You Only Die Once: How to Make It to the End with No Regrets

by Jodi Wellman Narrated by Jodi Wellman

Overview

A kick-in-the-pants wake-up call to start living meaningfully in light of how many Mondays you have left from longtime coach, positive psychology expert, and Penn Resilience Program instructor Jodi Wellman

How many Mondays do you have left?*

Does that question send you into a panic spiral, or are you convinced that, unlike everyone in the history of life on earth, you will somehow avoid the tragic end and live to tell the tale? Statistically, we get about 4,000 Mondays in our lifetime, so if you're halfway through your life, you might have roughly 2,000 Mondays to go. The good news is that you are in charge of how you spend those days: toiling at a job you hate, or creating a career you love; scrolling mindlessly for hours a day, or pursuing the hobbies and travel that light you up; dreading the end, or living a full life that allows you to greet the Grim Reaper with a smile.

Built around the principles of positive psychology, You Only Die Once is the jolt that will bring you back to life, no near-death experience required. Full of practical takeaways and research-backed content, this book will motivate readers to take action on the life they*want*to be living, acting like a defibrillator for the soul. Accompanied by author Jodi Wellman's charming illustrations, this book*won't lecture you about eating more kale or insist that the only path forward is to quit your job and move to Provence (although it's not*not*suggesting you do that either. The latter, that is. We'd never ask anyone to eat more kale.). Instead, it's a real-life guide to small changes that reawaken your passion and curiosity for life. Packed with inspiring stories, exercises, quizzes, quotes, and a step-by-step plan to awaken the liveliest version of you,*You Only Die Once*is the healthy dose of mortality you need to start living with urgency and meaning.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

This book is a breath of fresh air. Drawing on her training in positive psychology, Jodi Wellman has an utterly delightful way of making us smile while making us think. It’s a surprisingly fun and fruitful read about making the most of our scarce time.”—Adam Grant, #1 New York Times bestselling author of HIDDEN POTENTIAL and THINK AGAIN, and host of the podcast Re:Thinking

“Wellman poses a profound question we too often avoid: How many Mondays do you have left? This book will jolt you out of complacency and redirect your limited time toward joyful, meaningful pursuits.”—Daniel H. Pink, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Power of Regret, Drive, and A Whole New Mind

“This book is the existential wake-up call we all need right now! Filled with the latest behavioral science, this laugh-out-loud guide will teach you practical strategies for embracing death in order to live like you mean it.”—Dr. Laurie Santos, Chandrika and Ranjan Tandon Professor of Psychology at Yale and host of The Happiness lab podcast

“Smart, funny, irreverent, and deeply useful, You Only Die Once can help us face our inevitable mortality fearlessly, while filling every day with meaning. Jodi Wellman is remarkable: an endless source of insight and good cheer, the perfect companion to walk us through our lives—our entire lives—with courage, intelligence, and joy.”—Martha Beck, PhD, New York Times bestselling author of The Way of Integrity

“Jodi Wellman’s book offers a creative and refreshing new look at death and mortality. Written in a lively, engaging style with liberal doses of very welcome humor, the book helps the reader to think productively about how to enrich life based on a realistic understanding that death comes sooner or later to all. Based on years of experience as a life coach, plus a generous helping of research findings, the book offers practical and down-to-earth advice that can help foster a more positive attitude about death — and life.”—Roy R. Baumeister, New York Times bestselling author and President of the International Positive Psychology Association

"If you’re reading this, you’re alive – for now, anyway – but how alive is your life? YOU ONLY DIE ONCE is a spirited and funny but also profound and highly practical manual for anyone who yearns to show up more fully and wholeheartedly for their all-too-finite time on the planet."—Oliver Burkeman, New York Times bestselling author of Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals

"How strange that death is the most normal part of life, yet so often a taboo subject. In You Only Die Once, Jodi Wellman wants to change that, and to help all of us live better, happier lives."—Arthur C. Brooks, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Build the Life You Want with Oprah Winfrey

"You Only Die Once invites readers to embark on a profound journey of self-discovery, encouraging us to reassess our priorities and make the most of the time we have. Balancing wisdom with wit, Jodi Wellman makes an irrefutable case for embracing our mortality as the spark plugs for living a more alive and purposeful life. I wholeheartedly recommend this book and encourage you to dive into its pages with an open heart and mind."—Chip Conley, New York Times bestselling author and co-founder/CEO of The Modern Elder Academy

"You Only Die Once by Jodi Wellman offers a compelling catalyst for living with purpose and passion. Do not die before reading this book! It's carpe diem-crafting at its finest."—Scott Barry Kaufman, founder and director of the Center for Human Potential, and host of The Psychology Podcast

"This is one of the very best books I've read about creating a life well-lived. It's practical and sassy, has both depth and a light touch, and it made me laugh and think and act."—Michael Bungay Stanier, bestselling author of The Coaching Habit and How to Begin

"Some people require a harrowing near-death experience to start truly living. Why not skip that, and read this book instead? You Only Die Once is all you need to go 100% carpe diem in your life.”—Laura Belgray, bestselling author of Tough Titties

“Jodi Wellman’s profound and provocative book wakes readers up to living lives worth living. I was deeply impacted by the book, and I know you will be too. I highly recommend it.”—Jack Canfield, co-creator of the Chicken Soup for the Soul series and bestselling author of The Success Principles

"Weaving behavioral science and psychology into her prompts and exercises, by the end Wellman makes the concept of dying happy (almost) as alluring as not dying at all—and definitely WAY BETTER than dying bored, joyless, or unfulfilled. It’s a neat trick."—Sarah Knight, New York Times bestelling author of The Life-Changing Magic of Not Giving a F*ck and Calm the F*ck Down

Library Journal

★ 07/01/2024

After the death of her mother at 58, life coach and speaker Wellman (Four Thousand Mondays) became motivated to start living in such a way as to not have regrets on her own deathbed, and she explains here how to do the same. She notes that the average person gets about 4,000 Mondays, and she goes on to use that day of the week as a kind of motivator. The book contains exercises like the Vitality Challenge and the Big End for deciding which habits to drop and which dreams to pursue; it even includes an assignment for writing one's own obituary. Wellman has a way with turns of phrase: of her initial inability to get out of her rut she notes, "A dream without a plan is just a wish accompanied by a lot of sauvignon blanc." This humor ameliorates the depressing work of taking stock of life, examining habits, and discussing death. VERDICT Wellman does make liberal use of profanity, so readers who won't enjoy that should look elsewhere, but this is an exceptional and amusing workbook for taking charge of future Mondays.—Julie Feighery

Product Details

BN ID:	2940159236647
Publisher:	Hachette Audio
Publication date:	05/07/2024
Edition description:	Unabridged
Sales rank:	940,406

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