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Changing with Aging: Little Stories, Big Lessons
Don Kuhl, founder of The Change Companies®, shares the 10 big lessons he learned throughout life's little moments.
We all have one thing in common. We’re getting older – and that’s a good thing. In Changing with Aging , Don Kuhl, founder of The Change Companies, shares 10 big lessons he has learned through a lifetime of love, courage and misadventures.
Don Kuhl has brought inspiration and transformation to millions by creating Interactive Journals that help people reflect on where they’ve been, where they are, and where they wish to go. Now it's Kuhl's turn to share his stories of growing older and the wisdom he has gained along the way.
Before he founded The Change Companies, Kuhl managed motel properties, started several sports publications, worked in college and health care administrations, and launched about a dozen corporations. Some of them failed miserably, a few flourished.
From his unique perspective, Kuhl touches upon themes of gratitude, taking risks, appreciating the ordinary, and remaining open to all possibilities, giving readers a glimpse of living life to its fullest at every age.
We all have one thing in common. We’re getting older – and that’s a good thing. In Changing with Aging , Don Kuhl, founder of The Change Companies, shares 10 big lessons he has learned through a lifetime of love, courage and misadventures.
Don Kuhl has brought inspiration and transformation to millions by creating Interactive Journals that help people reflect on where they’ve been, where they are, and where they wish to go. Now it's Kuhl's turn to share his stories of growing older and the wisdom he has gained along the way.
Before he founded The Change Companies, Kuhl managed motel properties, started several sports publications, worked in college and health care administrations, and launched about a dozen corporations. Some of them failed miserably, a few flourished.
From his unique perspective, Kuhl touches upon themes of gratitude, taking risks, appreciating the ordinary, and remaining open to all possibilities, giving readers a glimpse of living life to its fullest at every age.
224 pages, Hardcover
Published September 6, 2022
1 person is currently reading
4 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
January 25, 2023
If there is one thing that is guaranteed to happen in life, that is aging. We are all adding years to our lives. Every birthday celebration, anniversary, or remembrance of a milestone. In an honest assessment of life as well as a determination to make the best out of the years we have, author Don Kuhl shares stories and insights as he deals with the topic of aging. He does that through stories and snippets of life as he knows it. At 73 years old now, he provides us with his own set of reflections about the ups and downs of life, and in this book, about aging. He shares about his family, generously providing photos from his personal collection. He looks back at his life as a son, a husband, a father, an entrepreneur, and a friend to many. With a strong desire to share lessons from his past misadventures, he set up a company in 1988 called "The Change Companies" to help others learn of and tell their stories. This book is his own story to help inspire the rest of us to do the same. The ten chapters of this book follow a somewhat chronological journey of the author's own life. With each recollection, Kuhl often relates his stories with wittiness and wisdom. He urges us to play back our memories often. Even when some of these memories are disappointments, these are the memories that make us who we are today. He tells us not to take life too seriously but to learn to play from time to time. From playing pranks to surprises, we not only learn to inject humour but also stay sane in a crazy world. On family and loved ones, he reminds us to cherish them and to give our best. The short stories and snippets make this book a delightful read and quietly encourages us to do the same with our own lives.
My Thoughts
From birth to mid-life, and from adulthood to retirement, there are many lessons we can pick up for ourselves. As the title of the book suggests, we change. People change. The same ones we know yesterday are not necessarily the same today. It is in learning how to reflect and revisit our past can we appreciate the things that had happen to us. We focus on the positive when we take stock of all the circumstances and facts surrounding the decisions we made. It is not the failures in life that define us. In fact, not even the successes will define us adequately. It is how we pick up from our failures and how we humble ourselves in the successes that define us. It is the difficult decisions we make that make us who we are today. As far as this book's theme is concerned, it is in remembering the life we have lived and being able to learn from them that will define us today and energize us for tomorrow. We all age. With age comes the ability to join the dots of our life in order to form a picture of us. The chapters in this book are brief. Sometimes it ends with a question to make us ponder about what if a different decision or event happened. We might not know the answer but at least it challenges our imaginations.
Perhaps, when we learn to tell and retell our own stories from the past, we learn the lessons of the decisions we have made. While we might not change the past, we can definitely learn from them and to apply the wisdom of old toward the future. We can also pass down our lessons to the next generation or like what Don Kuhl has done, record our stories in a book.
Don Kuhl founded The Change Companies® in 1988. Since launching this company, Don has worked with approximately 150 agencies and corporations to tailor Interactive Journals to serve unique populations. His collaborative efforts in Substance Use, Justice Services, Impaired Driving, Healthcare and Education have consistently focused on helping individuals begin the process of positive personal change.
Earlier in his career, Don worked in many industries including hotel management, publishing, higher education administration and healthcare business development. Along the way, he created numerous companies, experiencing both successes and failures. He has his M.S. degree from Iowa State University.
Rating: 3.75 stars of 5.
conrade
This book has been provided courtesy of Health Communications Inc and NetGalley without requiring a positive review. All opinions offered above are mine unless otherwise stated or implied.
My Thoughts
From birth to mid-life, and from adulthood to retirement, there are many lessons we can pick up for ourselves. As the title of the book suggests, we change. People change. The same ones we know yesterday are not necessarily the same today. It is in learning how to reflect and revisit our past can we appreciate the things that had happen to us. We focus on the positive when we take stock of all the circumstances and facts surrounding the decisions we made. It is not the failures in life that define us. In fact, not even the successes will define us adequately. It is how we pick up from our failures and how we humble ourselves in the successes that define us. It is the difficult decisions we make that make us who we are today. As far as this book's theme is concerned, it is in remembering the life we have lived and being able to learn from them that will define us today and energize us for tomorrow. We all age. With age comes the ability to join the dots of our life in order to form a picture of us. The chapters in this book are brief. Sometimes it ends with a question to make us ponder about what if a different decision or event happened. We might not know the answer but at least it challenges our imaginations.
Perhaps, when we learn to tell and retell our own stories from the past, we learn the lessons of the decisions we have made. While we might not change the past, we can definitely learn from them and to apply the wisdom of old toward the future. We can also pass down our lessons to the next generation or like what Don Kuhl has done, record our stories in a book.
Don Kuhl founded The Change Companies® in 1988. Since launching this company, Don has worked with approximately 150 agencies and corporations to tailor Interactive Journals to serve unique populations. His collaborative efforts in Substance Use, Justice Services, Impaired Driving, Healthcare and Education have consistently focused on helping individuals begin the process of positive personal change.
Earlier in his career, Don worked in many industries including hotel management, publishing, higher education administration and healthcare business development. Along the way, he created numerous companies, experiencing both successes and failures. He has his M.S. degree from Iowa State University.
Rating: 3.75 stars of 5.
conrade
This book has been provided courtesy of Health Communications Inc and NetGalley without requiring a positive review. All opinions offered above are mine unless otherwise stated or implied.
January 4, 2023
I expected this book to be a lot more structured and a bit more chronological. It feels very disjointed, and the wisdom and lessons learned felt few and far between.
Don encourages one to write down what they’ve done for the sake of their grandchildren. I agree with this practice, and I think this book will mean the world to his grandchildren and his future descendants. As someone who has never read his blog and does not know him personally, it did not mean that much to me.
It’s a lot of personal musings and stories, very similar to the way a grandparent talks in real life, just going from one random story to the next with no segue or connection. That can work in face-to-face conversation, but it did not serve the book well.
There were a few rare nuggets of wisdom to be found, and I most enjoyed the end when he became more focused on his own mortality. I appreciate his mention of a few particular books I have now added to my to-read list.
Thank you, NetGalley and HCI books for the ARC!
Don encourages one to write down what they’ve done for the sake of their grandchildren. I agree with this practice, and I think this book will mean the world to his grandchildren and his future descendants. As someone who has never read his blog and does not know him personally, it did not mean that much to me.
It’s a lot of personal musings and stories, very similar to the way a grandparent talks in real life, just going from one random story to the next with no segue or connection. That can work in face-to-face conversation, but it did not serve the book well.
There were a few rare nuggets of wisdom to be found, and I most enjoyed the end when he became more focused on his own mortality. I appreciate his mention of a few particular books I have now added to my to-read list.
Thank you, NetGalley and HCI books for the ARC!
September 14, 2022
His stories always make me smile, laugh (often both), ponder, and reflect on my life! I always feel better and find more joy within myself after reading them.
Don has an incredible knack for writing with brevity. Each story of his life floods my mind with vivid memories of my own. Even the not-so-happy moments make me smile because he always puts a positive spin on them.
I have never met Don. But, from reading his writings, it seems like I know him as a dear old friend.
His real friends are very lucky people.
If you want to reflect, ponder, smile and laugh, I highly recommend this book!
Rick Fink
South Dakota
Don has an incredible knack for writing with brevity. Each story of his life floods my mind with vivid memories of my own. Even the not-so-happy moments make me smile because he always puts a positive spin on them.
I have never met Don. But, from reading his writings, it seems like I know him as a dear old friend.
His real friends are very lucky people.
If you want to reflect, ponder, smile and laugh, I highly recommend this book!
Rick Fink
South Dakota
September 2, 2022
Don Kuhl's CHANGING WITH AGING is a personal and thought provoking book about a life spent in service, in wonder, in observing and considering the people around him. As I read, I felt like I was sharing coffee with a stranger becoming a friend with each story, with each bit of hard-won success and triumph and tough, baffling times. I finished the stories with a smile on my face, feeling smarter and heartened by his frank, plainspoken, and hard-hitting tales. I received a copy of this book and these opinions are my own, unbiased thoughts.
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September 24, 2022In the contemporary literary field awash with lectures, opinion and directives, Don Kuhl’s Changing with Aging offers a candid and poignant array of interesting and relatable life lessons shared from a very personal perspective. Readers will be left with an understanding that we have much more in common than we previously assumed.
September 14, 2022
Excellent book of real life adventures and lessons learned. The stories make me laugh and cry, sometimes at the same time. Wonderfully written.
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December 17, 2023All our stories are carried by the minds and memories of all the people we’ve met and loved. They live on through those they inspire to carry on the good fight of becoming the best versions of ourselves. The author has a gift for storytelling, allowing the audience to join his most treasured moments in life. He reminds us it’s both the big stuff and the little stuff that make up this one wild and precious life.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews