"What brought you the greatest joy? What do you wish you had learned sooner? What ultimately mattered and what didn't?" asks Dr. John Izzo. Based on a highly acclaimed public television series, this book takes the reader on a heartwarming and profound journey to find lasting happiness.
Imagine for a moment that you are about to take a foreign vacation to an exotic destination. You have saved your entire life to travel there. It is a destination with almost unlimited choices of how to spend your time and you know you will not have enough time to explore every opportunity. You are fairly certain that you will never get to take a second trip to this destination; this will be your one opportunity.
Now imagine that someone informs you that there are several people in your neighborhood who have been to that country, explored every corner. Some of them enjoyed the journey and have few regrets, but others wish they could take the trip again knowing what they know now. Would you not invite them over for dinner, ask them to bring their photographs, listen to their stories, and hear their advice?
This is precisely the journey explored in this book. Dr. John Izzo and his colleagues interviewed over 200 people, ages 60-106, who were identified by friends and acquaintances as "the one person they knew who had found happiness and meaning." From town barbers to Holocaust survivors, from aboriginal chiefs to CEOs, these people had over 18,000 years of life experience between them. He asked them questions like, "What brought you the greatest joy? What do you wish you had learned sooner? What ultimately mattered and what didn't?"
Here Izzo shares their stories--funny, moving, and thought-provoking--and the Five Secrets he learned from listening to them. This book will make you laugh, bring you to tears, and inspire you to discover what matters long before you die.
The Five Secrets You Must Discover Before You Die
Description
Table of Contents
Prologue
Chapter One: Why Some People Find Meaning & Die Happy
Chapter Two: Why I Talked to the Town Barber (and 200 other people over Sixty) about Life
Chapter Three: The First Secret: Be True to Yourself
Chapter Four: The Second Secret: Leave No Regrets
Chapter Five: The Third Secret: Become Love
Chapter Six: The Fourth Secret: Live the Moment
Chapter Seven: The Fifth Secret: Give More Than You Take
Chapter Eight: Knowing is Great, But How to Get Going (Putting the Secrets into Practice)
Chapter Nine: Preparing to Die Well: Happy People Are Not Afraid to Die
Chapter Ten: It’s Never Too Late to Live the Secrets
Epilogue
The Secret to Life: In One Sentence or Less
Interviewing Your Own Wise Elders
List of Interviewees
Index
Acknowledgments
About the Author
Author Description
Review Text
This book is rich with anecdotes and insights that broaden your perspective on life and deepen your commitment to live your very best.
Brian Tracy, author of Maximum Achievement, Eat That Frog! and Flight Plan
Instead of wishing at the end of life If I only knew then what I know now you can know it now! This book has incredible wisdom from people who have real perspective.
Marshall Goldsmith, author of What Got You Here Won t Get You There
John Izzo has revealed key fundamental truths from our elders, which he has presented in a way that is absorbing and often moving. This is not just another simple meaning-of-life book; it is a carefully researched and edited exploration of a road map to fulfillment for an era that needs it more than ever. The author infuses personal meaning into each chapter, and we feel as though we are going on a personal journey with him. The journey is joyful, heartfelt, often tearful, moving, but always presented with meaning and purpose.
Janet E. Lapp, Ph.D., psychologist, author, and host of the CBS series Keep Well
Have you ever wanted to sit down with someone who is really wise and ask him or her some fundamental questions about life? How about sitting down with more than 200 wise people? That s what John Izzo did and he offers truths here that you can t afford to ignore. Prepare to be surprised, provoked, encouraged and changed forever. You will want to keep this book as a constant companion. It is a gentle reminder that it is never too late to live the truths that lead to wisdom, grace, and deep happiness.
Dr. Kent M. Keith, CEO, The Greenleaf Center for Servant- Leadership, and author of Anyway: The Paradoxical Commandments
John has written a book that takes the obvious and turns it into the essence. When you have finished reading The Five Secrets you will find yourself with a new point of view about the rest of your life. And you will love it!
Joel Barker, futurist
John Izzo is a masterful storyteller. He educates us by weaving a fascinating mosaic of stories that make his point. Let this book be your mentor!
Beverly Kaye, Founder and CEO, Career Systems International and co-author of Love It Don t Leave It: 26 Ways to Get What You Want at Work and Love Em or Lose Em: Getting Good People to Stay
The Five Secrets You Must Discover Before You Die is a magically engaging book: lyrical, poetic, and perceptive. Through deeply moving stories from wise elders, John Izzo masterfully unravels the mystery of what it means to live a full and meaningful life. This book is a joy to read, and it will be an even greater joy to live the profound yet simple lessons revealed in this remarkable book.
Jim Kouzes, co-author of The Leadership Challenge and A Leader s Legacy
I was deeply moved as I savored the wisdom found in The Five Secrets You Must Discover Before You Die. This book brings to light much of the lost wisdom of our elders, providing practical ways to live with greater meaning and focus. John Izzo, who courageously puts the word die in the title, offers us profound and simple wisdom for living, for getting to the heart of what it means to be more fully human.
David Irvine, author of Becoming Real: Journey to Authenticity and The Authentic Leader
The things we think we know are usually the things we most need to be helped to remember. This book prompts us to refocus on the principles on which we build the well-lived life.
Max Wyman, author of The Defiant Imagination
If you read only one book this year, please make it The Five Secrets You Must Discover Before You Die. Dr. Izzo has done a monumental service for all of us in synthesizing fundamental keys to living a happy and meaningful life. This is extraordinary wisdom literature.
Larry C. Spears, President Emeritus and Senior Fellow, The Greenleaf Center for Servant-Leadership