The Five Invitations – by Frank Ostaseski

This book covers exactly what its subtitle promises, and encourages the reader to truly live life fully, something that Ostaseski believes cannot be done in ignorance of death.

Instead, he argues from his experience of decades working at a hospice, we must be mindful of death not only to appreciate life, but also to make the right decisions in life—which means responding well to what he calls, as per the title of this book, “the five invitations”.

We will not keep them a mystery; they are:

1. Don’t wait; do the important things now
2. Welcome everything; push away nothing
3. Bring your whole self to the experience
4. Find a place in the middle of things
5. Cultivate a “don’t know” mind

Note, for example, that “do the important things now” requires knowing what is important. For example, ensuring a loved one knows how you feel about them, might be more important than scratching some item off a bucket list. And “push away nothing” does mean bad things too; rather, of course try to make life better rather than worse, but accept the lessons and learnings of the bad too, and see the beauty that can be found in contrast to it. Enjoying the fullness of life without getting lost in it; carrying consciousness through the highs and lows. And yes, approaching the unknown (which means not only death, but also the large majority of life) with open-minded curiosity and wonder.

The style of the book is narrative and personal, without feeling like a collection of anecdotes, but rather, taking the reader on a journey, prompting reflection and introspection along the way.

Bottom line: if you’d like to minimize the regrets you have in life, this book is a fine choice.

Click here to check out The Five Invitations, and answer with a “yes” to the call of life!