The Art of Happiness.


My friend Arthur Brooks, who is working on a book on the curse of success based upon many of the principles we talk about at MEA (challenge of letting go of one’s identity, being defined by ego), has a podcast called The Art of Happiness based upon his exceptionally popular Harvard University class.

He recently interviewed me about what we can learn about the second half of life. While we didn’t riff into politics – as we have varied points of view there – we did a pretty deep dive on the philosophical, spiritual, and social science relevance of why midlife and beyond is such a rich and generative time of our lives. Hope you enjoy it.

P.S. Here’s a couple gifts celebrating midlife for you. I watched “The 40-Year Version” last night and loved it. FYOV: Find Your Own Voice. Warning: not for everyone. And, here’s a NYT Op-Ed on “A Middle-Aged Christmas”…I’m a sucker for Jimmy Stewart “It’s a Wonderful Life.” Lastly, I’m looking forward to watching Pixar’s new film “Soul” that debuts on Christmas Day as it addresses many of the subjects we consider at MEA. Watch out “Coco,” this might become our new MEA Friday night slumber party flick. Your dreams do not have an expiration date.

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