My book, “Wisdom@Work: The Making of a Modern Elder,” came out in September 2018 and one day later, I found out that I had stage one prostate cancer. My colleague and close friend Debra was there with me at a TED speaker’s dinner when I got the unsettling news less than 24 hours before I was giving a TED talk on the topic of my new book.
The months that followed were a blur. MEA’s public workshops opened in Baja less than a month and a half later, but I canceled much of my book tour because I was feeling lost. The book got great reviews and sold a lot of copies, but I always felt it underperformed because I wasn’t in the right state to be the messenger of that intergenerational collaboration message.
Five years and four months later, I faced stage three prostate cancer, was on hormone depletion therapy, was doing 36 radiation sessions in two months, and was helping guide the opening of our Santa Fe campus (with nearly twice the capacity of Baja). And, a day after I finished my radiation, I was starting my book tour of “Learning to Love Midlife: 12 Reasons Why Life Gets Better With Age.” Sounds like a train wreck, right? Nope.
As I said to my editor the other day (who purchased and edited both books), even though my diagnosis and medical treatments are far more concerning and disorienting today than they were in 2018, I felt more centered and emotionally ready for this book launch than I did a few years ago. Part of it is due to the fact that I’d digested the news of my health condition and wasn’t in shock. Part of it is due to the fact I feel so much love and support from all of you. Part of it is due to the fact that the more I face death (which we all have to do), the more clearly committed I am to living my life fully.
In sum, I’m proud to say that in the opening week for the book, “Learning to Love Midlife” rose to the #7 book – of all kinds – on Amazon and was, in fact, the #1 Happiness and Self-Help book in the world (see below). Thanks to all of you, the MEA team and my book launch team. And, thanks for leaving an Amazon or Good Reads review.
Our emotional state has a huge impact on our performance. When I launched “Wisdom@Work,” I was so focused on my future health that I wasn’t truly present. This time, with a substantially more active book tour coming off nearly two months of radiation, I’ve felt grounded, present, and ready to be a conduit for this important midlife message. My purpose in 2018 was to stay alive. My purpose in 2024 is to be alive.
-Chip