On Fire: The 7 Choices to Ignite a Radically Inspired Life

The number one joy indicator, the one thing that will predict whether someone feels joy in their life or not, is the practice of gratitude.

you can’t always choose the path that you walk in life, but you can always choose the manner in which you walk it.

The most powerful weapon on earth is the human soul on fire. —

We’re not afraid of who we are. We’re afraid of who we think we’re not. We strive, then, not to become the best version of ourselves. We strive instead for what we think will make us most worthy in the eyes and opinions of others.

Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow. —Melody Beattie On

We had it all. Life was perfect. And then life changed. It always does. When life changes in this way, we can beg and plead to go back to the way things were. Feeling entitled to that reality. Waiting for someone to wave the magic wand and put things back to normal; back to the way life was. Or we can step up, recognize that it is time to move forward from here, and embrace total accountability

seventh choice to ignite a radically inspired life: choose to let go of fear and operate, lead, and live from a place of unconditional love.

What if you could walk into every interaction expecting a smile, a new friend, and a true connection? What if every moment was seen as a miracle? What if each interaction was seen not from the perspective of what might go wrong next, but from one certain that the best is yet to come? Fear. Or love. It’s a choice. What will you choose?

Mark Twain said it best: “I have been through some terrible things in my life, some of which actually happened.” Think about that for a moment. Fear is rooted in what may happen, something that does not even exist in reality. Yet how frequently we allow this emotion to consume our thoughts, ultimately deciding the course of our lives

Growth is the only evidence of life. The opposite is true, too. Stagnation is the first step to your grave.

Because whatever we focus on in life grows. Focus on the bad and it is multiplied, it’s everywhere (watch the news tonight if you don’t believe me. Reporters are experts at this). Focus on the good and it expands, it’s all around.

When you know your why, you can endure any how.

The things that people were the most grateful for were the ordinary things in life. The sound of your spouse’s laugh, the smell of morning coffee, the echo of children playing in the yard. The little things. In waiting for the big moments—the vacations, the retirements, the birthdays—we risk missing the experiences of life most worthy of celebrating.

We're not afraid of who we are. We're afraid of who we think we're not.

Abraham Lincoln: Determine that the thing can and shall be done, and then we shall find the way.

It’s my life and I’m responsible for it. No one’s going to save you. Accountability

When you chase success, your spark burns out quickly. When

It's time to chip away the plaster, pull down the ask, peel off the bandages, and allow the miracle of life to shine brightly.

choose to let go of fear and operate, lead, and live from a place of unconditional love.

The echo of fear silences opportunity.

What you are in love with . . . will affect everything. It will decide what will get you out of bed in the morning, . . . how you spend your weekends, what you read, . . . what breaks your heart and what amazes you with joy and gratitude. Fall in love, stay in love, and it will decide everything.

Fear is rooted in what may happen, something that does not even exist in reality. Yet how frequently we allow this emotion to consume our thoughts, ultimately deciding the course of our lives.

Fear and love are the two great motivators. While fear suffocates, love liberates.

Real growth is often unwanted, extremely painful, and ultimately completely worth it.

we’ve got to learn to see discomfort differently. It may be a sign that something is right. It may be proof that we are growing in a new direction. The poor kid with a towel in his mouth would have remained locked in bed unable to walk had it not been for Brenda and Maureen, for the broom closet.

When a couple stop actively dating, stop pursuing one another, stop choosing to really love, stop choosing to grow together, stop choosing to continually forgive—they begin to die. They didn’t fall out of love. They stopped growing in love.

Growth is frequently painful. But “growth is the only evidence of life.

we can choose to be a victor. To recognize that a disease is a gift, the walls can’t contain our spirit, the fire has refined and strengthened our character, and the best days are in front of us. We lift our hands, feel the rain on our face, and dance. Why me? We know this is leading us somewhere. We know that this storm isn’t the end. We’re just waiting for the first sunbeam.

Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass, it’s about learning to dance in the rain.

The victor’s shift means we immediately look to what we have, not what we lack. With gratitude, we unlock vitality, longevity, and optimism. We escape from chains that bind and walls that trap into a life that is on fire and a party that is raging.