YO U R LI F E O N F I R E7 CHOICES TO LIVING A RADICALLY INSPIRED LIFE

This workbook is designed for use alongside, or after watching,John O’Leary’s YOUR LIFE ON FIRE online course.

Each section is filled with exercises to help support you on yourjourney to a radically inspired life.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Live inspired every day with John O’Leary at

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Choice 1: Self-Acceptance.…………………………… 2-3 Choice 2: Being a Victor.…………………………….. 4-5 Choice 3: Purpose…………………………………….. 6-7 Choice 4: Owning it………………………………….. 8-9 Choice 5: Growth…………………………………….. 10-11 Choice 6: Significance………………………………... 12-13 Choice 7: Love………………………………………... 14-15

Denial v. Self-AcceptanceWhere there is ruin, there is hope for treasure.

—Rumi

What’s your story?

Not the one you share at cocktail parties. Not what’s printed on your resume or the one you put on your online profile.

It’s time to drop the act and take off the mask.

It’s time to dare to believe that who you are underneath is enough.

Because it is.My challenge to you is, as you look in the mirror, at your reflection, at your

day, at your life, to confidently recognize that you and your story are priceless.

This time don’t cover up, but marvel.

No one else has your story, your scars, your wisdom.

No one.

Embrace them.

Accept them.

Learn from them and celebrate them.

You wouldn’t be here without them.

Your reflection may be a bit red, bumpy, and ridgy, but it’s led you perfectly to where you are today—and the possibility of what you can do next. So rip off the bandages. Take off the mask. Look in the mirror. Love what you see.

Smile at the reflection. And share it with others.

Choose self-acceptance.

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In order to really live your life on fire, you must first know, accept, and embrace your story. In other words, you must step away from internal fear and external judgments. You must remove the mask, observe the reflection, and eventually celebrate what you see.

The process is not always easy or quick, but it is most certainly worthy and transformative. It frees you from living someone else’s life and empowers you to live fully into the best version of your life. Take a few minutes to think about your past and your present life.

Share some of your scars, limiting beliefs, or struggles that you try to mask so others don’t see them:

How does masking these scars help you today? How might it hurt you?

How might embracing these scars help you today? How might it help others?

Knowing that everyone has a worthy story, and that the story is still being written through every choice and action within our lives,

Write the first line of your story:

Write the last line of your story:

Self-Acceptance“How are you?”

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Victim v. VictorLife isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass, it’s about learning to dance

in the rain.—Vivian Greene

Why me?

A simple question.

With profoundly important consequences.

Storms will always rage. As a victim we stare up at the sky, lift our hands in despair, and cry, “Why me?”

We realize clearly that our life is a struggle, that others are evil, that there is no hope, and that the worst days are to come.

Or we choose another way.

In the middle of the same storm, 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.

Why me?

The manner in which we ask this question changes everything that happens afterward.

Choose to be a victor.

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List the people, things, events, and situations that you are extremely grateful for in your life. These are yesterday’s gifts or today’s blessings:

Now, a harder question: List the people, things, events, and situations that are tough to be grateful for. These are yesterday’s challenges and today’s struggles:

OK…Now the real work. Compose six thank you letters. Write three for the first list. Then, open your heart and mind by composing three gratitude letters for your second list. I’ve discovered such power in not only sharing the things that I am grateful for with those for whom I am grateful, but in finding and celebrating gratitude even for the fires, the struggles in life.

My friend, you may mail them to the recipient or hand deliver them for extra credit. Or, you may destroy them or burn them.

Victor“What are you thankful for?”

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Indifference v. PurposeA hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to persevere

and endure in spite of overwhelming odds.—Christopher Reeve

Are you on fire with purpose today?

I’m not asking when you last ran into a burning building or risked your life for someone else. I want to know, are you living as if it matters?

As if something significant is at stake in your life today?

Are you All In?

Or have you allowed indifference to slowly steal your joy? Are you letting the mundane, the ordinary, the challenging, the boring suck

the marrow from your life?If you answered “yes,” let this be your inflection point.

Choosing to live on fire means you are unwilling to accept “okay.”

You can continue to retreat, protect yourself, disengage, and pretend not to care.

You can certainly cross your arms and say, “So what? I can’t be bothered. So what? I’m done caring. So what? It doesn’t matter.”

Or you can step back into the fight.

You can engage in the world around you, find your purpose, and cling to it with all your might. You can proudly proclaim,

“So what that it sometimes burns? It’s worth it. So what that I might get hurt?

There are other people that I can inspire. So what that it’s hard? I’ve got one life and I plan to never let go.”

In choosing to be on fire with purpose you might just save a life.

Maybe even your own.

Choose purpose.

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Ignition Statement: A reminder that keeps you motivated every day, regardless of what you’re doing. Your ignition statement should be the thing that gives you fuel, that unlocks your passion, and that empowers you to live fully in every moment.

What brings you true joy? What makes your heart flutter, ignites you with passion, or motivates you to strive mightily to do, be, achieve, impact more?

Professionally:

Relationally:

Financially:

Emotionally:

Physically:

Spiritually:

Answer this question: I choose to thrive each and every day because:

Read your above answer. Now, cross it out. And answer this question: I choose to thrive each and every day because:

One final time, answer the question: I choose to thrive each and every day because: (This is your working Ignition Statement!)

Purpose“What’s your WHY?”

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Entitlement v. Owning ItBut until a person can say deeply and honestly, “I am what I am today

because of the choices I made yesterday,” that person cannot say, “I choose otherwise.”

—Stephen Covey

Are you truly alive?

No. I didn’t just ask, “Are you breathing?”

I’m not asking if you have a pulse or are existing or enduring.

No, I want to know if you are really living.

Do you feel excited about your life? Like you are present for each moment, big and small? Like you can handle the challenges that

come, embrace the opportunities before you, and be fully satisfied in any situation?

Are you living a radically inspired life?

If not, it’s time to discover the power of taking ownership of your life. Regardless of the challenges you face today, this is a choice. A choice that ignites within us the power to surrender to things we just can’t change, fight for the things we can, and celebrate each moment on

the journey going forward.

Life is not about avoiding death, it’s about choosing to really live.

Here is your inflection point.

No more “It’s not my fault.”

Embrace the freedom of “It’s my life.”

Because this is your life.

This is your time.

This is your moment.

This matters.

Act like it.

Choose to own it.8

Inflection Point: A moment in time that may seem insignificant or monumental; it may appear positive or negative, but it changes everything that follows afterward.

Take some time and reflect on your life. Journal below on three inflection points from your life story. What happened? How did it impact you? How did you feel about it when it happened? What did you discover about yourself ? And how are you even better now because of what happened then?

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No Regrets. No Reserves. No Retreats. To truly take control of your life, you must learn to say no as much as you say yes. What are some things, activities, people, and mindsets in your life that are truly life-giving? What things are not? In the two columns below list the things, activities, people, mindsets, and beliefs you’ll commit to saying “YES” to and those you’ll be bold enough to say “NO” to.

Owning It“Do you want to live?”

YES NO

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Stagnation v. GrowthThe most pathetic person in the world is someone who has sight, but has no vision.

—Helen Keller

What’s really possible through your life?

This is a question that can’t be fully answered if you’re looking down at your feet.

This is your inflection point.

Anxiety and fear will keep you stagnant. What if I fail? What if I am too old? What if I never walk again? In looking down, all you see is your shoes, the

dirt; all you feel is discouragement, struggle.

But you can choose instead to look up, stretch, and breathe life and possibility into every moment.

This is your day. Put your cape back on. Remember the powerful possibility that lived in your heart as a child. Begin daring to dream again.

What if this is just the beginning? What if I actually could succeed? What if I can make a profound impact in another’s life?

What if I stretched actively forward each day?Isn’t it time to risk it all in order to build something, inspire another,

and become someone great?

Isn’t it time to stretch courageously toward the limitless possibility of your life?

Isn’t it time you get moving, start dreaming, and begin growing?

Growth is the only evidence of life.

Choose growth.

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What do you truly want to do? What’s your passion? Living one’s passion can be one of the toughest things to discover. Here are some exercises you can start doing today that will help you to start to stretch and grow towards your true self.

Complete this statement:

“If I could achieve anything through my life, and I knew I would not fail, and I was thinking really, really big, I’d:

Some fun exercises to finding your passion tomorrow, embracing the gifts of yesterday, and abundantly living today:

Art. Get some crayons, magic markers, or colored pencils and a blank piece of paper. Go somewhere where you won’t be disturbed for 30 minutes. Color. Don’t worry about what the picture is, or staying in between the lines. Just focus on coloring.

Move. Dedicate some time each day or each week to a long walk by yourself. Whether looking up at a night sky or down at a small flower, nature has a way of grounding us, releasing negativity, elevating possibility, and connecting us with a purpose much greater than ourselves. Give yourself time to reflect, enjoy, and be renewed.

Track. Keep a “joy” journal. Make note of anything that brings you joy. Watch what you gravitate to—what stories are you most interested in reading? What section in the bookstore do you end up in? What do you wish you had more time to do?

Stay solution-orientated. Keep note of the “I could, but” voice that interrupts your dreaming or goal setting. Brainstorm solutions for those potential roadblocks. Very often, the people around us have solutions. Or what we think of as insurmountable (needing a degree) can be worked around (volunteerism, part time classes) in some way.

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Growth“Do you believe that anything is possible?”

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Success v. SignificanceWe make a living by what we get; we make a life by what we give.

—Winston Churchill

We’re all busy.

We all have innumerable responsibilities, tasks, and chores. You may be feeling, Gosh, I can’t do one more thing. I am maxed out with my family, my job,

the bills. What more can I do?

I encourage you to ask this question tonight. Journal it. Demand an answer. What more can I do to achieve the opportunities in front of me, to take

back my health, to more fully celebrate the blessings God has granted me, to better love family members, to pay attention to those who maybe need a

glimmer of hope?

Everything you do every day of your life matters profoundly.

When you chase success, your spark burns out quickly.

When you do something of significance, the spark jumps to life, spreads to others, and burns brightly long after you are gone.

The work you do quietly for others may not make headlines, but it will inspire others and give your life significance.

Decide today to make your family, your community, your organization,

your world a better place.

Pay attention.

Ask, “What more can I do?”

And see the spark catch flame and create a powerful inferno of change.

Choose significance.

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It’s not all about you.

Not the easiest thing to read, especially when we’re overwhelmed with life’s demands. But sometimes that focus—on being the best parent, getting the promotion, or getting in shape—can mean a lack of awareness of the world around us. And it’s in celebrating the world around us where we can actually find the most joy. This is what it means to live a truly significant life.

Choose one day a week to Spark the Kindness. Consider it your own personal “spark” day. Maybe it’s holding doors, making sure to smile and say hello to everyone you encounter, letting someone take the parking spot, or helping an elderly neighbor or friend.

List three things you will start doing this week to Spark the Kindness.

At the end of each of your “Spark the Kindness” days—journal the experiences you had throughout the day, the reactions you encountered, and how they made you feel.

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Significance “What more can you do?”

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Fear v. LoveI will love the light for it shows me the way,

yet I will endure the darkness for it shows me the stars.—Og Mandino

There is a myth that love is soft.

The truth is, sometimes love is hard. Love takes action. It’s not a fuzzy feeling. Love is a verb, it’s unselfish, and it propels you into doing

something, usually something for someone else. You see, fear is always selfish. It’s concerned with what you can get, what you need, what might

happen to you.

Love? It’s always about others.

And in truly caring for others we are taken care of, too.

Here’s your inflection point: fear or love? I have to or I want to?

You only have one life to live. Do you want to lead it cowering in fear, stressed by things that might never happen, hiding from the possibilities

that lurk around every corner? Living in the “I have to” mentality?

Or do you want to wake each day energized with possibility, knowing that you hold the power to change your life, and the lives of others, by living each

day on fire with love? Eager to see what is around each corner? Ready to take life by the reins?

Every day we can choose: Shut people out or open our hearts; clench our fists or open up our arms?

The choice we make can transform lives.

Starting with our own.

You see, when you let go of fear, your hands can finally grasp the love and joy that have been waiting all along.

Choose love.

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List some key times in your life where you were motivated purely by love.

List some times that momentary fear or judgment held you back.

Which of the two mighty motivators, fear and love, seem to work better for breathing life, possibility, hope, and effectiveness into your days?

Changing “I have to…” to “I want to…”

In the course, I mention doing this with a rock. But you can use any talisman for this exercise. Find a coin, button, charm, etc. Keep it in your pocket or around your neck. Use it as a reminder to do all of your work and play out of a sense of love. Each and every time you hear yourself saying or thinking, “I have to,” grab that rock, feel it in your fingers, and remind yourself “I want to!”

For you see, Love is a verb. Love is powerful. Love is contagious. And, fortunately, love is a choice.

Choose Love.

Love“Judgments prevent us from seeing the good that lies beyond appearances.”

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JohnOLearyInspires.com

Friend,

Thanks for letting me be part of YOUR RADICALLY INSPIRED LIFE during this course. I’m honored by your friendship and I know – through your dedication to this program – you are changing lives…starting with your own. Now that you see the value and impact when you intentionally make your critical 7 CHOICES to live a radically inspired life each day, I hope you’ll encourage others to do the same. If you haven’t already, invite your friends and family to join me online. You can find all of my social media handles, guest blog sites, newsletter, etc.

My friend, today is your day. Live Inspired.

John O’Leary