The Hourglass Solution: A Boomer's Guide to the Rest of Your Life

Time to buckle up, Baby Boomers, and get ready for the rest of the ride - wherever it may take you. And to help us get there, we (OK, I said it) now have some valuable assistance in the form of The Hourglass Solution: A Boomer's Guide to the Rest of Your Life by Jeffrey Johnson and Paula Forman.

According to the authors, "You've focused on your goals, achieved almost everything you had your eye on, and now that you've arrived, you ask yourself: Where am I?

"Many boomers are surprised to find themselves stuck in the middle of the hourglass, constrained by the choices they made earlier in life and downright afraid of the retirement days that stretch ahead. But as the voices in The Hourglass Solution confirm, it’s all a matter of perspective: you can remain stuck in that narrow channel for the rest of your life—or it can be a passage to an expanding future of possibilities."






Johnson and Forman both hold PhDs - Paula in Sociology and Jeff in Psychology - and both are veterans of the upper echelons of the advertising industry.

In The Hourglass Solution, Jeff and Paula tackle the "sense of ennui, fear and confusion that confront many of us who are 50 and older, and offer up stories from those who broke free from the neck of the hourglass."

You’ll meet a successful attorney who’s ready for a life change. You’ll hear from a big-city banker who packs up and moves to Phoenix, to the surprise of friends and family. Also there are stories of a couple looking for ways to reconnect after caring for aging parents, a former accountant who finally does buy that dreamed-of diving shop in Costa Rica, and a couple who downsizes to travel.

Jeff and Paula have created a blog here. You can also contact them via e-mail here.

"We hope you will send us feedback on what topics interest you and perhaps tell us your own story. If you feel “stuck” in mid-life and see few options — we might have ideas. And if you have found an Hourglass Solution we would love to hear about it."

I may just take them up on the offer. Perhaps you should as well.