Phil Keoghan Tells Readers How to Live Life to the Fullest N.O.W.

Most people know Phil Keoghan as the host of The Amazing Race, where he describes the action and greets players at the end of each segment. However, Keoghan’s résumé goes far beyond just describing stunts and deep into actually doing them himself. In fact, he produced and hosted adventure television shows in New Zealand before doing the same in the U.S. It was only after that he became well-known to many Americans.

More recently, Keoghan also began a series on Discovery Channel, No Opportunity Wasted or N.O.W. He also wrote an similarly-titled book, along with Warren Berger: No Opportunity Wasted: 8 Ways to Create a List for the Life You Want (Rodale Books, $22.95).

It is not necessary to have seen the show in order to understand the book – it stands alone. While the show gives people a little money and a little time to live out their dreams, the book is supposed to be an overall guide to living life. More specifically, Keoghan wants people to live life to the fullest, to do what they really want rather than just sitting at home and thinking about it.

Keoghan tells readers that he first had the idea for “N.O.W.” as a way of life when he was 19 and got stuck in an old shipwreck while scuba diving. He came face to face with his own mortality must younger than most people, and it made him ask, “What must I do before I die?” He began putting together a list, and once something was on the list, he told himself that he had to do it.

A few of the things he has done to date include skiing behind a reindeer at 30 miles per hour, setting a world record for group bungee jumping, tracking a Florida panther through alligator-infested waters, and drinking cobra blood. Some of these might seem less like a list for life than a list for certain death, but Keoghan is a rather adventurous sort. Throughout the pages of N.O.W., he makes it clear that a person’s list does not have to be nearly this dangerous – it only has to represent what that person truly wants to do.

The heart of the book deals with how to make your list and is broken up into eight chapters dealing with “The Eight Great Themes.” These are: Face your fear, get lost, test your limits, take a leap of faith, rediscover your childhood, shed your inhibitions/express yourself, break new ground, and aim for the heart. The end of the book then provides a tear-out page to serve as a contract with yourself to do the things on your list.

Yes, it is a bit corny and in parts feels like other self-help books. But Keoghan has a way of making it seem more real, like following your dreams is something that is actually possible. Perhaps it is because he has done so many things himself and helped many others achieve their dreams.

But before getting to the dreams, Keoghan takes us past the excuses. He quickly knocks off the top ten, including a variety from “I don’t have the money” to “my family must always come first.” He explains how each one can be overcome, though some explanations are less convincing than others. For example, in response to the “family” excuse, he says that having a family is all the more reason to be adventurous. That’s great, but some people may counter that having a family means supporting that family, which doesn’t leave a lot of time for drinking cobra blood while tracking panthers.

Still, as mentioned above, Keoghan does have a way of making you think you can follow your dreams. At the very least, some of his ideas can be put into everyday use without going to extremes. For example, he talks about how important it is for people to face their fears and gives suggestions on steps to take towards that goal. He also suggests that one of the goals should be to help other people, even if it means doing so anonymously.

Keoghan’s book is not only for fans of the TV shows he has hosted – though perhaps they will enjoy it a bit more – but for everybody who has a dream, which really means pretty much everybody, period. Readers are likely to shake their heads at some of the more exuberant portions of the book, but they will probably come away with a feeling that they should and can do something more – whether it’s written on a list for life or just an idea. If that means that some people live life more fully, then Keoghan has done what he sought to do.

David Bloomberg is the Editor of RealityNewsOnline and can be reached at RNO@pobox.com.

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