Too Soon Old, Too Late Smart
Gordon Livingston
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Dr Livingston work as a psychiatrist. He has listened to people talk about their lives - what works and doesn't and the limitless ways (most of them self-inflicted) that we have found to be unhappy.
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Dr Livingston has extracted 30 bedrock truths:
1. If the map doesn't agree with the ground, the map is wrong
2. We are what we do
3. It is difficult to remove by logic an idea not placed there by logic in the first place
4. The statute of limitations has expired on most of our childhood traumas
5. Any relationship is under the control of the person who cares the least
6. Feelings follow behavior
7. Be bold, and mighty forces will come to your aid
8. The perfect us tge ebent if the good
9. Life's two most important questions are "why?" and "Why not?" The trick is knowing which one to ask
10. Our greatest strengths are our greatest weaknesses
11. The most secure prisons are those we construct for ourselves
12. The problems of the elderly are frequently serious but seldem interesting
13. Happiness is the ultimate risk
14. True love is the apple of Eden
15. Only bad things happen quickly
16. Not all who wonder are lost
17. Unrequited love is painful but not romantic
18. There is noting more pointless, or common, than doing the same things and expecting different results
19. We flee from the truth in vain
20. Its a poor idea to lie to oneself
21. We are all prone to the myth of the perfect stranger
22. Love is never lost, not even in death
23. Noboby likes to be told what to do
24. The major advantage of illness is that it provides relief from responsibility
25. We are afraid of the wrong things
26. Parents have limited ability to shape children's behaviour, except fro the worse
27. The only real paradises are those we have lost
28. Of all the forms of courage, the ability to laugh is the most profoundly therapeutic
29. Mental health requires freedom of choice
30. Forgiveness is a form of letting go, but they are not the same thing
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This book emphasize our closest relationships and the things that we do.
'We are what we do' and that while there may be no escaping who we are, we also have the capacity to face loss, misfortune, and regret and to move beyond them - that is not too late.
The clock is ticking and still aren't the person that you would like to be, you should read this book too.
