AfterLIFE: Waking Up from My American Dream

by Carlo Pietro Sanfilippo

Overview

If you are ready to take your life in a different direction, AfterLIFE will inspire you to realize you can do it. No matter what kind of life you are trying to create, AfterLIFE: Waking Up from My American Dream tells a real-life story about stepping into your true self. It empowers the reader to live with purpose and to know that change is possible. With introspection and honesty, AfterLIFE tells a story of transformation in a way that gives the reader a sense that this is their journey

Carlo Sanfilippo spent many years living what he thought was the American Dream. A prescribed path of college, marriage, kids, a house, and all of the things he was supposed to have and do. But missing was a life where he felt authentic, fulfilled, and in control. It took a series of devastating losses for Carlo to realize that he was living a half-life. In the aftermath of those events, he discovered a path that would set him on a journey of jumping off the hamster wheel, and creating a life filled with discovery, mental release, spiritual delight, and new mastery.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781735802121
Publisher:	Stonebrook Pub.
Publication date:	11/19/2020
Pages:	160
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.34(d)

About the Author

Carlo Pietro Sanfilippo spent the last twenty-five years working as a financial planner. Like many professionals, he was convinced that the pursuit of the American Dream was the answer to the purpose of life. Feeling unfulfilled, he grappled with the weight of unhappiness until life's events forced him to make changes. Carlo set out on a journey of introspection and self-discovery that immediately led to personal, emotional, and spiritual growth. He emerged with a happier life and a story to share with those who are seeking to live out loud and with purpose but don't know how to begin.Carlo is a Saint Louis native and a father of two sons. He has a passion for travel, language, art, culture, and history, and he's perpetually learning about these topics through books and experience. When he can't be in Italy among the olive trees, art, or ruins, he's transported there through the study of history. You can read more about Carlo and his upbeat Podcast called It's the Journey by visiting his website at https://carloblog.com.

Editorial Reviews

03/08/2021

Sanfilippo’s debut reconstructs his life story, approaching it with focused intention, self-understanding, and joy -- and using it as an example to inspire others to get off autopilot. After a divorce and the loss of both parents, Sanfilippo realized that the apparent triumph of having accumulated the hallmarks of success—the house, the car, a booming financial planning business—were not the manifestation of his true dreams. Instead, they stood only as remnants of the life he thought he was supposed to live. AfterLIFE recounts his diving into art, mprov, travel, and therapy, and finally finding what he feels is authentic growth and deep satisfaction with his world.

Sanfilippo writes straightforward and relatable prose that persuasively communicates the delight he now finds in building furniture, performing with others, and connecting with clients. He’s less successful, though, when framing his story as practical advice for readers. The book at times occupies an uncertain no-man’s-land between letting Sanfilippo’s experience passively serve as an inspiration and offering a self-help guidebook with structured lessons. Readers with fewer resources and opportunities than Sanfilippo may feel disappointed that much of his advice targets reasonably well-off people whose challenges come primarily from internal expectations and not outside factors.

Sanfilippo powerfully affirms the value of a “mid-life crisis”—a process of realignment that too often is culturally minimized—and of the possibility of finding new meaning and ways to relate to others. Some suggestions in the memoir expose parochialism, such as his assertion that, when out of the country, saying “please” and “thank you” in a foreign language yields special treatment to someone perceived to be respecting culture. His elevation of the “yes and” concept from improv to life philosophy is broadly applicable, as is his belief that being unhappy does one’s children no favors, but Sanfilippo’s chief strength is his skillful grounding of personal experiences in self-love and self-trust, with an air of vulnerability that will appeal to readers.

Takeaway: Adult readers discovering that the “American Dream” is not offering satisfaction will find Sanfilippo’s story a gentle nudge for pursuing personal growth.

Great for fans of: Julia Cameron’s It’s Never Too Late to Begin Again, Patricia Ryan Madson’s Improv Wisdom

Production grades Cover: A Design and typography: A Illustrations: N/A Editing: A Marketing copy: B

BookLife Reviews

"In a genre that is absolutely saturated with books from those who have gone through transformations and want to share their journey with others, After Life, stands out among the clutter. It is well-written, brutally honest, and engaging without being preachy." "This is one of the best self-help/memoirs readers will have encountered in a long time." ~ Booklife Reviews

"AfterLIFE is an insightful memoir that takes readers on an enlightening journey of self-discovery with an immersive story you will not soon forget. What makes this different from many other self-help books is it's real and practical. He took seemingly small but highly influential decisions that turned his life around. And the best part is a lot of these choices revolved around him becoming more self-aware and changing his mindset. You can actually try the things Carlo did by adapting them to the context of your situation." -Literary Titan



"Afterlife: Waking Up From My American Dream by Carlo Pietro P Sanfilippo is a beautiful book about hope and dreams and finding happiness. I loved reading this book because the author used a brilliant mix of varying emotional graphs such as loss and grief interlaced with happy and hopeful moments. This book felt very true and spoke to me on a level that I wasn't expecting. I would definitely recommend this book to each and every one as it has so much to offer." -The Reading Bud Review

"I strongly recommend this book to anyone searching for a life of true meaning. You will not be disappointed." ~ Jack Davis, Entrepreneur

"If you are low in joy and high in frustration or stress, you are not living your ideal life. Reading AfterLIFE will provide insight and maybe even a compass-like direction that leads to living a fulfilling life." ~ Dan Davis, CFP® President & Co-founder, ADK Wealth Advisory Group

"I found myself on personal journey into my inner being where I reflected on Carlo's words and was transformed and changed by them." ~ Ali Tataryn, Artist, coach, facilitator

From the Publisher