On Fire: An Essential Guide
The origin story, the science of passion, and where to start
“Don't bend; don't water it down; don't try to make it logical; don't edit your own soul according to the fashion. Rather, follow your most intense obsessions mercilessly.” ― Franz Kafka
I get asked pretty regularly what On Fire is about and where new people should start. So I wrote this — both as a reintroduction and as a guide to the archive.
If you know someone who’s languishing, searching for their spark, or just needs a reminder that passion is possible—please send this their way! I want to get this message to as many people as possible.
A few years ago, I realized I had forgotten what it felt like to feel passionate about something.
I’d muddle through my days, technically alive, but not really there. I’d forget what my coffee tasted like. Whole blocks of my day would disappear. I’d find myself wanting time to speed up — waiting for the day to be over so I could go to sleep and start the cycle over again.
I was languishing — a term sociologists use to describe the “neglected middle child of mental health.” Not depressed, not really, but not thriving, either. Moving through my days in a muted middle existence that felt unrecognizable to the excited little kid I once was.
I fought my way out (literally) by throwing myself into jiu-jitsu, a grappling-based martial art that brought me back to life. Having one thing I pursued wholeheartedly changed everything. It didn’t matter that it was “just a hobby.” This one thing added so much color back into my world that I started to wonder: Had I been thinking about passion all wrong?
I’d always thought of passion as something that just happened to the lucky few. Or maybe that it ended with adulthood. But when I started looking, I started to notice passionate people everywhere.
Not just the famous ones — the athletes and artists and entrepreneurs whose “thing” has become a household name. Also the people who spend hours tending bonsai, who nerd out about handstands, who obsess about sourdough starters or bird calls or arm-wrestling techniques — not for fame or income, but because they love it. You can feel their energy.
I became obsessed with understanding their passion journey. When did they first have the spark? Did they just know — or did it take time to grow? (The latter is much more common.) What did they do when the initial excitement faded? How did they keep showing up for years? Decades?
So I decided to find out. I began interviewing some of the world’s most passionate people — I’ve now talked to over 90 of them. Circus artists, bean entrepreneurs, mythologists, and pickleball legends. People deeply immersed in their craft who could show me what it takes to sustain passion over years and decades.
I also discovered there’s a whole body of research on passion that almost nobody knows about. So I started talking to the psychologists and researchers studying what makes us come alive.
What I’ve learned is hopeful: passion isn’t fixed. It’s not something you either have or don’t have. It has mechanics. There are patterns to how it grows, strategies to sustain it, and ways to navigate the inevitable plateaus. Once you see the patterns, you can work with them.
I created On Fire to explore this with you. This is where I share what I’m learning — the science, the stories, the strategies for cultivating and protecting passion in your own life. Whether you’re actively searching for something to feel passionate about, deepening something you already care about, or just tired of living on autopilot, there’s something here for you.
Most of us were taught that passion fades when you grow up. On Fire exists to challenge that story.
If you’ve ever felt like you’re living on autopilot — or if you’ve forgotten what it feels like to care deeply about something — welcome. There’s a way back.
Where to Start
I’ve been exploring this for two and a half years, so there’s a lot here. Here’s where to start, based on where you are in your own journey:
If you’re drifting…
If you’re exploring…
If you’re navigating a dip or plateau:
If you’re currently obsessed:
If you want to meet people on fire…
If you want to understand the big picture…
Your turn:
I’d love to hear where you are in your passion journey.
Is there something you can’t stop thinking about? Are you in an in-between state, not quite sure what lights you up? Trying to reignite something that faded?
Drop a comment below — I read every single one and I genuinely love hearing people’s stories!
With fire,
Krista
P.S. Curious about the illustrator behind On Fire? Check out Mihajlo’s story.
I respect how you show up as yourself.
Every. Single. Day.
Always. Be. More. You.