The Five Secrets You Must Discover Before You Die
by John B. Izzo
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List Price: $15.95
Our Price: $4.79
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Manufacturer: Berrett-Koehler Publishers
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Average Customer Rating: 
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Binding: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 170.44
EAN: 9781576754757
ISBN: 1576754758
Label: Berrett-Koehler Publishers
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 178
Publication Date: 2008-01-01
Publisher: Berrett-Koehler Publishers
Studio: Berrett-Koehler Publishers
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Spotlight customer reviews:
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Customer Rating:
Summary: Will get you thinking about what really matters!
Comment: Approaching his fiftieth birthday, Dr. John Izzo asked several thousand
people to identify the "wisest" people they knew . . . based on
their responses, he then identified 235 "wise elders" . . . these were
men and women from the age of 60 all the way up to 108, and
included a town barber, real estate broker, native chief, a Holocaust
survivor, several business executives and writers, and many others.
Izzo next attempted to distill these insights, first into a five-hour
PBS special and then into a book I strongly recommend: THE FIVE
SECRETS YOU MUST DISCOVER BEFORE YOU DIE.
It got me thinking about what really can make for happiness
in life, as well as what really matters . . . one middle aged
woman named Maggie talked about how:
* . . . she had tried to live her entire life from the perspective of an
"old woman sitting on my rocking chair on the porch." She told me that
whenever she had a decision to make she would imagine sitting on her
porch as an old woman looking back on her life. She would ask that
old woman to advise her on the path she should take. It was a
beautiful image.
Then there was the story of John, 93, the man who had left the
Community party and later became an artist . . . he had been
married for 52 years and said his marriage gave him the
greatest happiness in his life:
* "Friends were always envious of us," he said, "saying we were lucky
to have such a great relationship. When they asked me for the secret,
I would tell them that you always have to treat your partner as an equal,
which is what we always did. You have to accept each other with the
flaws that all of us have, along with the good parts. They might change
for the better later, or not, but you have to accept them for who and
what they are. Whenever I was angry at my wife, I would ask myself:
Is the thing I am angry about more important than our relationship?
Is it worth jeopardizing the love we have for each other? And the answer,
of course, was always no."
Lastly, I was touched by the tale of Bansi, 63, an immigrant from
Tanzania, now living in Canada:
* Raised as a Hindu, she felt that the choice to be kind was at the center
of a happy life. When I asked her about the best piece of advice she had
ever received, she told me something her mother told her as a child.
"My mother always used to tell me: 'Do good if you can to every person
you meet, but always make sure you do no harm' Living by this simple idea
has given me great happiness. Each time I meet someone I try to lift them
up in some way by being loving, and then I have made sure to do no harm
by what I say or do."
I gained extra value from THE FIVE SECRETS by the author's inclusion
of several thought-provoking questions at the end of each chapter . . . the
ones he had at the very end of the book were particularly insightful,
including this one:
* If you could give only one sentence of advice to those younger than
you on finding a happy and meaningful life, what one sentence would you
pass on?
Customer Rating:
Summary: The title makes you curious and the content enlightens you
Comment: Scrolling on my way down to this section, I lingered over the first editorial review that said:
From Publishers Weekly --- From the pushy title on down, corporate speaker Izzo (president of The Izzo Group) offers lots of insistent but uninspiring advice for an audience presumably unfamiliar with the real value behind clichés like "be true to your self," "leave no regrets" and "live the moment." Based on interviews with the 235 wisest individuals Izzo could find (culled from some 15,000 nominees), advice boils down to commonsense sayings and platitudes ("every day is a gift"), illustrated by short anecdotes and personal insights. Those new to the self-help genre will find tried and true advice, but little to motivate a real life change.
Well, I'm not new to this genre and while Izzo's book might not motivate a real life change, it's still a compact collection of wisdom. Self-help is a subject that will always be with humanity because life, regardless of its pleasure, is tough. Getting sick is never fun. Feeling the loss of a parent is always sad. Things that get us down will also elevate us. It's just that at some moments we could all use a lift. And there's nothing wrong with that, right?
Customer Rating:
Summary: The Five Secrets You Must Discover Before You Die, by John Izzo (Reviewed by Andrea Goeglein, Ph.D.)
Comment: John Izzo begins his book: The Five Secrets You Must Discover Before You Die with a question we should form our entire life around: "Why do some people find wisdom and die happy?" This query is one that should sit quietly in the back of our minds from birth until death. When we sit with a question like this, we open ourselves to the endless possibilities of the answer.
John Izzo seeks to provide his audience with a roadmap to discovering our own answer to this. Through his book, he invites us to create lives of wisdom and happiness, no matter what our circumstance. Before beginning the five-step lesson, Izzo outlines the greatest challenge of all. He reminds us that time is passing. In our powerlessness over that, we have huge opportunities. We can manage our priorities and our choices. We are the stars of this one-person, one-lifetime show.
This book was, in some ways, a collaboration. Four thousand people were nominated by friends or loved ones as being true pillars of wisdom and joy. The author then chose 235 of those candidates between 60 and 105 years old - the most knowledgeable section of our society. These subjects have experienced the most. They can separate the hard knocks from the great lessons. Through those subjects and their wisdom, Izzo came up with five tenets for a life worth living:
1. Be true to yourself.
2. Leave no regrets
3. Become love.
4. Live in the moment.
5. Give more than you take.
Although each of these is vital and approached with great depth and focus in the book, one or two demand a moment's inspection and are worth implementing this very moment.
* Living in the moment. If one of the five tenets to living a happy life is to live in the moment, we are literally behind the eightball before we even begin. We are taken out of the "moment" a thousand times each day through our own technology. (Can you say email?) The author recounts taking his dog for a walk one day. The dog was enjoying that walk so much more than Mr. Izzo himself. The dog paused to enthusiastically enjoy smells or the company of other dogs (friends). The author was simply busy timing himself to accomplish his daily speed walk.
* Become Love. Izzo asks us to recognize that love is not an idea, it is an action. It means choosing to spend time with friends. (Even dogs do that!) It means embodying thoughtfulness and a loving tone. We must not miss an opportunity or spend a day in human disappointment - there simply are no do-overs. You will pass through today only once, and love will sustain you.
* Leave no regrets. The author's grandfather offered him the idea, early in his life, to judge his days by how satisfying they are. Each day will pass, it is simply the law of time and space, but how we live and how fulfilled we are, will become the foundation of great choices. Quite simply, we get this one chance to create a life that leaves no regrets. Do what thrills us.
Like all great books on positive psychology, gratitude is the prevailing thought throughout this book. To be able to rebound every day (if necessary) and choose to live a joyous and meaningful life. To create time to be still and find the timeless beauty hidden behind to do lists and ever-full inboxes. To author our own sonata, our own academy-award winning existence. That is the good life, and John Izzo wants us to know it. The rewards of each of these five principles are limitless, and amazingly, they are free. It's the free lottery ticket - your one true life.
To your success every day!
Andrea Goeglein, Ph.D. (aka Dr. Success)
Expert on Positive Psychology and Executive Success Mentor
[...]
Customer Rating:
Summary: Inspirational to say the least
Comment: I'm a recent college grad. and I took this book with me while I backpacked through most of Western Europe. I read it within the first 3 weeks of my adventure and it made a difference on how I saw the rest of the trip (which lasted another 9 weeks). I honestly slowed down to experience more, to take it all in. I became better friends with my two buddy's who were traveling with me, the sites seemed that much more intriguing and beautiful, and I met dozens of people, who I probably would have met if I hadn't read the book, or had, but it helped me to see things about them in a different light.
The use of stories and interviews helped to make this book so interesting. While there is more to life, then these 5 ideals, they have changed as well as reinforced many of my beliefs. I would recommend this book to anyone who needs enlightenment about their life, and everyone around them.
Customer Rating:
Summary: What Are They?
Comment: The title of this book, the five secrets you must discover before you die, intrigued me - what are these five secrets, are they different from my own beliefs I wondered?
As I started reading the book, the way the author conducted his research inspired me to read more. You see, this book contains secrets not written from theory but secrets from actual life experiences of people. And, the secrets discovered are common reoccurring themes from the author's research. In my opinion, the book has creditability, as it is not a book of theory. One last point about the research conducted; the interviews were all done with people 59 and over. The author, in my view, truly did find wisdom from these people.
I would highly recommend this great book!
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Editorial Reviews:
|
Customer Rating:
Summary: Will get you thinking about what really matters!
Comment: Approaching his fiftieth birthday, Dr. John Izzo asked several thousand
people to identify the "wisest" people they knew . . . based on
their responses, he then identified 235 "wise elders" . . . these were
men and women from the age of 60 all the way up to 108, and
included a town barber, real estate broker, native chief, a Holocaust
survivor, several business executives and writers, and many others.
Izzo next attempted to distill these insights, first into a five-hour
PBS special and then into a book I strongly recommend: THE FIVE
SECRETS YOU MUST DISCOVER BEFORE YOU DIE.
It got me thinking about what really can make for happiness
in life, as well as what really matters . . . one middle aged
woman named Maggie talked about how:
* . . . she had tried to live her entire life from the perspective of an
"old woman sitting on my rocking chair on the porch." She told me that
whenever she had a decision to make she would imagine sitting on her
porch as an old woman looking back on her life. She would ask that
old woman to advise her on the path she should take. It was a
beautiful image.
Then there was the story of John, 93, the man who had left the
Community party and later became an artist . . . he had been
married for 52 years and said his marriage gave him the
greatest happiness in his life:
* "Friends were always envious of us," he said, "saying we were lucky
to have such a great relationship. When they asked me for the secret,
I would tell them that you always have to treat your partner as an equal,
which is what we always did. You have to accept each other with the
flaws that all of us have, along with the good parts. They might change
for the better later, or not, but you have to accept them for who and
what they are. Whenever I was angry at my wife, I would ask myself:
Is the thing I am angry about more important than our relationship?
Is it worth jeopardizing the love we have for each other? And the answer,
of course, was always no."
Lastly, I was touched by the tale of Bansi, 63, an immigrant from
Tanzania, now living in Canada:
* Raised as a Hindu, she felt that the choice to be kind was at the center
of a happy life. When I asked her about the best piece of advice she had
ever received, she told me something her mother told her as a child.
"My mother always used to tell me: 'Do good if you can to every person
you meet, but always make sure you do no harm' Living by this simple idea
has given me great happiness. Each time I meet someone I try to lift them
up in some way by being loving, and then I have made sure to do no harm
by what I say or do."
I gained extra value from THE FIVE SECRETS by the author's inclusion
of several thought-provoking questions at the end of each chapter . . . the
ones he had at the very end of the book were particularly insightful,
including this one:
* If you could give only one sentence of advice to those younger than
you on finding a happy and meaningful life, what one sentence would you
pass on?
Customer Rating:
Summary: The title makes you curious and the content enlightens you
Comment: Scrolling on my way down to this section, I lingered over the first editorial review that said:
From Publishers Weekly --- From the pushy title on down, corporate speaker Izzo (president of The Izzo Group) offers lots of insistent but uninspiring advice for an audience presumably unfamiliar with the real value behind clichés like "be true to your self," "leave no regrets" and "live the moment." Based on interviews with the 235 wisest individuals Izzo could find (culled from some 15,000 nominees), advice boils down to commonsense sayings and platitudes ("every day is a gift"), illustrated by short anecdotes and personal insights. Those new to the self-help genre will find tried and true advice, but little to motivate a real life change.
Well, I'm not new to this genre and while Izzo's book might not motivate a real life change, it's still a compact collection of wisdom. Self-help is a subject that will always be with humanity because life, regardless of its pleasure, is tough. Getting sick is never fun. Feeling the loss of a parent is always sad. Things that get us down will also elevate us. It's just that at some moments we could all use a lift. And there's nothing wrong with that, right?
Customer Rating:
Summary: The Five Secrets You Must Discover Before You Die, by John Izzo (Reviewed by Andrea Goeglein, Ph.D.)
Comment: John Izzo begins his book: The Five Secrets You Must Discover Before You Die with a question we should form our entire life around: "Why do some people find wisdom and die happy?" This query is one that should sit quietly in the back of our minds from birth until death. When we sit with a question like this, we open ourselves to the endless possibilities of the answer.
John Izzo seeks to provide his audience with a roadmap to discovering our own answer to this. Through his book, he invites us to create lives of wisdom and happiness, no matter what our circumstance. Before beginning the five-step lesson, Izzo outlines the greatest challenge of all. He reminds us that time is passing. In our powerlessness over that, we have huge opportunities. We can manage our priorities and our choices. We are the stars of this one-person, one-lifetime show.
This book was, in some ways, a collaboration. Four thousand people were nominated by friends or loved ones as being true pillars of wisdom and joy. The author then chose 235 of those candidates between 60 and 105 years old - the most knowledgeable section of our society. These subjects have experienced the most. They can separate the hard knocks from the great lessons. Through those subjects and their wisdom, Izzo came up with five tenets for a life worth living:
1. Be true to yourself.
2. Leave no regrets
3. Become love.
4. Live in the moment.
5. Give more than you take.
Although each of these is vital and approached with great depth and focus in the book, one or two demand a moment's inspection and are worth implementing this very moment.
* Living in the moment. If one of the five tenets to living a happy life is to live in the moment, we are literally behind the eightball before we even begin. We are taken out of the "moment" a thousand times each day through our own technology. (Can you say email?) The author recounts taking his dog for a walk one day. The dog was enjoying that walk so much more than Mr. Izzo himself. The dog paused to enthusiastically enjoy smells or the company of other dogs (friends). The author was simply busy timing himself to accomplish his daily speed walk.
* Become Love. Izzo asks us to recognize that love is not an idea, it is an action. It means choosing to spend time with friends. (Even dogs do that!) It means embodying thoughtfulness and a loving tone. We must not miss an opportunity or spend a day in human disappointment - there simply are no do-overs. You will pass through today only once, and love will sustain you.
* Leave no regrets. The author's grandfather offered him the idea, early in his life, to judge his days by how satisfying they are. Each day will pass, it is simply the law of time and space, but how we live and how fulfilled we are, will become the foundation of great choices. Quite simply, we get this one chance to create a life that leaves no regrets. Do what thrills us.
Like all great books on positive psychology, gratitude is the prevailing thought throughout this book. To be able to rebound every day (if necessary) and choose to live a joyous and meaningful life. To create time to be still and find the timeless beauty hidden behind to do lists and ever-full inboxes. To author our own sonata, our own academy-award winning existence. That is the good life, and John Izzo wants us to know it. The rewards of each of these five principles are limitless, and amazingly, they are free. It's the free lottery ticket - your one true life.
To your success every day!
Andrea Goeglein, Ph.D. (aka Dr. Success)
Expert on Positive Psychology and Executive Success Mentor
[...]
Customer Rating:
Summary: Inspirational to say the least
Comment: I'm a recent college grad. and I took this book with me while I backpacked through most of Western Europe. I read it within the first 3 weeks of my adventure and it made a difference on how I saw the rest of the trip (which lasted another 9 weeks). I honestly slowed down to experience more, to take it all in. I became better friends with my two buddy's who were traveling with me, the sites seemed that much more intriguing and beautiful, and I met dozens of people, who I probably would have met if I hadn't read the book, or had, but it helped me to see things about them in a different light.
The use of stories and interviews helped to make this book so interesting. While there is more to life, then these 5 ideals, they have changed as well as reinforced many of my beliefs. I would recommend this book to anyone who needs enlightenment about their life, and everyone around them.
Customer Rating:
Summary: What Are They?
Comment: The title of this book, the five secrets you must discover before you die, intrigued me - what are these five secrets, are they different from my own beliefs I wondered?
As I started reading the book, the way the author conducted his research inspired me to read more. You see, this book contains secrets not written from theory but secrets from actual life experiences of people. And, the secrets discovered are common reoccurring themes from the author's research. In my opinion, the book has creditability, as it is not a book of theory. One last point about the research conducted; the interviews were all done with people 59 and over. The author, in my view, truly did find wisdom from these people.
I would highly recommend this great book!
What are the secrets to finding happiness? Why do some people live well and die happy? John Izzo asked thousands of people to identify the 'wisest' person they knew. The Five Secrets You Must Discover Before You Die shares what he learned from over 200 people aged 60-106 whom others said had found the meaning in life. From town barbers to Holocaust survivors, from aboriginal chiefs to CEO's, these people had over 18,000 years of life experience. With warmth and wit, this book shares the Five Secrets to a happy and purpose-filled life which Izzo distilled from listening to these stories. Dr. Izzo also shows the reader how to put these secrets into practice in our lives. This book will make you laugh, bring you to tears, and inspire you to discover what matters long before you die. Based on a highly acclaimed TV series appearing on PBS, this book takes the reader on a heart-warming and profound journey to find lasting happiness.
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