My #1 Favorite Book

Within days after beginning the work on Platinum Living, I discovered Chasing Daylight: How My Forthcoming Death Transformed my Life. I was just finishing work on the Introduction for my book. I was making the point that it would be great to prioritize our living in the 15-20 good years that we have left with the perspective of those who don't have as long. As they say, "Nobody on their death bed ever wishes they had spent more time at the office."

Shortly after I wrote those very words, I discovered Chasing Daylight, which is the autobiographical story of a man who had to deal with that very issue, having been given a three month "death sentence" by his doctor. For more about this book, the original review is below:

Chasing Daylight: How My Forthcoming Death Transformed my Life, by Gene O'Kelly - You must read this book. In April of 2005, at the age of 53 and in the prime of a high powered career as CEO of a “big four” accounting firm, the author Eugene O'Kelly was diagnosed with a rare brain disease, and given a three month “death sentence.” Before his death in September of that year, he devoted much of his precious remaining time to the writing of this book. And believe it or not, his premise is that his “death sentence,” specifically the advance notice of his impending death, was the greatest blessing he could have received. On page 6 of Chasing Daylight, he writes:

“It’s just about impossible for me to imagine going back to that other way of thinking, when this new way has enriched me so. I lost something precious, but I also gained something precious.”

Needless to say, I found this book to be a greatly challenging, and a wonderful resource in addressing “rest of your life” issues. My wife Melanie, who has very different tastes in reading (she loves fiction, I'm exclusively nonfiction), also recommends it. In our 38 years of marriage, I don't think there has been any other book that we both recommend. Melanie has suggested that we make it a point to re-read it annually, as a sort of perspective booster shot... Can't say I disagree with that.

So read this book! It will probably change your life.

(To order this book from Amazon.com, just click on the link at the top of the right hand column)