A Million Miles in a Thousand Years: How I Learned to Live a Better Story

What I've always admired about Donald Miller's previous work was the way he could talk about God without actually talking about God. He doesn't blatantly write that he is writing from a Christian standpoint, yet there is no way you can read through any of his books and not walk away with a sense of a higher being and the hope He brings. Miller's writing is organic and genuine, and I was afraid he couldn't keep up with it after he became so popular. However, in "A million miles in a thousand years", he once again blows me away with his simple, honest approach to life, that inspires readers to really live. It's undeniable that Miller believes in a higher power. It might not be obvious at first, but I think that's what makes this book great for believers and nonbelievers alike. Both can read this book and get something incredibly important out of it. It's like looking at your life through a window and seeing how God orchestrates each life like a movie, with a climax and a turning point and a conclusion. Reading this book has made me fall in love with God as a person, not as a religion. He truly captures the essence of God and leaves you thinking about the God that is here and now instead of some force outside the universe. He is a God we interact with on a daily basis, who has real feelings and emotions and longs for our lives to be rich. Because He writes so honestly, Miller knows how to capture the reader's heart, not just their mind. His honesty brings us to look at our lives honestly. It's almost a little unsettling to read his story and the way he's made his life worth something because it provokes each person to ask the most important question of what each of us are doing with our lives. His story in this books begins with moviemakers ready to make a story of Don's life from his novel "Blue Like Jazz", however the more they talk and they more they edit Don's life to make it movie worthy, the more Don contemplates what he wants his life's story to be. The legacy his life will lead and in the end, wondering if his life will be the kind of story that is worth watching. The way he can be so real with the reader almost forces the reader to be more real with themselves and evaluate the meaning in their lives. It's something each of us struggle with- the question of what we're doing with our lives that makes them worth something. As we struggle with Don through this crisis of life's meaning, we realize what it means to truly live and he inspires us to do so. I felt like I worked through this together with him and end inspired to do something. Don uses the phrase "I want to live a better story", which left me feeling like there is so much more I want to do and accomplish, and I finally feel like I can. Don sees life very clearly, and he helps the reader to step back from their own lives to see their clearly too. Usually when you do this, you realize how uninspired your life can seen and it makes you want to change. He makes you want to truly life for a bigger purpose than yourself, and when you do so you realize that living for someone other than yourself is what gives you life meaning. Don writes about his foundation called "the mentoring project" and describes that what really got him moving in life again was to work to make someone else's life better. Now through this initiative, fatherless kids around the world are being mentored and inspired, and their lives will be change; their stories will be changed. "A million miles in a thousand years" is a must-read for anyone looking for meaning in life, and honestly, who isn't? He beautifully engrains the story with God, while being completely honest and open and inspiring each person to "live a better story."

A great book- one that makes you wonder and question what and who you are living for. It’s a good book to go back to from time to time.

"A Million Miles in a Thousand Years" is an introspective journey into the art of storytelling and its application in our daily lives. It conveys the importance of intentionality and purpose in creating meaningful narratives and a fulfilling life. 1. "In a pure story, there is a purpose in every scene, in every line of dialogue. A movie is going somewhere." Miller emphasizes that every aspect of a good story, like life itself, is purposeful and headed towards a specific direction. The design of each story, therefore, is no accident. 2. Miller argues that when people perceive life as meaningless, they are often reflecting their own lack of purpose and significance. In essence, the point of life and of a good story is character transformation. 3. Miller presents the idea that, "people love to have lived a great story, but few people like the work it takes to make it happen. But joy costs pain." This highlights the inherent difficulties in creating a fulfilling life or narrative, emphasizing that fear can often limit us to a life of monotony. 4. He brings out the significance of the inciting incident – a point of no return that pushes the protagonist into the heart of the story. It's the doorway that makes the story interesting by introducing the element of risk. 5. The journey, however, is not without challenges. "A story is made up of turns", both positive and negative. He notes that these setbacks should not deter one from their path; instead, they are essential components that make a story interesting. 6. In the middle of our story, when the shore is no longer visible, Miller observes, most people give up. They feel stuck, unable to measure their progress. However, he advises that in such moments, we have two choices: to become bitter or get better. 7. Miller underscores the idea that every conflict or struggle can eventually bring a blessing if faced with courage. He reinforces this by stating, "There is no conflict man can endure that will not produce a blessing." 8. Acceptance is another crucial theme in the book. Miller writes, "When you stop expecting people to be perfect, you can like them for who they are." This theme extends to our relationship with material possessions and God, leading to a deeper sense of contentment. 9. Memorable scenes are integral to a good story and a good life. They are born out of our willingness to do something out of the ordinary, to create an experience that will etch itself into our memories. So, do memorable things. Always. “When we look back on our lives , what we will remember are the crazy things we did , the times we worked harder to make a day stand out” In the book there’s a “scene” where a family jumps in the water, fully dressed, to say goodbye to their guests. They do it with a purpose: “For no good reason , they jumped into the water fully clothed , just so they could say goodbye to us in a way that cost them something , that branded a scene into our minds that we could remember for years to come . A good movie has memorable scenes , and so does a good life”. Create memorable scenes 10. The book ends with the beautiful realization that one does not need to win for a story to be great. The true essence of a good story, and a fulfilling life, lies in the willingness to sacrifice, to strive, and to try. In summary, Donald Miller's "A Million Miles in a Thousand Years" encourages us to be the authors of our own stories, embracing both the trials and triumphs that come our way. We are invited to design our life's narrative with intention, courage, and a readiness to transform.

I'm just going to repost what I wrote on my blog about this book: Late Thursday night I finally opened the package I'd received from Thomas Nelson earlier in the day. Had I known what was inside I wouldn't have waited so long. For some reason I'd been sent two copies of Donald Miller's latest book, A Million Miles in a Thousand Years. I started reading, but stopped long enough to text Don, telling him I was reading his book. He had no idea why I was sent two copies either, but offered to send yet another one if I wanted it. Of course I want it! I've a few people in mind to send the two extra copies, but I'll keep the one Don sends, especially if he autographs the inside. It was late, and I had an early flight to catch, so I put the book down, deciding to instead read it on my flight to Indiana to speak with part of the XXXChurch team at Purdue University. Friday morning started... interestingly. My flight was delayed more than two and a half hours, creating a scheduled arrival time that would put me at the university an hour after I was scheduled to speak. That wouldn't work. I explained the situation to a very helpful Alaskan Airlines employee, who was kind enough to put me on another flight with another airline - United - the only catch being I'd have to drive more than two hours south to Sacramento to catch it. My efforts would be rewarded: if nothing else went wrong I'd arrive at Purdue just 10 minutes after the time I was scheduled to take the stage. Much better - the band could easily play a couple of extra songs and the crowd would never know the difference. Finally on my way to Indy, I cracked open Million again. I read it all the way to my connecting flight in Denver, often laughing out loud, likely making my seat companions wonder if I was mentally unstable. If you've read one of Don's books I'm sure you can identify: the man is funny and can tell a story! I only read for a few minutes after leaving Denver for Indianapolis. I needed to catch a nap so I'd be sharp enough to speak to the thousand plus college students expected to attend Friday Night's Porn and Popcorn event. I put the book in my bag in a revered, sacred place: the pouch occupied by my beloved MacBook Pro and Kindle DX. Don's latest would have to wait until the return flight... ...which was also delayed more than two hours, getting me into Chicago an hour after my next flight left, but not before Don's pen reduced me to tears in front of my fellow passengers on the Indy to Chi town stretch. While taxiing to the gate in Chicago I texted Don to harass him for this. "Wow. That wasn't intended I assure you!!" was his response. Once in Chicago, and after more than an hour standing in a customer service line to be rebooked, I learned I'd have to spend the night at O'Hare and settle for a 10:40am departure the next morning. I had a decision to make: I could go postal like the lady standing behind me, or I could accept my fate and see this as an opportunity to finish the book and perhaps experience what it's like to sleep on the floor of one of those family bathrooms - you know, the kind that lock and give you the stall all to yourself? While I don't think that's any part of the kind of "better story" talked about throughout Don's book, I decided it'd be much better than the heart attack Ms. Postal was about to give herself. Probably because of the smile I kept on my face as Mt. Saint Helens erupted yet again behind me, the United Airlines Customer Service Rep gave me a standby ticket for a flight that wasn't mentioned earlier. It was very full and the odds were just about zilch that I'd actually catch it, but with two hours to kill before knowing the answer for sure, I took the ticket, found a family bathroom, plugged in my iPhone to charge, and relaxed a little. I couldn't get comfortable enough to feel like reading, but the hour and a half spent in that solitary space was still a great escape from the noise of an insanely busy terminal, and I only felt a little guilty when the handle was wiggled a time or two by people who probably actually needed to use the facilities for the purpose they were intended. Divine intervention must have opened heaven, earth, and a few seats on the 8:16pm flight to Sacramento, because my name was called - and I got a window seat. In another miracle rivaling that time the USA won the gold in hockey against the Russians, the seat in between me and the other guy in my row remained empty after the doors closed and boarding ended. With the extra space to stretch my legs, I was soon comfortably finishing A Million Miles in a Thousand Years...which brings me to the present, where I still sit on that same plane hurling towards Sacra-tomato at 500 miles an hour, writing to you, my constant readers. I gotta tell ya: I honestly don't know how to write the review this book deserves. Don tells a story - his story - yet somehow his story challenges the reader to go out and live a better version of their own life story. He does this in a way I can't put into the right words to make you understand how special a gift you'll be giving yourself when you pick up a copy. He just does it... Donald Miller style. Just buy it! Then come back and tell me if I'm the only grown adult it moves to publicly laugh and cry, unconcerned about those sitting nearby.

In the book, Miller discusses his experience editing his life to be made into a screenplay. Throughout the process, he learns more about what makes a meaningful story and realizes his life is comfortable and easy, but not the story he wants it to be. One of his primary realizations was that life involves character transformation -- it's not about achieving a certain goal or reaching certain socially agreed upon milestones like graduating, marrying, and reproducing. Instead, it's about how the experiences you go through and the stories you set up for yourself (because we do, to an extent, set up our own stories or avoid doing so) change who you are. Miller discusses how stories have an inciting incident, something that begins the rising action and conflicts of the plot. He refers to this incident as a door that, once you pass through, the story is set in motion and there's no going back. The story is inevitably less comfortable than not living the story, but it also confers rewards and growth beyond a life of comfort. Miller talks of adding characters and goals to your story, and about how the most unusual -- and even the most difficult -- experiences are the ones that make life meaningful, not the vanilla days where things have been comfortable. All in all, the book felt like such a timely read. It's empowering to read about the ways in which we can decide to create our stories. I also just appreciated Miller's voice -- this isn't a bubblegum Christian read churned out by the religious industry (I'm a committed Christian and though I love some Bible studies and such that that industry puts out, I'm disillusioned by the machine as a whole.) His faith is clear and devoted even as he talks about sharing a glass of bourbon with friends. There's no pretense, no legalism disguised as spirituality. I so appreciated that. This was a very valuable book for me.

In A Million Miles in a Thousand Years writer Donald Miller explores what it is that makes up a good story and then applies these insights to his life. While looking to become a better writer, and working on a screenplay for a movie, Miller goes with a friend to a Robert McKee writing seminar. After 36 hours of lecture Miller asks his friend what a story actually is and his friend replies, "a character who wants something and overcomes conflict to get it." Miller uses this basic framework as he continues his writing; but, then wonders if this same framework can be used to explore his life. Miller asks the question "am I living a good story?" The rest of the memoir focuses on Miller defining his character, what he wants, and learning to embrace the inevitable conflict so it can be overcome. A Million Miles in a Thousand Years forces its reader to explore their own life and ask some basic questions: what kind of story am I living? What changes need to be made so I can be living a good story? How can I move my story toward and through conflict? How does God interact with our story? What are the stories we are writing our loved ones into? Ultimately, Miller writes, "a story is based on what people think is important, so when we live a story, we are telling people around us what we think is important." Miller's writing style is pleasant and affable; kind of like sitting on a porch and listening to a friend. His self-aware and self-deprecating nature keeps the book from becoming too narcissistic (a danger for any memoir). The writing may have benefited had it gone through another round of tightening, but the free-flowing nature of the narrative is part of the charm of the book. There are stories and ideas in A Million Miles in a Thousand Years that will capture anyone's attention and imagination. This is the perfect book to read if you are searching for something, but need a little push to fully know what that something is. This quick read would be beneficial to any creative person, and is a book I imagine I will come back to for a second read in the next nine to fifteen months. Who is my character? What do I want? Where are my obstacles? Is my life telling a good story?

A really good friend of mine highly recommended this book. She is very intellectual, but I didn't take into consideration that she is also a devout Christian, which I am not. I am undecided about religion in its entirety and haven't even been able to establish whether or not I truly believe in God. Some parts of me do because, while the Big Bang theory may answer some questions, I have no explanation for what could have initiated it out of nothing. But if I do believe in God, I believe in a God that only existed for the initial creation and otherwise left his creations to choose their own actions. I share all this information because although I was mostly inspired, Donald Miller kept slipping Biblical references and points related to God and Jesus into the story here and there. I understand that he has his own beliefs, but it turned me off. I at first didn't mind because his references to God seemed more like an undefined universal force rather than any particular belief as to what God truly is. But he reached one point where he mentioned that God has a plan for us, and human nature has us fighting against following this path. And this is where I had to stop reading for awhile because that idea depressed me. I prefer to believe that I am in control over my actions and the only hindrance to doing one thing over the other would be other people and the institutions we've created. If I am to believe that God is trying to send me down a particular path, I have to wonder why waste his time on me and why not concentrate on people who truly need it. I also wonder, if God had an overall plan for mankind and wanted us to follow a certain path so the "forest" could achieve this, why give us free will? It seems to me that free will is actually some kind of punishment as it is what holds us back from accomplishing whatever it is that God wants us to accomplish. I find this all to be very depressing. I'd rather focus on what I can do to help other people and believe the reason others don't is because of their own personal choice, rather than think God is trying to guide us all in that specific direction (but isn't even successful for the most part) yet there continues to be so much suffering in the world. I am glad I continued reading as I would have missed his stories of Bob, his friend Jim, and the middle-aged cyclist Mike, all of which left a lasting impression on me. While it is true that Donald Miller accomplished many things that inspire me to challenge myself in some huge way, I think I ended the story most impacted by Bob. He is the man I would love to emulate, and he is the man I wish would write his story. Excluding the religious aspects of the book, I did enjoy it and I am feeling inspired. I hesitate to recommend it to others because I think the portions dedicated to religion could potentially alienate some readers of different religious beliefs. But I will recommend it to any of my Christian friends.

Funny, endearing and insightful. The book narrates a (likely fictional) biography of the author as he is approached by two film-makers who want to make a film out of his life, based on a book he previously wrote. As he engages with them, he realizes his life has become boring and not worthy of storytelling. While the film-makers diverge by creating a fictional version of the author in order to make the movie, the protagonist examines his life and takes action, taking clues from what makes a good story, in order to make a good life. Some interesting tidbits: * Whether we choose them or not, we are always traversing a story. It could be the story of us achieving something professionally, us supporting a friend, us trying to find a life partner, us diving into a new hobby, etc. Not all stories are good. We can change them both for us and for others (#leadership). * We can only bring a story to life if we act it out. It doesn't work to just imagine or plan -- stories have to be lived and through acting them out, we become the protagonist in question. A similar point is made on the Atomic Habits book: what we do (and not what we think, plan, dream about, etc) is what makes who we are. * When we think about personal growth, it's interesting to consider that the best stories come not from acquiring new skills or knowledge, but from character development. We may grow in a variety of ways in our lives, but our character flaws remain largely our biggest and scariest foe. * Knowing we are in a story should also help us contextualize our struggles -- no good story is without its twists and turns, and the occasional setbacks. Having the presence of mind to step back and appreciate that struggle as the forge of change, can help us adopt a more optimistic attitude towards it. * All stories of transformation involve a certain amount of pain. If we only choose to embark in stories that suppose no pain for us, we will not grow. Also, choosing by fear is a sure way to get a boring life. * We don't need to entirely committed to something to start. We only need a lapse of bravery to commit to a story. As a result of this last part - I signed up for my first 10k race in a couple of months. Wish me luck! Update: I did the race and finished it :)