At a negative inflection point, you have to remember that you have a choice to either live or die
The severity of the burns 9-year-old O’Leary suffered was tantamount to zero chances of survival for him. 87% of his burns were to the third-degree while his lungs were filled with smoke. His entire body was burned. Yet, he survived and thrived.
How? Prayer, a will to live, and a powerful support system. Prayer is powerful if we understand its purpose. Prayer is not intended to change God, but to inform and inspire the next steps of the individuals offering the prayer. Prayer helped O’Leary to choose to live rather than die. It encouraged him to take ownership of his life. In addition to prayers, there were remarkable people who were encouraging and pushing him to fight and believe each step of the way.
How we respond to the things that happen to us is totally within our control.
O’Leary chose to play with fire and that led to the first inflection point in his life. But there were other points too. He had to make other choices that changed everything that followed the first inflection point.
“The first choice you must make to ignite a radically inspired life is to own your life.”
John O’Leary
You can live a life of hope and possibility or a life of fear and regret. It all comes down to the choices you make.
Personal accountability, not a feeling of entitlement, is what leads to any worthy achievement in life.
Accountability is not only about taking the blame for a mistake but also about intentionally navigating forward in life. You have the power within you to change things, to solve your problems, improve your life and make a difference. Stop blaming the traffic, the virus, the market, or other people’s behavior. Take action and fix things.
Accountability tells you that you can choose to forgive others, surrender things you can’t change, and let go of things that hold you down.