Living Life on Fire

Last October, my daughter and I went to the movie theater to see Soul on Fire. I hadn’t heard of the movie, but she promised me that I would enjoy it – and boy did I!  Soul on Fire is based on the true story of John O’Leary’s miraculous recovery from a house fire that severely burned his entire body when he was only nine years old.

I was so touched by the movie that I purchased his #1 best-selling book, On Fire: The 7 Choices to Ignite a Radically Inspired Life. John’s message is one of encouragement and hope. I felt drawn to his story and his drive not only to survive, but to truly live. I wanted to understand how he overcame such adversity against all odds.

A frightened little boy in the hospital, pain racking through every part of his being, John grappled with a question even adults don’t want to face. “John, do you want to die? It’s your choice…” his mother asked him. John made the choice to live and fought hard to make an incredible recovery.

What is the definition of truly living and not just existing? The answer to this question will look different for each of us. However, there are some behaviors that can give us a clue. Are you sleepwalking through the day, unaware of the people around you? Do you wake up dreading the day? Are you always looking for things to go wrong, or are you willing to navigate through the challenge to better waters?

You can probably see where I am going with this. We can walk through life just existing, or we can create a life of possibilities. No one ever said life would be easy. It certainly wasn’t easy for John (I hope you read the book and see the movie to learn more!). Yet even at the age of nine, he chose to keep living.

John states the most profound yet simple words of wisdom in his book – “…you can’t always choose the path that you walk in life, but you can always choose the manner in which you walk it.” We cannot choose the hand we’re dealt. But we can choose how we respond to it. In his book, John shares seven defining moments to progress from existing to living. But you need to read the book to find them out!

Your life may not be exactly what you planned, but it’s your life. There aren’t any perfect circumstances. There aren’t any perfect relationships. There aren’t any perfect families. World-class card players know it isn’t about the hand you’ve been dealt – it’s about how you play your cards.

If you are ready to stop existing and start living, grab a copy of John’s book. And if you don’t know where to start and need some assistance thinking about behavior changes in your life, we can work together to ignite your life’s flame!

Additional information about John’s life can be found on his website. Soul on Fire is now streaming on Netflix and Prime Video. It is definitely worth a watch – and make sure you have tissues handy!

Ignite Your Life's Flame