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The Illusion of Forward Fueling Curiosity for a Well-Lived Life
Paperback
ISBN13: 9781956688788
Publisher: Rock / Paper / Safety Scissors
Published: May 12 2026
Pages: 152
Weight: 0.62
Height: 0.41 Width: 6.00 Depth: 9.00
Language: English
We're told life moves forward.
Work hard. Stay busy. Keep climbing. And somewhere out ahead-just beyond the next goal, the next promotion, the next season of life-happiness is waiting.
But more often than not... it isn't. At least not for long.
In The Illusion of Forward: Fueling Curiosity for a Well-Lived Life, Mark Donnelly, PhD, challenges one of modern life's quiet assumptions: that happiness, meaning, and fulfillment live just beyond the next achievement.
Drawing from psychology, behavioral science, creativity research, and decades of real-world observation, Donnelly offers a grounded alternative to the endless chase for more. This is not a book about reinvention. It's about learning to live more fully inside the life you already have.
Through humor, science, and practical wisdom, readers will learn how to:
- Break free from the exhausting cycle of I'll be happy when...
- Replace willpower with systems that actually work
- Turn guilt from emotional baggage into a catalyst for growth
- Shift from external validation to values-driven confidence
- Recover joy, wonder, and meaning in everyday life
- Build stronger relationships through curiosity and presence
- Protect personal energy and set healthier boundaries
A well-lived life doesn't begin when everything is finally under control.
It begins the moment you stop chasing what's ahead...
...and start getting curious about what's already here.
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