I Will Not Die an Unlived Life: Reclaiming Purpose and Passion [Paperback]

Dawna Markova (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 15, 2000

In I Will Not Die an Unlived Life, one of the most charismatic teachers and thinkers of today speaks from her heart. Twenty years ago, faced with a life-threatening illness, Dawna Markova began a journey of rediscovery. This book follows her path to finding deeper meaning in life. As she points out, people can continue to feel powerless and live habitual lives - or they can make the choice to follow their passion. "In a similar way to A Gift from the Sea, the readers of this book are invited to accompany me on a journey to come to know more intimately the value and purpose of their lives." - Dawna Markova

Editorial Reviews

Review

In a thoughtful and poetic form, I Will Not Die An Unlived Life teaches us how to navigate our lives from the inside out so that rather than being at the mercy of life's changes, we are able to offer to the world the gifts that are ours alone to give. --M.J. Ryan, author of Attitudes of Gratitude"

This is a little book with a big message. It can remind you of who you are and heal your life. --Rachel Naomi Remen, M.D. author of Kitchen Table Wisdom

About the Author

Dawna Markova Ph.D. is internationally known for her ground-breaking work in helping people learn with passion and live purposefully. She is former research affiliate of the Organizational Learning Center at MIT, and her previous books include The Open Mind, No Enemies Within, An Unused Intelligence, How Your Child is Smart, and Learning Unlimited.

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Conari Press; 1st edition (October 15, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1573241016
• ISBN-13: 978-1573241014
• Product Dimensions: 5.4 x 0.6 x 7.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (32 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #109,492 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

107 of 108 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Burst October 22, 2000

By Vega B.

Format:Paperback

A poetic tale of author Dawna Markova's journey to find her passion, I Will Not Die An Unlived Life, is truly a remarkable work of inspiration that sets itself apart from the rest of the Self-help genre. It is apparent in even the style of her writing that she is clearly a deeply passionate woman. Markova delves into her search for deeper meaning when she is diagnosed with cancer. Instead of sitting on the sidelines watching her life go by, she becomes active in finding a higher purpose. Uniquely, she invites her reading audience to join her on a quest of rediscovery. A cabin in the Utah mountains is the setting for six months of searching. Markova works through her past as well as the present and future with others in mind. Moving along throughout the course of her solitary expedition, she speaks to the readers as if they are accompanying her every thought. It is a highly inclusive guide to discovering one's own path. The book is divided into four main sections, with different focal points, all centered around living. Each is filled with charismatic stories and personal experiences littered with hope that set the highly uplifting mood for the entire work. Loaded with beautifully written imagery, it is a joyful experience to follow the paths of the author's mind. Each story is added insight to how a deeper purpose can be discovered. In the first section, "Living Wide Open: Landscapes of the Mind", Markova focuses on living and loving open, no longer living "divided", listening to one's deepest ailment, and stillness. She personally relates to the reader at the end of each chapter by proposing a few questions from the main thought. "What are the courageous conversations you need to have with yourself, and how do you need to have them? What generates energy for you?" Equally uniquely, the very last paragraph in each chapter ends with a few all-inclusive aspirations. "May our quest for purpose be compassionate. May we allow ourselves stillness so we can open our minds to ourselves." In section two, "Living On Fire: Landscapes of the Heart", Markova focuses on her childhood and the "twisted seed of rage" that was passed on from her parents, death and the realization of what she needs to do in order to fulfill the sentence "When I die, I want...", fulfilling the hunger deep inside of her soul, and the proverbial phrase "catching on fire". These chapters are brimming with heart-filled stories and compassion, each with a different message for the reader. Continued on from the first section, she ends each chapter with aspirations including "May we all open our hearts to ourselves in wonder, and respond to the call of our passion. May we all find something to love that is larger and more powerful tan anything we fear." Section three, "Living On Purpose: Landscapes of the Soul" is the section where Markova digs deeper to find purpose in her life. Finding the spot of grace in others, letting our failures and wounds be teachers, listening to the stories we tell ourselves and how we can get out of "rut stories", and letting purpose find you are focal points of this section. Here is where the book takes a course of soul searching and is more of a guide than a storybook. As the previous chapters, Markova cleverly adds aspirations to help readers on their journeys. "May we all release our hearts and allow our hands to follow. May our souls crawl from hiding places of shame and gaze upon the mystery of healing that can not be explained." The final section, entitled "Living On Path: Landscapes of the Spirit", is a focus on all the previous chapters and how to put that into daily surroundings. What we truly love, finding our gifts and talents, and how to share those with the people and community around us are the main topics of this conclusive section. Markova shares her gifts and talents as examples to follow in exploration of one's own gifts and talents. Once again, the last two paragraphs include personal questions to the reader, whom she addresses "my dear reader", and a few aspirations that exemplify "we" statements. "May we all find the courage to offer ourselves fully to what has heart and meaning for us. May all who are different bring their unique gifts to the community and know they belong. May we all find the soil in which the seeds of our dreams can germinate into lives that are free of the limitations of our previous history, lives that are full and warm and rich with amazement." Reading I Will Not Die An Unlived Life is more of a journey into self. Unlike most self-help books, the author takes no authoritative stance on her subject of living with passion. She is merely another soul searching for meaning in this vast universe and is looking for a way to help others on their paths. Markova is the CEO of Professional Thinking Partners, Inc. and cofounder of the Worldwide Women's Web. She continues her success from previous books including The Art of the Possible, The Open Mind; No Enemies Within; An Unused Intelligence; How Your Child Is Smart; and Learning Unlimited. A book with fire, passion, and feeling, I Will Not Die An Unlived Life is an inspiration to anyone who is yearning to find meaning in their lives. As the author states, "In a similar way to A Gift From the Sea, the readers of this book are invited to accompany me on a journey to come to know more intimately the value and purpose of their lives." It is highly recommended to anyone willing to look a bit deeper at his or her lives.

66 of 67 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars I love this book... July 10, 2002

By Karon Goodman

Format:Paperback

I absolutely love this book. It spoke to me in a profound way at a time when I needed it, and now, months after reading it for the first time, it still speaks to me, clear to my soul. I wish the same for you.

This book is born when the author spends six months alone in a "tiny log cabin" in Utah. She goes there "to tell myself the truth about what I feel," and her discoveries will gently lead you to your own.

You may feel a little lost in the early chapters, but I encourage you to stay with this book. You'll walk with the author through journeys of the heart and spirit, with penetrating questions and revelations, as you delight in the learning of who you are and then know what to do about it.

The author reveals herself to us through her childhood, her son, a house fire and more. She encourages us to learn from our wounds, find our gifts, celebrate our values and live our dreams -- *to live on purpose*.

This book is both a joy and a challenge to read. Ms. Markova's prose is honest and musical, and often, you have to slow down, re-read paragraphs, let the words fall on you like confetti in a parade and then pick them up one by one, hold, examine and understand them. At every page, you wonder how you'll apply such thoughts to yourself, and before you breathe again, you know.

46 of 46 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A Life-changing experience! October 10, 2000

By A Customer

Format:Paperback

Not to be redundant, but this book changed my life. Written in a very moving, personal style by Dawna Markova, it described her journey (in a cabin in Utah at 8,000 feet) to identify and tap into her passion and purpose in life. Her stories and anecdotes are at once touching, sad, funny, inspiring, and unbelievably poignant, and they helped me start my own journey to discover what really matters to me, and how to shape a life that I love while doing what I am "meant" to do. I have read all of Markova's books, and though they're all important in one way or another, this one will probably have the biggest impact.