by John Izzo, Ph.D.
ISBN-10: 1576754758
Review by Heather Froeschl
Looking to our elders for guidance is a time honored and wise practice that unfortunately is not played out often enough. John Izzo encourages us to go back to that tradition in his book “The Five Secrets You Must Discover Before You Die.” Seeking the secrets to happiness, it makes sense to look to those who have lived it.
John interviewed over 200 people, all over the age of 60 and some up into their hundreds, who had been identified by their own friends and family as “the one person they knew who had found happiness and meaning.” These people were asked such questions as: “What has brought you the greatest sense of meaning and purpose in life?” and “What is the greatest fear at the end of life?” They were asked to finish the sentence: “I wish I had…” These elders came from all walks of life and acted many roles; some were authors, professors, or business owners, others were a nurse, psychologist, biologist, and a barber. Amazingly, or expectedly, their answers were quite similar. Therein are the five secrets.
The first, and only one I will divulge, is “Be True to Your Self.” Of course this can mean different things to each person who reads the words, but author John Izzo guides readers to the purpose behind them. His guidance leads one to ask in this chapter, “Am I following my heart?” “Is my life focused on the things that really matter to me?” and “Am I being the person I want to be in this world?” Answering these questions will lead a person to be true to themselves. Izzo demonstrates the secret by sharing stories from his interviewees. They share by example, much as elders have done since the dawn of humanity. This brings the secret to life for us, and then Izzo gives us homework. He gives us questions to ask ourselves each day or week, that bring the secret home and to the front of the mind. Practice, practice, practice. And so on, with each of the five secrets.
This book is a gem. It is an obvious quest to go to our wise members of society and seek answers to life’s questions, but many of us no longer do it. “The Five Secrets You Must Discover Before You Die” does it for us, and hopefully will prompt us to do it ourselves with our own elders. The stories here are all about living wisely, living in the moment; some are funny, while others are poignant. All should be thought-provoking. The consistency of the lessons makes for an easy to understand and digest plan. Taking one secret at a time to work on may be best for some people, pausing in the consumption of the book to work on that particular goal. Other may devour the entire book in one sitting and go back to reflect more carefully as they consider each message. The end result is surely one that will be self fulfilling and inspired. While the title may cause one to stop for a second, for good reason and cause, the content and purpose is wisdom.
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