Why do some people remain stuck while others tap into new levels of freedom? The answer, according to bestselling author and coach Kary Oberbrunner, is based on their understanding of and relationship to pain.
The small minority choose to deal with their pain. When they do, they experience personal and professional breakthroughs. The vast majority run from their pain in an attempt to create lives of comfort. This strategy ignores the truth and creates more pain in the end. In his book The Deeper Path, Oberbrunner says, “To go higher, we must go deeper. To ascend into our potential, we must first descend into our pain.”
Oberbrunner believes most people are suffering. Some are in a difficult relationship; others feel trapped working in a dead-end job. These people might be waiting for the right opportunity, but they’re often unwilling to take the right actions.
His book challenges readers to become masters in the art of living by authoring their OPUS. His friend Chet Scott, founder of Built to Lead, shared this concept with him over a decade ago, and it changed his life. Oberbrunner learned there are two Latin words for work. One word is labor, meaning “toil.” The other word is opus, meaning “masterpiece.” He recounts, “Chet arranged the word opus into a framework. O is overarching vision, P is a purpose, U is unifying strategies, and S is a scorecard for significance.”
Oberbrunner believes that a clear OPUS eliminates the borders and boundaries between work and play. All of life can and should be lived as a soul on fire.
The path to becoming a master in the art of living involves embracing the acute pain required of any high performer. “Life is short,” Oberbrunner says. “We have the chance to impact the world, but it means showing up filled up.
Oberbrunner practices what he preaches. He keeps his life simple but incredibly intentional. The results speak for themselves. In the past five years, he and his business partner, David Branderhorst, created Author Academy Elite, an international publishing company with over one thousand members. To date, he has trained over 250,000 authors, leaders, speakers, and entrepreneurs.
Each year, his annual Igniting Souls Conference gathers people who are serious about living out their OPUS in real time. These individuals have authored books, started businesses, formed non-profits, and created initiatives to aid others in need of help. By pursuing acute pain, Oberbrunner has been able to overcome chronic pain. By going deeper, he’s been able to go higher, and he’s taking an entire group of souls on fire with him.
