Halftime: Moving from Success to Significance Author: Bob P. Buford | Language: English | ISBN:
0310284244 | Format: EPUB
Halftime: Moving from Success to Significance Description
Amazon.com Review
According to Bob Burford, broaching midlife doesn't have to be a crisis. In fact, in
Half Time, Burford insists that it is actually an opportunity to begin the better half of life. The first half is busy with "getting and gaining, earning and learning," doing what you can to survive, while clawing your way up the ladder of success. The second half of life should be about regaining control, calling your own shots, and enjoying "God's desire ... for you to serve him just by being who you are, by using what he gave you to work with." What lies between the two is "halftime." Buford argues that whether you are a millionaire, a manager, or a teacher, you will one day have to transition from the struggle for success to the quest for significance. Halftime, then, is a quiet time of deliberate decision-making, restructuring, and passionate contemplation of your heart's deepest desires. Buford's writing is grounded in the real-life experience of success and failure, and most poignantly, the death of his son. While he has led a very successful life in the eyes of the world, Buford's personal stories reveal that his faith in Christ is his central priority. Instead of a transition to be feared, Buford makes midlife an introspective journey of abundance that will unleash God's best for you.
--Jill Heatherly --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Review
"According to Bob Buford, the first half of life is a quest for success, the second is a quest for significance. Bob should know; he has achieved the first and is showing us the latter. You'll find this book to be unique, inspiring, and practical. Read it and finish strong!" --
Max Lucado, Author of When God Whispers Your Name"Bob Buford is one of those rare individuals who has made the transition from focusing on success to focusing on significance. This book will show you how to make the rest of your life the best of your life. I want every man in my congregation to read this inspiring story!" --
Dr. Rick Warren, Pastor, Saddleback Valley Community Church, Author of The Purpose-Driven Church --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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- Hardcover: 224 pages
- Publisher: Zondervan; Rev Upd edition (December 28, 2008)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0310284244
- ISBN-13: 978-0310284246
- Product Dimensions: 1 x 5.4 x 8.4 inches
- Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
Buford's concept of "Halftime," an arbitrary time in one's life when he or she moves from thinking about success to thinking about significance, describes an important process for people to regular go through. He advocates thinking about what is really important and then making adjustments to pursue that one thing and to subordinate all other things in life to that item. The short version of this idea is what the character Curly (Jack Parlance I think) in the movie City Slickers suggests to Billy Crystal's character. Remember him holding up his finger and saying "This one thing." Buford uses that as an example of what he is promoting in his book. He then elaborates with suggestions resembling most motivational and success-oriented types of books.
The flaws in this book include the fact that Buford is continuously and overwhelmingly self congratulatory about his accomplishments, success, wealth, status, who he knows, talents, offerings, etc. Rarely does a page go by on which he does not remind us of how successful he is. I think all of his anecdotes include his success or this or that CEO friend. This undermines the message of the book, because it is off-putting and distracting, even though the author has clearly adjusted his life to help people; the emphasis on altruism is a major theme of the book. He just pats himself on the back quite often.
The focus on wealth and success in the "first half" of life makes the idea of a second half seem like something only for the rich and comfortable who can make changes without making sacrifices. It also conveys a false assumption that one must pursue and gain success and wealth before shifting toward selflessness. Why not forego the first half self-centeredness and play the second half gameplan from the begining?
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