2Do Before I Die: The Do-it-yourself Guide to the Rest of Your Life

What's on your list? Do you dream of writing a novel someday? Or of recording an album of your own music? Would you spend a month backpacking through China if you could? Have you always secretly wanted to try skydiving? Or snorkeling? Or snowboarding?

Whatever your personal goals or aspirations, no matter how humble or highfalutin, this revolutionary interactive handbook will help you jump-start life changes, and experience this world to the fullest. Perhaps your life is in transition-and, after all, whose isn't? Whether you're changing careers, planning for retirement, or just starting out after graduating from school . . . whether you're plotting to make your mark on the world, contemplating how you might best contribute, or simply wondering what's next in your life . . . 2Do Before I Die will help you set personal priorities, identify life goals, and realize your dreams.

Less "how to" than "why not," 2Do Before I Die features eye-opening true stories of people who've changed their lives significantly in small ways (by learning to swim, growing a beard, working in a soup kitchen) or taken great, life-altering leaps (by starting a business, having a baby, traveling the world).

With its provocative brainstorming exercises and ingenious practical tips, 2Do Before I Die encourages and enables you to create your own ultimate 2Do list -- one that can serve as your personal road map toward a uniquely rich life.

The authors of this punchy, graphic-filled guide understand that "in the rush to consume life, rather than live it ... we sometimes lose sight of what's important to us," so they have created this inspiring guide to get readers thinking about what they would like to do with the time they've got left. In often stirring, one- or two-page essays, 30-something writers primarily from London and major U.S. cities share their own experiences fulfilling such dreams as "Help save an endangered animal," "Ask out a total stranger," and "Build something that lasts." All 100 suggestions fall under the chapter titles Roots, Explore, Experiment, Challenge, Give, Learn, Express, Love, Work and Legacy, which keeps the tone from becoming too vacation-focused or self-indulgent. Some of the pieces suffer from amateur composition, but many more are inspiring in their simplicity and forthrightness. Thelma, a Californian, writes of a life-long pen pal in Yorkshire, England: "We are now both 71 years old and have kept this precious friendship together for nearly 60 years." Also helpful are questions that prompt the reader to ponder what their life's dreams really are ("Who in your life has surprised you with the chances they've taken?"; "Which period in history are you curious to know about?"). Though the concept behind the book is simple, it is well-executed and empowering. Duotone Photos.
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