I received a complementary copy of this book for review purposes. The opinions are completely my own based on my experience.
“All of us long to be appreciated and valued. We long to be seen and heard,” writes Unity minister Temple Hayes in the introduction of her new book “When Did you Die? 8 Steps to Stop Dying Every Day and Start Waking Up”. “Until we see and hear our own inner voices and callings, we will simply continue to die a little each and every day.” According to Hayes we “die a little” when we hold back from life. That got me to consider the areas in my life where I don’t express myself fully. I wanted to read more.
The 8 steps in “When Did You Die?” each has a chapter of its own, with words to encourage the reader to live a richer life. Important to each chapter are questions that lead us to go deeper. In the “From Fear to Feeling to Freedom” chapter, for example, Hayes poses these two questions that a colleague once asked her:
1. How has your way of avoiding your fears and feelings been working for you thus far?
2. What is the payoff in keeping things the same?
I liked these and other probing questions Hayes asks. To get the most out of the book I recommend that you take the time to do these exercises. At the end of every chapter is an “Ideas to Process and Integrate” section with more questions for self examination.
I also liked Hayes’ positive approach. “Our Creator has given each of us amazing riches, gifts, and talents, but only when we seek to be open to the kingdom of riches will they be ours for the taking,” she writes. The book is full of suggestions for discovering and expressing the talents you already have.
“The real you is not a place you arrive at, a new credential, or a new career. Being the real you means to know inside yourself that there is no holding back, that in every situation of your life you can feel fully expressed,” Hayes writes. “When Did You Die?” encouraged me to take more risks in my life, and I feel it will do the same for you.
