I Will Not Die an Unlived Life: Reclaiming Purpose and Passion (for Readers of the Purpose Driven Life)

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.

I first encountered Dawna Markova's poem several years ago, and it was so powerful it almost knocked me off my feet. I lived with it through a period of growth and change, and left it behind. (Anyone who is not familiar with the poem will find it on this website, on the back cover of the book.)As the Universe would have it, I discovered the book just as I was going through a period of dormancy and wondering if this was all there was, or if I still had a purpose to fulfill.The book doesn't answer that question, but it does give a hint: you can't find your purpose, you can only make the space for it to find you.A very passionate, powerful, human book. Markova's mastery of the written word makes it a treasure. I have so much of it highlighted that I don't feel I can lend it to anyone - I'll be buying several more copies to pass on to friends!

During the author's battle with cancer, she was blessed with the discovery that there is more to life than simply trying to fight the ravages of this horrendous disease. Markova discovered what many of us have not contemplated to any great degree, that our life is more than a physical being set adrift through the obstacles and challenges of day-to-day living. Each of us has a purpose, whatever our mission may be, and as part of our journey we must look beyond what we are and focus on what we can become. We cannot always control how much or how little time we have on this Earth, but we can live each day to the fullest and make each moment count for something good.I loved the author's down-to-Earth, straight-forward approach and her tell-it-from-the-heart writing style. Through Markova's stories and experiences, the reader will find inspiration and enlightenment, opening their heart, mind and soul in a journey of self-discovery. I highly recommend this book and two others, "A Gift from the Sea," and "The Power of Now" as inspirational sources of reading for anyone who truly feels their life lacks meaning or purpose, or anyone who feels life's journey is an unplotted course drifting with the tide, void of purpose and beyond their control.

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, li

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.