview coming up with Carol Fishman Cohen, the CEO of IRelaunch. They help people who have big career gaps.
[24:34] What about people who want to have everything continue as is? Portfolio careers are becoming normal. Many jobs are going away. There is not a job that is not affected by technological changes of the present and future.
[26:32] If you’re a highly-successful, achievement-oriented person; life has been good to you, you’ve hit mid-life and you can’t figure out why you’re dissatisfied, don’t be alarmed or ashamed. There is nothing wrong with you. You are preparing for more satisfaction than you have known before. The best thing to do is wait it out.
[27:28] This is a ‘we’ issue, not just a ‘me’ issue. There is likely somebody in your life right now who is going through the trough of the U-Curve. Be the support for someone going through it.
[28:54] Marc really enjoyed this book and learned a lot about his own life. Marc highly recommends this book to you.
[30:51] Check back next week, when Marc will be talking about next steps in their move to Mexico.
Mentioned in This Episode:
The Happiness Curve: Why Life Gets Better After 50, by Jonathan Rauch
CareerPivot.com/Episode-48 “Can Tim Repurpose His Career? Part 1”
CareerPivot.com/Episode-49 “Can Tim Repurpose His Career? Part 2”
CareerPivot.com/Episode-50 “Can Tim Repurpose His Career? Part 3”
CareerPivot.com/Episode-51 “Can Tim Repurpose His Career? Part 4”
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