How My New Book Will Help Your Kids Live Longer

I have a few yes or no questions for all the parents out there:

1. Do you want your kids to live longer?
2. Do you want your children to lose their memory?
3. Are you a happier parent when your kids sleep better?

If you answered yes, no, yes, then continue reading. If you answered any other combination, then it is time to rethink your parenting strategy.

Getting your kids to live longer, keep their mental health, and get more sleep sounds difficult, but it is possible. And I have a magic formula…

My new book, Maury C. Moose and The Ninja Worrier.

Okay, so maybe the book itself may not have magical powers, but the book’s message is powerful. What is this message, you ask? The story is all about finding your purpose.

Why We Need Purpose

Viktor Frankl, author of one of my favorite books, Man’s Search For Meaning, once said:

Life is never made unbearable by circumstances, but only by lack of meaning and purpose.”

Frankl, an Austrian neurologist and psychiatrist, made this discovery as an Auschwitz concentration camp inmate during World War II. This was a horrific time during which he lost his wife, his mother, his brother and many friends.

Life was about as miserable as one could imagine. No one would have faulted Frankl for giving up. But he did not. Mainly because, despite his many losses, Frankl did not lose one thing: his purpose.

He found purpose in his approach to psychotherapy and his work of helping others find meaning. This got him through even the most unbearable circumstances.

The Benefits of Finding Our Purpose

Recent studies have found that Frankl was on to something when he touched on the importance of finding meaning. Purpose in life is linked to many positive health outcomes including :

• improved mental health
• happiness
• better sleep
• decreased depression
• improved satisfaction
• personal growth

If that isn’t enough, purpose may even reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s and help us live longer. That is right, finding your purpose may just add a few years to your life.

So How Do We Find Purpose?

I first read Man’s Search For Meaning in college. I was just about to graduate, and was thinking a lot about my future. Learning about what Frankl experienced, discovered and spent the rest of his life teaching others, was eye opening.

Frankl’s book isn’t the only one written about purpose. A quick Goodreads’ search will bring up dozens of titles dealing with the subject. You will find bestsellers from Rick Warren, Brene Brown, and Jack Canfield — authors who have sold hundreds of millions of books.

But you know what you won’t find?

Books for kids.

Like I said, Man’s Search For Meaning is a favorite of mine — I greatly benefited from having read it. But would I ever ask a 9-year-old to read a story about an Auschwitz concentration camp? No way!

Sure, a 9-year-old would definitely benefit from the message of the book, but the packaging is all wrong. It would be like asking a man to learn he is going to be a father by going on the Maury Povich show, rather than having a meaningful conversation with his wife. The result would be scarring and the message would be lost.

So it is clear that books are a great way to teach the importance of purpose, but what do we do if our kids are too young for the mature way the content is presented?

Enter Maury C. Moose and The Ninja Worrier.

My new book touches on the topics of purpose and meaning and does so via rhymes, jokes and by introducing a new character to the whimsical world of Forest Noel. Our new friend, Sam R. Rhino is fresh out of school and looking for what he will do next. He struggles to decide whether to blaze his own path or to follow his famous father.

How will Sam deal with this important decision? Will Maury and Mikey be able to help him find his purpose before it is too late?

These are important topics, yes, but they are framed in a story that children will relate to. By sprinkling in some puns, pictures and practical tips, the kids will enjoy the story and more easily absorb its message.

To get a preview of the story, check out the book’s introduction rhyme:

In his book, Victor Frankl said very much the same thing, only he put it like this:

Everyone has his own specific vocation or mission in life; everyone must carry out a concrete assignment that demands fulfillment. Therein he cannot be replaced, nor can his life be repeated. Thus, everyone’s task is unique as is his specific opportunity to implement it.”

No matter how you put it, the message is a very important one — one that kids (or people of any age) need to hear. If you are a parent, I encourage you to check out the book. Help your kids learn the value of finding their purpose. It may just add a few years to their life.

Find Your Old Green Coat

Years ago, woman named Elizabeth Henson who was doing some housecleaning. She boxed up a bunch of junk from her closet and was taking it to the trashcan when she was stopped by her son. He had spotted an old green coat in the box of rubbish and asked his mother if he could keep it. Although she was a little confused, Elizabeth said yes and gave the coat to her son.

Sometime later, Elizabeth showed his mom why he wanted the jacket. He had taken his scissors, some glue and a few other household items and fashioned a green frog out of the jacket.

Her son, named Jim, called the frog Kermit. That frog went on to date a pig and have a pretty good career.

The world is full of old green jackets. It is up to us to spot them and turn them into something special.

7 Lessons About Finding the Work You Were Meant to Do

Many times, I will read something online and immediately think, “that was great, I wish I wrote it.” I may not have written it, but I can still share it.

Here’s the latest…

7 Lessons About Finding the Work You Were Meant to Do – by Kate Torgovnick May

In a perfect world, “finding your calling” would be a heck of a lot easier. We’d all wake up one day and know exactly what we want to do with the rest of our lives and we’d have a road map with the precise steps to get there.

Unfortunately life isn’t that simple. However, not all is lost for those of us searching for our true identity. We can take a cue from others who have gone through this before us.

One such person is author Dave Isay. In this article for Daily Good, Isay speaks to Kate Torgovnick May about 7 things we can do to find work we love.

Isay says the first thing we should do is change our verb from find to fight.

Finding your calling — it’s not passive. When people have found their calling, they’ve made tough decisions and sacrifices in order to do the work they were meant to do. People who’ve found their calling have a fire about them. They’re the people who are dying to get up in the morning and go do their work.”

Check out the article here for more great thoughts, including why this Venn diagram is so important.