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However, being reminded of these basic principles every once in a while can be quite helpful.The author John Izzo came up with these "secrets" after having interviewed over 200 people over the age of 60, who apparently had found meaning and happiness in their lives.The Secrets according to them:1. Live in the moment. I was a bit disappointed by that. The five secrets shared in this book are nothing entirely new. A while back I had read a similar book "If I Live to Be 100: Lessons from the Centenarians" by N. 4. Ellis and I truly enjoyed hearing the exact answers of the interviewee's.Nevertheless "The five secrets you must discover before you die" is an inspirational read and should be reread every once in a while to help us focus on the important things in life.
Know your heart's desire and seek it. Instead most of the insights gained were paraphrased or summarized. When I started this book I was expecting to hear more direct quotes from the elders that John Izzo interviewed. 2. Give more than you take.
You will probably have heard each one before. 5. Become love by seeing yourself and others with kindness and compassion. Be true to yourself by living with intention. Live with no regrets by taking chances.3.
Give it a shot. The book was well organized and interesting. It's something you can read in a short time and pick up some good information that you will hear other places but the more you hear it the more you realize how valuable it is.
It's a happy read and it will make you feel good about life. This is one of those short reads (you can read it in about 5 hours). I have read this book 3 times and find it inspiring. What a terrific idea to interview happy senior citizens to find out what has made them happy throughout their lifetimes.
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. 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. these weremen and women from the age of 60 all the way up to 108, and included a town barber, real estate broker, native chief, a Holocaustsurvivor, several business executives and writers, and many others.Izzo next attempted to distill these insights, first into a five-hourPBS special and then into a book I strongly recommend: THE FIVESECRETS 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. 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. Approaching his fiftieth birthday, Dr.
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. 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. "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. 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 youpass on. You have to accept each other with the flaws that all of us have, along with the good parts. Whenever I was angry at my wife, I would ask myself: Is the thing I am angry about more important than our relationship.
John Izzo asked several thousandpeople to identify the "wisest" people they knew. She would ask that old woman to advise her on the path she should take. Is it worth jeopardizing the love we have for each other. based ontheir responses, he then identified 235 "wise elders". They might change for the better later, or not, but you have to accept them for who and what they are. he had beenmarried 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.
one middle aged woman named Maggie talked about how:*. 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.
It's just that at some moments we could all use a lift. Feeling the loss of a parent is always sad. Things that get us down will also elevate us. 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. And there's nothing wrong with that, right. Self-help is a subject that will always be with humanity because life, regardless of its pleasure, is tough. 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. Getting sick is never fun.
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