“I never knew life could be this hard.” “I thought things would be okay when I turned 40, but why do I keep falling apart?”
Professor Lee Ho-seon, a leading middle-aged mentor in Korea, shares his "self-care" skills for those in their 30s and 40s who are struggling.

Author Ho-seon Lee, a leading middle-aged mentor in Korea, has published "The Art of Forty" for readers in their 30s and 40s who are experiencing anxiety and uncertainty in their 40s.
Professor Lee Ho-seon researches and lectures on the lives of middle-aged and elderly people, and has discovered the attitudes and insights essential for middle-aged Koreans. He has appeared on various TV and radio programs, such as '15 Minutes to Change the World' and 'Divorce Consideration Camp', to share life know-how for middle-aged people.
This book is a collection of 30 life advice pieces that the author, after meeting countless middle-aged people, realized that 'the 40s are a time to complete one's life, but at the same time, a time of anxiety and uncertainty.' This book helps people live firmly, finding their center based on their own standards, rather than living in an anxious and uncertain 40s.


Many people think that they will live a stable life when they turn 40.
But the 40s are a more shaky time than any other time.
Based on the generational characteristics and social roles of those in their 40s, the author examines why people in their 40s feel particularly anxious, and further suggests ways to appropriately manage anxiety and lead stable lives.
As you enter middle age, you will face concerns such as whether it is too late to build a harmonious family, why do people around you leave you as you get older, what should you do when your irritation becomes unbearable, etc. Based on these concerns, you will look back on your thoughts, feelings, actions, relationships, and character in middle age and find ways to live a wise and happy middle age life through the author's clear advice.

I hope that with this book, you will live a life that flutters and dances instead of a life that sways with anxiety, and a life that digs for happiness instead of a life buried in unhappiness.
I hope you will bear your own fruit in your forties, the hottest age.

--- p.13, from “Prologue”

The size of the mental playground is different for each person.
Some people have a large mental playground, others have a small one, and the only way to expand that playground is to have an adult attitude.
And to have an adult attitude, you need a variety of knowledge and culture.
--- p.36-37, from “The real answer is hidden in ‘one letter’”

Siblings have a sufficient relationship simply by looking at each other with a level eye and sharing each other's big and small events related to their parents and each other's congratulations and condolences.
When it comes to giving condolence money or gifts, if you give a little more than you would in other relationships, you can say that you are a pretty good sibling relationship.

--- p.91-92, from “The more you hate to see your brothers and sisters, the harder you should cheer them on.”

From two people who have lived completely different lives deciding to fall in love and live together to finding ways to adjust as they live together, nothing is easy. There will be days when you applaud your decision to live together, but there will also be days when you feel like your marriage was a waste of time.
If you want to spend happy times with the people you love and cherish the most, try to make your days filled with joy rather than regret.
I hope you can continue your happy relationship by respecting your loved one's territory, preparing small events that make you laugh together, and adjusting to each other's pace.

--- p.101, from “How a Couple Who Fights Every Day and Loses Their Love Can Live Like Newlyweds Again”

Unlike those who receive cheers and attention, there are also those who are quietly popular, even if they are not aware of it.
Even though it may not shine brightly, it is a ‘little star’ that shines faithfully every day.
We may not have any innate talent or extraordinary abilities.
If you have those things, 'Thank you!' But if you don't, let's polish our own charms and abilities and shine our own light.

--- p.143, from “Don’t be obsessed with popularity in this life”

Do you call your parents often? Are you afraid of their nagging, so much so that you can't even pick up the phone? Sometimes, after much deliberation, you muster up the courage to call, but even a short conversation can be difficult.
My parents' repertoire is always the same.
Just like the dialogue in the movie "Memories of Murder," when a casual question like "Have you been eating?" sounds like a rebuke like "Where the hell are you and what are you doing?" rather than a concern, the phone call ends in a sharp conversation.

--- p.168-169, from “If this is going to happen, don’t call your parents”

People all say that they are not mature yet, that they are not adults yet.
But once I turn 40, people around me start treating me like an adult.
You are no longer young, and your position at work is not low, so I expect you to do your job appropriately.
Just because you get older doesn't mean you become an adult.
Adults are determined by their roles, not their age.
--- p.175, from “Growing older doesn’t mean you become an adult”

The most important reason to change at forty is because you want to.
If you've read this far, you definitely want to change your life after forty.
If you want to change, you must repeat internal memorization by underlining, repeating words, writing phrases on social media, and sharing your thoughts with others.
I hope and pray that this forty will be meaningful to me, that it will be a new horizon for me, that my forty will not be light, and that my forties will be full of fruit as I read this sentence.
With that kind of patience, desire, and will, your forties will definitely be beautiful.

--- p.199-200, from “If you want to change by the time you’re forty, start changing today”