Find Your Reason to Be Here: The Search for Meaning in Midlife
Author: Laura Lee Carter
Publisher: Mimbres Publishing
Date: January 23, 2013
About The Author
Laura Lee Carter, best known for her Midlife Crisis Queen magazine online,
worked as a professional reference and research librarian for 25 years before
transitioning into her present work as a midlife researcher, author, and
psychotherapist. She holds three graduate degrees including one in counseling,
with a specialty in midlife psychology. She is the author of "How to Fall in Love Again" and several other books.
Baby Boomers Reach Midlife
What is a midlife crisis?
"Midlife crisis, or what the Jungian analyst James Hollis calls the middle passage, often first becomes obvious when we experience difficult life circumstances that convince us that our illusions are no longer secure. We do not control our universe".
Ms. Carter faced devastating career and family changes during her midlife years. In her case, desperation led to many forms of inspiration and breakdowns led to some amazing breakthroughs.
The midlife shift begins when we stop and reassess our lives, often finding some major room for improvement. By questioning most previous assumptions about why we are here and and what we hope to accomplish, we change our hearts and minds so they can work better for us as we age.
This book is based on the writings of respected psychologists and the author's personal experiences. Ms. Carter firmly believes that midlife is a time of transition, personal change and new challenges.
My Thoughts
This is the second book that I have read by Ms. Carter. I find her writing stimulating and inspiring. She is very good at presenting her research in an interesting way that the reader can understand and apply to personal circumstances.
Midlife is a time of discovery, possibilities and hope. The author advises mid- lifers to keep evolving, learning new skills, and challenging your mind and body. The best is yet to be...indeed!
Ms. Carter includes "A Life-Changing List" for people in the midlife years. I found this list to be very inspiring. If you are stuck in a midlife rut, I think this book will open your eyes and help you see some new possibilities for your life.
My Rating: 5 Stars Out Of 5
FYI ~ The author sent me a complimentary digital copy of this book to read and review.
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It will soon be Valentine's Day and love is in the air. Unfortunately, many people have given up on love and the hope of finding that special person to share their lives with. Laura Lee Carter, the Midlife Crisis Queen, has written a new book about believing in love again....after divorce and well into the midlife years. How To Believe In Love Again; Opening To Forgiveness, Trust and Your Own Inner Wisdom
is based on experiences from the author's professional and personal life.
In 2004, the author found her long-time career as a librarian coming to an end. She was 49 years old and divorced with no children. She had a graduate degree in counseling psychology, so she decided to start a professional matchmaking service. She interviewed hundreds of midle-aged singles who came to her service looking for love. The problem was, most of these people were putting all their focus on finding the perfect date instead of working on themselves and their attitudes toward love.
Ms. Carter has written an inspiring book about how to clear your mind of the negativity that you have toward love and being loved. She asks readers to take a "Love Quiz" in the first chapter to better understand why it is necessary to adjust our thoughts and attitudes toward finding a love partner. She emphasizes that self-love is the first step towards believing in love again. We must all find that self-loving place inside before we begin to bring others into our life. Emotional and spiritual healing is needed before we can believe in love again.
The author gives many practical ways to go about healing. She tells about her own journey to find self-love and self-acceptance. She expains that journaling, positive affirmations, reading books, watching movies with positive messages about love and listening to music are all ways to increase self-esteem. The important thing is to spend time alone and really get to know yourself. The author asked, "Are you the kind of person that you would want to be married to?"
Ms. Carter provides another quiz at the end of the book, "Have Your Beliefs About Love Changed?" Yes, I think my thoughts about love have changed since reading this book.
This book is not just for middle-aged singles who have given up on love. I married my soul mate almost 20 years ago but still found a wealth of useful information in this book. Yes, even married people have a need to believe in love again.
There is an awesome list of books in the Bibliography of this book. I would love to read every book on the list. The author has made a YouTube video to promote this book. The book is available from Amazon.Com in both paperback and Kindle edition
.
I would like to wish everyone a Happy Valentine's Day! It is never too late to believe in love.
Disclosure: The author provided me with a free digital copy of this book to read and review.
