Our guest, Dr. Andrew Thorn, discusses his latest book, U-wun-ge-lay-ma: A Guide To Next Level Living. The book invites you to ponder your path to perfection. It is based on the ideas that growth is more powerful than change, behaviors are more important than competencies and questions are more valuable than answers.
Dr. Thorn is an executive coach who provides behavioral based leadership strategies to individuals who are seeking to bring their personal and professional responsibilities into full harmony. In this week’s interview, he first explains the reason for the intriguing title of his book, which comes from an African fable. He uses the title to set up a metaphor for the personal leadership concepts discussed in his book. He discusses the importance of envisioning the second half of life, but finds that even very successful people need help with facing the transitions of mid life. Midlife is often when we ask ourselves, “Is this all there really is?” and the quest to find purpose and meaning becomes even more important. Dr. Thorn also shares some of the key factors in leading a fulfilling life. For example, he defines purpose as “who do I want to be?” rather than “what do I do?” So rather than being defined by what we do, ask instead, “who do I want to be now, before I die?”
Midlife also is a time of reflecting upon our legacy, once we determine what it is. Dr. Thorn believes the purpose of life is to learn and grow from our experiences. We learn and grow the most in the face of adversity. For more information, please visit http://www.andrewthorn.com.