Life Is a Verb: 37 Days to Wake Up, Be Mindful, and Live Intentionally

Thirty-seven days after being diagnosed with cancer, author Patti Digh’s stepfather died. It is this moment that inspired the book Life Is a Verb: 37 Days to Wake Up, Be Mindful, and Live Intentionally. The book provides ways to think and ways to act that will help give meaning and intention to life because, as cliché as it may be, we really don’t know how much time we have left.

The book includes a number of writing exercises and journal entries that can help you come to terms with things from your past, as well as current roadblocks that are preventing you from living with purpose. We live our lives with certain patterns in place, and while certain patterns and habits can be helpful, negative thoughts and behaviors may have become unconscious. Digh’s book will help force awareness of the negativity and helps counter it.

Spread throughout the text are collages and images created by the author that add to the creative flavor of the book. Digh uses personal examples along with her own pictures to support her points. She is a woman who knows that life can be hard, and wants women to improve themselves, not for a man or to fit any societal image of how we "should" act, but a personal journey to enrich our own lives.

Chapters focus on a variety of topics that seem like common sense, but that can be hard to put into practice: giving back (to others as well yourself), trusting your intuition, loving yourself and others, and saying 'yes'. Working on being mindful and living intentionally can be challenging. Changing ingrained habits takes work, awareness, and time. It is easy to get lost, but Digh provides a road map.

For those without the money to buy the book (thank you recession!), check out Digh’s blog. She updates regularly and it’s full of inspiration and the acknowledgment of life’s challenges. The blog was an impetus for her first book, and she is currently working on a follow-up, specifically for the artists entitled Creative is a Verb: 37 Days to Unleash Your Inner Artist.

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