80 Weeks of Fire: Five Reflections

Stories That Still Ignite

Author

Ed Clementi
September 22, 2025

This week marks my 80th FireStarter article.
Eighty Mondays of reflection.
Eighty moments to pause, look inward, and (hopefully) step into the week a little stronger.

With a growing audience, I thought this was the right moment to revisit a few of the stories that have struck deepest.

Some are personal. Some are about leadership. All are about what it means to live, lead, and leave a legacy.

Here are five of my favorites, the ones that lifted me as much as they lifted many of you:

1. Executive Assistants Don’t Become Managing Directors

Where it all started: my own unlikely journey.

This piece isn’t just about climbing the ladder…, it’s about defying the labels people put on you. It’s proof that your past doesn’t get to decide your future.

2. Curveballs, Courage, and a Backyard Lesson

A softball tryout. A TEDx rejection.

And the lesson my daughter taught me about resilience.

This one is about the moments when life throws you off balance…, and how perspective can put you right back in the game.

3. For As Long As My Fire Burns

This one was different…, a letter.

Written to my children, on Father’s Day.
About what matters most, about legacy, about how I hope they carry the fire forward long after me.

It’s the most personal thing I’ve written here, and maybe the most important.

4. The Violinist in the Metro

Joshua Bell. A subway station. Hundreds walked by.

This reflection asks a hard but hopeful question: how often is our value unseen because we’re in the wrong place…, or surrounded by the wrong people?

It’s a call to recognize your worth, even when others don’t.

5. I Wish I Had This Illness in My Forties

The heaviest, but maybe the most necessary.

A father’s reflection that reminds us to stop waiting, to act on what matters now, and to live the way we’ll one day wish we had.

Wrapping Up

So, there you have it…, five different sparks across these 80 weeks.

My hope?

That whether you’ve been here since Week 1 or just joined last month, each Monday morning you’ve found 3–5 minutes to pause, reflect, and maybe carry something positive forward into your own week.

Something that helped you make your impact.

Because that’s the real point.
Not just to read…, but to let something shift.

To uplift you.
To remind you.
To ignite something.

Here’s to the last 80 weeks…, and to the fire still ahead.

With Absolute Sincerity,

Ed Clementi
Founder & CEO of Inspired Fire, LLC

Make an Impact and Feel an Impact!