The Five Secrets You Must Discover Before You Die by John B. Izzo (2014) Hardcover Hardcover – January 1, 1994

John Izzo’s book talks about death in a way that is infused with joy and wisdom. I think the five secrets are important to think about, and used as a meditation. Life is beautiful and the book helps one to appreciate this gift. Thank you John! It’s not too late to make life more meaningful!

This is a must read for every human. I read it at age 60 and how I wish I had seen it at 40 or 50. Five simple things for a happier life.

I read this book as part of a book study discussion group. It was enlightening and created lots of good discussion. The 5 secrets are things we all know at some deep level, but many times never think about at a conscious level...this book makes you do that and hopefully act on those that need to be rectified. Most of my group are in our 60s and 70s, and it is easy to look back and see where we have been, and realize the deficiencies in our lives and know we have time to change what needs to be changed, but it would have been a lot easier if we had known these things earlier and grown up and into a "knowing" person. Very much enjoyed the read and the journey!

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 regrets3. 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[...]

The younger you are when you read this book the better. Why wait until you are 60 or 70 or 80 to think about if your life was lived for something or not. The lessons of this book are valuable for those of any age. You owe it to yourself to learn these lessons. You will want to go interview your most respected friends and family and ask some of these questions. Get to it and also get to work on making sure you are living the life that you want to look back on as a great life. I added a photo of my mom and dad. They both did life the right way. They were here to help others. They did that and their children are doing it day by day right now. That is the legacy that I want.Ask yourself the questions this book provides. Make sure you are achieving your life's mission. God Bless John Izzo for this great work.

I bought this book for my 25 year old daughter. While she is not an avid reader, I felt she was the perfect age to learn and live the "5 secrets to discover before you die". She totally surprised me by finishing the book in less than 1 week. Throughout the week, she kept saying that she couldn't wait until I read the book. I thought to myself, I'm 60 years old -- they interviewed people my age to put together these 5 secrets -- what did this book have to teach me that I don't already know? The answer --- A LOT! Whether your 25 or 60 years old, this book is truly enlightening and well worth reading. Highly recommend.

It is a good subject, although I don't agree 60 is old. We don't want to think about death, but it is a fact of life. This book would have been better if it had been edited better. It was very repetitive. I know that to really grasp a concept you need to hear it at least six times, but it doesn't have to be said exactly the same way all six times.

I was going camping and this book arrived just before I left. Figured I must as well take it with me and read a little. Well, I read the entire book over the weekend. And I have to be honest, it changed me. I felt very uplifted and positive! Not that I wasn't before I read the book, but it made me realize that there is more to life than just thinking of oneself. The following week I began doing little things for my friends and family and realized not only did it make them happy, it made me happy as well. I sleep better and see things differently. I would highly suggest this book to everyone, young and old!