Summary in seconds: introducing the author and the book, general overview: Candy Chang and “Before I die, I_ _ _,” why cemeteries are the most valuable land in the world, and “Die Empty” vs “Karoshi.”
The book that I selected for review is “Die Empty: unleash your best work every day,” originally published in its First Edition by Portfolio/Penguin Group in 2013. This impactful work, authored by Todd Henry, has transcended linguistic boundaries, being translated into more than a dozen languages, including Arabic, where it goes by the title “مت فارغاً” under the translation of Omar Fayed. Comprising approximately 240 pages divided into 12 chapters.
Todd Henry, the founder of Accidental Creative1 is not only a prolific author but also a renowned international speaker, consultant, and advisor. He published five books: “The Accidental Creative” (2011), “Die Empty” (2013), “Louder Than Words” (2015), “Herding Tigers” (2018), and “The Motivation Code” (2020).
In his writing, Tod Henry describes his theme as “I write about creativity, productivity, and how to find passion for your work.
”General Overview of “Die Empty:”
Die Empty is a personal development book, full of practical advices and actionable guidelines that makes it one of the finest in its genre. The book opens up with actionable guidelines tailored to assist the everyday reader on their journey towards personal growth and fulfillment. In the second part of the book, the author seems to shift focus towards the business sphere, however, the author manages to offer a plethora of ideas in an effective, eye-opening manner.
Die Empty starts with the intriguing story of Candy Chang2 and her 2011 art project in a New Orleans neighborhood. Following the death of someone she loved, Chang created a large chalkboard on the wall of an abandoned home and stenciled the prompt, “Before I die, I want to ___,.” She longed to regain perspective and find solace with her neighbors. Anyone walking by could pick up a piece of chalk, reflect on death and life, and share their personal feelings with everyone.
Over the next days and months, Chang’s creation became, as The Atlantic3 called it, “one of the most creative projects ever.” Thousands of “Before I die, _____” walls were created in communities in over 75 countries. Passionate people around the world expressed their awareness of the limited time we have on earth and that we all have something dear to achieve. This “Before I die, ___” story inspired Todd Henry to write “Die Empty.”
The author also mentioned the intriguing story of a speaker who asked his audience ‘What do you think is the most valuable land in the world?’ This story had been previously detailed in my article titled “Die Empty, why I chose this book?” Todd Henry used this story to conclude the profound notion that cemeteries are the most valuable land in the world, because withing their hallowed grounds lie interred the dreams that were never fulfilled because the dreamers ran out of time. Mr. Henry, added that we always delay our ambitions thinking that we will get back to it tomorrow, but what if we ran out of tomorrows? Mr. Henry was urging us to empty ourselves of all our creative ideas and ambitious dreams before it is too late.
Todd Henry urges us to avoid leaving our best and most valuable work dormant within us, emphasizing the importance of relying on sustained effort, not luck or accident. He distinguished this ‘sense of urgency to get our creativity out before it is too late’ from a mindset of ‘getting things done urgently at all cost.’ Mr. Henry compared his ‘urgency’ in “Die Empty” to the concept of “Karoshi”4 which is working all the time and past reasonable limits. He added, “don’t work frantically and never ignore everything else in your life.” Mr. Henry reiterated “make steady and critical progress.” Dying empty is not the same as living ‘like there is no tomorrow.’
In the upcoming article, I will conclude my review of this book by elaborating into Todd Henry’s view of “what counts as work?”
1. Accidental Creative: is a company created by Todd Henry and is described on the author’s website page as “a company that helps creative people and teams be prolific, brilliant and healthy.”
2. Candy Chang: Candy Chang is an artist, designer, urban planner, and the creator of “Before I die, I___”.
3. The Atlantic: is an American magazine and multi-platform publisher, based in Washington, D.C, and was founded in 1857.
4. Karoshi: can be translated literally as “overwork death”, is a Japanese term relating to occupational sudden mortality.