Summary

The web content is a review of John O'Leary's book "In Awe," which discusses the importance of rediscovering childlike wonder to enhance inspiration, meaning, and joy in life.

Abstract

The article titled "My Selection — In Awe" on the undefined website is an enthusiastic review of John O’Leary's book "In Awe: Rediscover Your Childlike Wonder to Unleash Inspiration, Meaning, and Joy." The author of the review expresses admiration for O'Leary's ability to inspire through his personal story of overcoming adversity, having survived a severe accident as a child. The review emphasizes the book's message about the significance of maintaining a sense of wonder and awe, which tends to diminish with age. It highlights how O'Leary's experiences as a guest speaker in schools underscore the natural capacity for wonder in children, and how adults can learn from this to enrich their own lives. The review praises the book's ability to evoke emotion and provides examples of impactful quotes that resonate with the theme of embracing life's possibilities. The author also points out the importance of human connections as illustrated by O'Leary's stories and encourages readers to engage with the author's podcast for further inspiration. The article concludes with a call to action for readers to share their own experiences of awe and to consider the benefits of writing and storytelling.

Opinions

The reviewer highly recommends John O’Leary’s book "In Awe," considering it a valuable resource for personal growth and happiness.
John O’Leary's life story, particularly his resilience after a childhood accident, is seen as exceptionally inspiring.
The reviewer believes that rekindling a childlike sense of wonder can significantly improve one's quality of life and suggests that this is a social suppression rather than a natural progression.
The importance of human connections, both major and minor, is strongly emphasized, with the reviewer noting that their significance often unfolds over time.
The reviewer finds O'Leary's storytelling effective and his messages deeply touching, leading to an emotional reading experience even upon a second engagement with the book.
The reviewer endorses the idea that choosing to re-experience awe can have a positive impact not just on an individual's life but also on the world at large.
The article suggests that readers can benefit from practicing awe and sharing their experiences, referencing the publication "For Awe" and its practices and prompts.
The reviewer encourages readers to become Medium members to access more stories from various writers, including themselves, and to support the platform.
The reviewer provides links to their own writing journey, the "For Awe" publication, an Awe Store, and the "Vantage Points for Awe" website, indicating a personal investment in the topic of awe.

My Selection — In Awe

John O’Leary — A great inspiration

With a subtitle like this, how can we go wrong: Rediscover Your Childlike Wonder to Unleash Inspiration, Meaning, and Joy.

Yes! I would love to rediscover more of each! How about you?

Happiness

There are many sources that promise insight into growing a more fulfilling life and more overall happiness. I have engaged with several of them. A major component of each is the connection the presenter or author makes with the audience. Through storytelling, they share their own hard times and how their practices and perspectives got them to a better place.

John O’Leary’s story is one of the most inspiring I’ve heard. He has also collected countless other touching stories that also exemplify what life can be like without wonder and awe and where we could all be if we make the effort to rekindle it.

John O’Leary

His first book On Fire explains his whole story and In Awe gives us several of the main pivot points. I don’t feel like I am giving anything away by sharing that when John was nine years old, he was literally on fire and not expected to survive his injuries.

His determination, sense of humor, ability to connect with people in meaningful ways, and never-ending persistence are evident and tell of the success he has found in helping and inspiring others.

Learning from Children

The sense of wonder we all had as children is something we tend to overlook, slowly let go of and often never recover. I have been in education for over twenty years. I was laughing out loud at the experiences John shared from serving as a guest speaker at many schools over the years.

Children show up with unfiltered excitement, an abundance of wonder, and an openness to being awed. The older we get, the more we contain these feelings, sometimes to the point where we aren’t even familiar with or able to feel these emotions anymore.

This is a social suppression, not a natural progression. We can welcome wonder and awe back into our lives, and we will live greater if we do.

A Favorite Quote

There are many words of wisdom from people of all ages incorporated through the stories in this book. One of the great interactions with a child produced this quote that we can learn from and live by. It is one of my favorites:

The hardest part is going. Once I’m there I will be fine. Going is scary.

Adults have a lot of experience showing up, but it’s still the hard part. It is still scary sometimes. But, nonetheless, we are usually fine when we get there. To hear a message like this from a six-year-old really hits home —have the courage to show up.

Human Connection

John’s stories also exemplify the importance and depth of human connections, the major ones and the minor ones that are major to others. There are many instances where the significance of a connection only reveals itself over many years. This is a great point to consider as we live in a society where we are programmed to look for the results of our actions in the moment. That is often not the reality, but we still need to show up.

I read this book two years ago. I recently listened to it on audio. The second time around was tear-jerking at times just as much as the first. There are some moments in this book that are the most touching I can remember ever reading.

Tweetable

This makes me feel a little bit like Ophrah, but I’ll say it anyway, “So many tweetable moments!”

These are two of my favorite quotes, definitely tweetable!

Choosing to rekindle awe will not just impact your life, but create ripples that spread through the world.

When you reqawken your sense of wonder, you’ll return to the path of possibility.

Final Thoughts

There are so many stories creatively woven throughout this book with great messages, I can’t possibly share them all here. If you are interested in cultivating your childlike wonder to unleash inspiration, meaning, and joy — you know where to go! John O’Leary’s inspirational work continues on his podcast too!

Thanks for reading! I hope everyone finds what helps them really live and finds inspiration through connections with others.

Science suggests there are many benefits from writing and sharing experiences of feeling awe. Share your stories:

Awe Practices and Prompts

Practicing awe with the publication For Awe (updated 11/1/2021)

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About My Writing Journey — For Awe — Awe Store — Vantage Points for Awe