About Wayne Lehrer
I have prepared my whole life for this moment. Successes, failures, self-care, and eventually … Discovering what’s important … now. Learning to let go of what no longer Is. And the steps to take to cultivate Happiness, Joy, Meaning, Intimacy and Fulfillment in mid-to-late-life. This is the groundbreaking message of The Art of Conscious Aging that makes it the Operating Manual for the Third Act.
My qualifications include a lifetime of research into diet, health, exercise, meditation, authentic happiness and finding as well as fulfilling one’s personal purpose. I have studied Oriental Medicine, Meditation with Tibetan masters, trained hundreds to teach Yoga and Mindfulness, offered courses in the U.S. and China in Enlightened Living and Authentic Happiness, experimented with every “healthy” diet, designed Museums, World Fairs and Theme Parks, was an Imax filmmaker, Entrepreneur, Executive Retreat leader, painter, stone-sculptor, and authored books on discovering your life’s purpose and aging, The Prodigy Within: The Quest to Discover One’s Life Purpose (for late-bloomers and other seekers), and The Art of Conscious Aging: The Operating Manual for an Extraordinary Third Act
… AND with all of this still managed to “crash” as I arrived in my 60’s on the doorstep of my Third Act.
I was overcome, for the first time in my life, with an existential fear, depression and hopelessness that were so much more than what my therapist categorized as “common depression.” As conventional therapy unsuccessfully attempted to treat my condition, it occurred to me I was dead center in what I came to identify as my — Third Act Identity Crisis. I realized that I and my contemporaries, were facing a transition much like the Identity Crisis we faced in our twenties. The primary difference was this one had not been identified, acknowledge or understood. I realized that we, the Baby-boomers, were the first generation to face this transition, and had no road maps, real-world support and few, if any, legitimate role models to guide us through this Rite of Passage.
I found that if I was going to have any success navigating this, I would have to question every one of my (and society’s) beliefs about an aging body and mind, retirement, and the values that will really matter to me in my Third Act. I was going to have to find acceptance when everything I had come to define as “I” or “Me,” was no longer applicable — let alone true. I would have to decide whether I could find or manufacture the energy, courage, support and wisdom to actually make it to this new place, — a Meaningful and Extraordinary Third Act.
With the help of some courageous sages, elders and friends, who have shared their wisdom and personal journeys, regarding Conscious Aging and their Third Act Identity Crisis, I’ve been able to organize and document what appears in this book. In addition I’ve applied the tools, skills and knowledge I’ve spent a lifetime learning and mastering — meditation, diet, exercise, the knowledge gained from Twelve Step programs, coaching and leading seminars — into an Operating Manual that will help you fulfill your Third Act potential and help me to fulfill my Calling as a thought leader in The Art of Conscious Aging.
And now I would like to share what I have learned with you. I believe this book to be the Operating Manual for the New Third Act — a time of authentic happiness, conscious relationships, collaboration, community, and discovering a purpose that has meaning to you. As we make this transition, we gain the ability to lessen our own suffering, increase our joy and serenity, and share our gifts with family, friends and a world in need of our unique contribution.