Danielle LaPorte
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“Criticism is something we can avoid easily by saying nothing, doing nothing, and being nothing.” —Aristotle
I’ve had The Firestarter Sessions, in my audible account for about 10 years – ever since I was a health coach. I have listened to dozens of books in that time and somehow, this one got pushed down my list until recently, it resurfaced and I listened to it for the first time.
I have to say, the timing was no coincidence.
In fact, the timing was impeccable as the topics of this book go hand-in-hand with my current stage of life.
For more than 24 years, I have been a stay-at-home mom…and I have loved it. But, in August 2022, my 6th child started school full-time and I found myself wondering what I wanted to do. I had great plans to clean and organize my house – but I can guarantee you — I wasn’t passionate about those things. Nor was I interested in getting a J.O.B.
I kept coming back to the idea of my old blog — more-or-less a family journal that I kept when my kids were little. I’ve always enjoyed writing as an outlet and majored in Communications with an emphasis on journalism. But when my dad was diagnosed with cancer in 2013 – I simply stopped writing.
And then life got even busier and my goals and aspirations got pushed to the wayside.
That brings me back to the “not a coincidence” part of this story. Recently, not only did I decide to write again – but I decided to tackle a blog and create a website — things I knew nothing about. Taking on a new venture – particularly one that someone knows nothing about – takes a lot of time… time that I could have spent cleaning/organizing/purging my house.
I listened to the audio version of this book – while exercising in the mornings. That worked great – aside from the fact that I didn’t have an actual hard copy of the book to highlight. So I can’t tell you some of my favorite quotes -aside from the general sense, in session after session I had that I should just GO FOR IT.
Sure – I could lose. Or, I could win big by taking on something new – -becoming vulnerable and opening myself up to criticism and questions — yet perhaps, just perhaps, finding the greatest success of my life.
But I wouldn’t know until I tried.
There was one particular day on the treadmill while listening that I felt like I was almost given permission to let the organizing and purging go – -and to just push forward. (I know I didn’t need permission – but as a wife and mom for so many years – it’s often hard to prioritize self.)
Obviously, the jury is still out regarding the success of my new adventure, but I feel strongly that I’ve made great strides because as Danielle says in The Firestarter Sessions, “Launch and learn. Everything is progress.”
So that, my friends, is what I’ve decided to do.
LAUNCH AND LEARN.
Because…
In the end, the quest for balance is bogus.
Love your burdens. Love them hard. And when
your loves knock you down or your weak ankles
trip you up, stop worrying about balancing
— ’cuz you’re not— and bounce.
—Kelly Diels, Cleavage
Here is the description of The Firestarter Sessions: A Soulful + Practical Guide to Creating Success on Your Own Terms from Amazon
The Fire Starter Sessions is an apathy-kicking, integrity-infusing guide to defining success on your own terms.
Danielle LaPorte’s straight-talk life-and-livelihood sermons have been read by over one million people. Bold but empathetic, in The Fire Starter Sessions she reframes popular self-help and success concepts, including:
– Life balance is a myth, and the pursuit of it is causing us more stress then the craving for balance itself.
– Being well-rounded is over-rated. When you focus on developing your true strengths, you enter your mastery zone.
– Screw your principles (they might be holding you back).
– We have ambition backwards. Getting clear on how you want to feel in your life + work is more important than setting goals. It’s the most potent form of clarity that you can have, and it’s what leads to true fulfillment.
