It's Only Too Late If You Don't Start Now: How to Create Your Second Life at Any Age

A great book for anyone stuck in a rut or looking to make changes in their life. It took me a lot longer to get through this book than I anticipated, but every exercise in self-reflection was worth the effort. There were many truths that were hard to face; but these revelations were necessary in order to arrive at the end-state of exhilaration and freedom. I read this book with friends, and we formed a book club that provided an excellent sounding board and support system for for each other. We often joked that it was better and cheaper than therapy! At some meetings we talked for as long as four hours on one chapter!

Barbara Sher is a genius! This is my favorite book from her. All of her writing is healing, but this one explains how to navigate through a mid-life crisis. Her Humor and Wisdom in this book are invaluable. She also teaches how to get in touch with your inner voice, higher self, and live in a way that honors your talents. A Must Read!

Well, I'm pushing 60 - pushing it pretty hard you might say - and finally decided to give up my workaholic ways and get a life.I bought this book a while back, skimmed it, and put it up on a shelf for "when I had more time". Thank God I finally found some!Barbara Sher is a riot! She's down-to-earth and gives practical advice that actually makes sense. She allowed me to accept that I'm grouchy, sloppy, and no fun before my first cup of coffee - and I can STILL do wonderful things!Certainly, the second chapter of one's life should be the happiest. Barbara, in all her wisdom, gives us a guide on how to get there.What a blessing she is!

I've read all of the reviews here, and felt compelled to add my own two cents' worth. While the author might overly-emphasize the "beauty vs. wisdom" theory, and does dwell too much on her own view that dwindling libido = greater creative opportunities, I'd still recommend this book to anyone at a midlife crossroads. Why? Because it's a solidly helpful book in most respects.When this book was released in 1998, I ordered a copy. I've been a big fan of Sher's for many years. At the time, my career had very unexpectedly stalled. Financial conditions were such that we (my family) had to downsize our home and lifestyle. In addition to those challenges, I had a breast cancer scare with lumpectomy. A few months later, my Dad died. This book was enormously helpful to me at a time when it seemed everything had tilted on axis in my world. Sher truly did help me find answers to the question, "Where do I go from here?"Chapter 3, "Time Limits", was particulalry encouraging. Slapped hard in the face with the concepts of mortality, I began falling into crisis mode. What if my time is cut short? What if I've already run out of time? Those were haunting questions. Burying a parent in the midst of that crisis only served as fuel to the fear. Chapter 3 was enormously valuable in helping me to take some deep breaths, calm down and really explore what finite time had meant **and could mean** to me.Chapter 8, "Escape to Freedom", was another wonderful section that had a profound impact in my life. It's a chapter that I feel would be useful to anyone at any age. That chapter alone is worth the price of the book, and I still review chapters 10 and 11 periodically. Those last chapters brough about significant change in my life. They could for you, too.I only wish Ms. Sher had focussed more on the above-mentioned aspects of her message earlier in the book, because I believe age is something to celebrate, and beauty can glow from the face of a 90 year old. I also believe that most of us hope to enjoy a healthy, active libido right up 'till the day we're planted in the ground.To summarize? If you, like me, can dismiss Sher's personal opinions about (physically) aging, then I believe you'll gain much from the other, more encouraging, insightful & proactive elements of this book.

A wise, insightful book; the title doesn't do it full justice. Ms. Sher confronts, in a plainspoken and sensitive way, the grief, uncertainty and fear one feels as one gets older/grapples with life's challenging questions of 'What now?' and 'Are my best years behind me?' No quick fixes/solutions here, and not a 'new age-y' kind of book, but rather a solid examination of the transitions we go through and how to embrace, rather than deny them. An honest and empathetic book. I highly recommend it.

I had the good fortune in the mid 1980s to attend a workshop by Barbara Sher which changed my life. I met a gal during one of the workshop exercises who is still an important part of my life and my "success team". It was exciting to find Barbara writing again. Barbara Sher thinks writing goals and putting them in front of you may work for some, but it doesn't for her. She gives you practical assignments to help you clarify your stumbling blocks and gain clarity about where you want to go. The book is most helpful if you actually do the exercises. Reading about them is one thing. Implementing them in your life is what it's all about.

Material is very good. The book had another persons writing inside with a phone number and names.

Sher delivers an upfront, honest, down-to-earth look at Midlife. I turned 40 not too long ago, and hadn't thought about midlife (consciously) yet. I have been, however, very stressed and frustrated. I've started wondering, "Is this it? Is this all there is? What have I been working so hard for?"I came across this book and am so glad I gave it a try. Sher discusses the purposes of our "first life", and the biological, emotional and cultural factors that affect us at various stages of our life.Her discussion of midlife (our second life), our illusions, our expectations, and what really is possible was so eye opening to me. Sher's words gave me clarity and hope for new opportunities to live the life I've always been striving for.I highly recommend this book.

it's only too late ifyou don't start now. so true.Stop waiting for a better day, to live your dreams. Start now discovering and doing what you love!Barbara Sher's message is so clear. She was so right and is so helpful with her pracitcal coaching-style. She would be 88 by now. This book is still up to date, helpful and also available in German (Für Deine Träume ist es nie zu spät) but I perferethe english title.

Entering middle age need not be saddening at all. It can be one of the most promising and wonderful times of your life. This book written by the author shows you how you can turnaround your life, no matter what happened in the past. Good reading, especially for those approaching forty or more.

This is a practical book, full of insights about the mid-life crisis in which most of us find, or have found, or will find, ourselves, and good advice on how to deal with it and - most importantly - how to get past it. Barbara Sher doesn't preach, it's like having a wise and experienced (which she is) friend talking you through things. There are exercise to do, which, if you're serious about getting through and surviving the mid-point of your life and enjoying what follows it, you really should do as you'll get a lot out of them. I first read this book a long time ago and didn't do the exercises - wish I had - but now I'm over that crisis I can appreciate and trust the wisdom of this book. Looking back, I can see that everything she says is true and that although there are some things you can't and shouldn't try to fight (like biology), nevertheless there are strategies for surviving it all, and there are also ways of planning for the second life which will suddenly come when you're through the troubled passage of your mid-life. Read this, do the work, and you'll be prepared for it when it hits you - your second life! But - start now.

Wow, she's gave me lots to think about. It's like she's been here watching my every move, and she also knows what I'm thinking. Excellent book, if you're feeling lost, and wondering the 'now what'.

I like the conversational style of writing and the written exercises led me to many new insights into myself.