âThis is the book where self-help turns into helping the worldâand then turns back into helping yourself find a better life. Fascinating and timely!ââBill McKibben, author of Eaarth: Making a Life on a Tough New Planet
What does it take to achieve a successful and satisfying life? Not long ago, the answer seemed as simple as following a straightforward path: college, career, house, marriage, kids, and a secure retirement. Not anymore. Staggering student loan debt, sweeping job shortages, a chronically ailing economyâplus the larger issues of global unrest, poverty, and our imperiled environmentâmake the search for fulfillment more challenging. And, as Colin Beavan, activist and author of No Impact Man, proclaims, more exciting.
In this breakthrough book, Beavan extends a hand to those seeking more meaning and joy in life even as they engage in addressing our various world crises. How to Be Alive nudges the unfulfilled toward creating their own version of the Good Lifeâa life where feeling good and doing good intersect. He urges readers to reexamine the âstandard life approachesâ to pretty much everything and to experiment with life choices that are truer to their values, passions, and concerns.
How do you stop placing limits on your potential impact? How do you make your choices really matter in everything from your clothing purchases to your career? How do you find the people who will most support you in your quest for a good life? To answer these questions and more, Beavan draws on classic literature and philosophy; surprising new scientific findings; and the uplifting personal stories of real-life âlifequestersââpeople who are breaking away from those old broken paths, blazing fresh trails, and reveling in every step along the way.
âThere is a movement afoot for a better life and Colin Beavan is its prophet, with a new book as powerful as his already classic No Impact Man.ââJohn de Graaf, coauthor of Affluenza