Wake Up With Purpose!

What I’ve Learned in my First Hundred Years

By: Jean Dolores Schmidt, Seth Davis

Narrated by: Devon O'day, Sister Jean Delores Schmidt

Known to millions as simply "Sister Jean," the Loyola Chicago matriarch and college basketball icon invites you into her remarkable memoir filled with history, wonder, and common-sense wisdom for this century and beyond.

As the late Sister Jean wisely says, "I've seen so many changes in the last 102 years, but the important things remain the same."

Part life story, part philosophy text, and part spiritual guide, Sister Jean's wit, wisdom, and common sense has broad appeal and application that transcends religious creed, belief, and even feelings on Loyola's basketball team.

Along with her collaborator Seth Davis, an award-winning writer, broadcaster and New York Times best-selling author, Wake Up with Purpose! lets you experience:

• Sister Jean's words and her spirit.
• her sharp sense of humor.
• life lessons gleaned from one hundred years of living.
• universal themes that connect us all.
• priceless wisdom.

The driving force inside Wake Up with Purpose! is the narrative of Sister Jean's fascinating life--from teaching at a Catholic school during the Second World War to serving on a Chicago college campus in the sixties and beyond to cheering from the sidelines of a men's basketball tournament in March 2018.

As you learn about Sister Jean's century-long life, you'll feel just like the Loyola students do when they knock on her office door, plop down in a chair, and ask if she would have time to chat, an activity that she still does daily.

Critic reviews

'The 103-year-old nun, famed for her courtside presence at multiple NCAA men's basketball tournaments, serves up anecdotally driven lessons for life. 'Thank you, God, for all our blessings and the chance to serve You. But goodness gracious, can't we make March Madness just once?' So writes Sister Jean.'

The amount of history the memoir encompasses is staggering, from the dropping of the atomic bomb to Black Lives Matter protests. Throughout the book, Sister Jean intersperses lessons and advice that helped her meet a century's worth of challenges and change. She preaches tolerance, diversity, open dialogue, face-to-face communication, morning prayer and waking up with purpose. They are her secrets to a long life well-lived, easy and applicable to anyone looking to have a life even half as long, full and meaningful as hers has been.

Heart warming and encouraging!

Thank you, Sister Jean! Your book brought me lots of smiles and joy. May God continue to bless your life.

Great Inspiration

Interesting memoir of a 103 year old nun. I think if ANYONE lives to be at least 100, they should all write a book and we should all read it. In Sister Jean's case, I think part of her "secret to longevity" is that she has a positive attitude, she is adaptable to whatever circumstance or position she is assigned, she surrounds herself with and interacts with youth, she progresses with technology rather than fight it. Of course, we could all probably add a few decades on to our life if we didn't have children/spouses (I don't mean that in a negative way-just that she had one thing to focus on; serving God).

I didn't agree with her politics that she implemented in the last few chapters, but when you are 103 years old, you have earned the right to share your beliefs with everyone (even if it's championing BLM). I highly recommend this book for anyone striving to live a long fruitful life. We need to listen to everyone who has attained just that.

Get to know an icon.

Enjoyable life story that covers sooo much history. We can all certainly profit from her example.
Well written and read.

wake up with purpose

Loved everything about this book. What a life. what an inspiration to all of us.

A Relaxing. light read

I enjoyed listening to this story with a little laughter and the golden rule shared in so many Ways!