I'M HAVING A BABY!

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  In a few weeks, I will be birthing another baby. Oh, this one won't actually require I make sure my health insurance is up to date, my doctor knows my medical history or even that I start saving for its college education. You see, in a few weeks, my new book will be published and although, I don't have to agonize about impending labor or whether I will choose to birth naturally or assisted with anesthesia, there is still the anxiety as to whether the "delivery" will go well, and the product be exactly as planned.

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The birth of anything you create is much like having a baby. The idea forms and seems to take forever to get off the ground and become the product you really hope for. It is not without the unexpected feelings of overwhelming emotion, worry, anxiety, joy, panic, fear and satisfaction. You wonder what type of "parent" you will be. There is always some pain and sacrifice associated with the birth and it is most definitely not without stress, aches, and discomfort trying to move it in the direction it is meant to go. Some days you are impatient for it to just get here and other days you want more time to address every detail before its arrival.And just like a newborn, even once your idea is birthed, your business begun, your dream evolving, it will keep you up nights trying to decide how best to handle it. You will have moments of a love/hate relationship, wondering why God chose you and you will have moments of overwhelming pride in what you have created.

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Perhaps, you too are having an inspirational baby or at least contemplating becoming a parent of an idea you have wanted to create for some time. You may be pondering a new direction for your life, thinking about something you want to finally jump into with both feet. Maybe you are going to be growing your own business, your own foundation, your own little family of ideas and you realize soon you too will have a new "baby" to call your own.
I can tell you as a business owner, even ideas are living and breathing and a business much like a child beckons for your attention, your time and your resources to grow it up appropriately and just like a child, it will be nearly impossible to let it go when the time comes for more branching out.


What about you? What stage of having a baby are you in? Have you been planning to have a "baby" for a long time or just recently thought about it? Have you already had your "baby" and are now a devoted parent and planning for an addition? Or, perhaps you are wondering if parenthood is really for you. I can honestly say, it has been the most rewarding time of my life for all of my creative endeavors, those with a living heart and soul who bear my name and even the ones who take on a life of their own once I spawn the thought. Creating is amazing, inspiring, exhausting and fulfilling...need I say more?

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So, like so many before me, I am having another "baby". I am excited, delighted and yes, a bit worried about how it will all turn out. Oh, and yes, of course, since I already know the kind of baby I am having, I have already picked out a name, "FINDING YOUR FIRE" and I hope you will be there in a few weeks when it makes its appearance in the world.

Someone Has to Go First

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I am always baffled by the people who will wait overnight outside a store to get a new phone, toy, or electronic device, or people who try every means possible to be among the first to secure tickets to a sporting event or concert.Yet, some of those same individuals would never think of being the ring-leader when it comes to supporting a cause, delivering an opinion that goes against the mainstream or even changing the direction their life is going. It's as though being first when the crowd who follows you into an arena to cheer on your favorite team is a more noble act than being first when the move you make can change your life. Sure, it may be less popular to be the one who goes first in some situations but when it might change your life or at least the direction it is going, whenever it may lead to something you always dreamed of reaching, whenever it might be the impetus that finally gets you out of a rut, the decision should be a no-brainer.

If you are serious about really living your passion or even discovering your passion, you will most certainly have to make some moves without a large fan base. You will probably discover that any move to make changes will be met with some resistance from those who want to keep the status quo. Last year, a good friend of mine walked away from a situation she had complained about and  attempted to change for over a decade. Few people thought it was in her best interest despite the fact that she had lost her clarity, perspective and purpose for her life while she did everything in her power to try and make things better. In the end, she had to be the first to let go. It was difficult, painful and not without obstacles. She had some moments of second guessing herself, but today wholeheartedly states, "I only wish I would've done this years ago. I wasted so much time, thinking I had so few options."

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Maybe you have tried many ways to make something work or feel comfortable that just isn't doing it for you. Whether it is your career, your lifestyle, you leisure pursuits and sometimes even your relationships with others, if it isn't improving or you do not get satisfaction from it, it is time for a change. You know you need to go first and make the move that makes the difference. Maybe it means choosing a different work venue, changing the scenery in your life, perhaps even letting go of whomever you are spending your time with. 

Anything worth saving, is certainly worth the fight, but you really have to ask yourself sometimes if what you are fighting for is something you want to win. If it is...be the one who goes first to claim it as your own, but if not, have the guts to walk away first and stop pretending it matters.

Yes, life is all about picking your battles. Someone has to pick first, fight first, forgive first, leave first and change first. 

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WHAT DO YOU NEED TO BE THE ONE WHO IS THE FIRST TO DO?


By the way, someone already went first in following this blog, so you won't have to be the first to make the tough decision, but I hope you will be the next and the next.

And I hope you share the kinds of things you hope to see discussed in "finding your fire."

Once Upon A Spark

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Everyone has had a moment in their life whenever they question what purpose their existence really has.Nearly everyone I know has had an idea or a dream they wanted to take further. Some did, but many did not. I know many successful people but not all of them ended up where they hoped they would be and several still have that dream, idea or cause they are passionate about lurking in their background dying for a chance to burn brightly someday.

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I was not born thinking I would ever publish a book, write a blog, or offer a workshop to teach others how to do the very things I never even saw myself doing, but as far back as I can remember I loved to write. Maybe you have something you have always loved doing and are trying to figure out how to make it grow and be a part of your life? Maybe you have no idea what you really want to do but you have a pretty good idea of what you don't want to have to spend another day doing or maybe you don't know what to do but you know what you are doing now is not totally working for you.

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It's not about changing a career, changing a direction, or even changing an attitude as much as it is about finding what makes you thrive, gives you joy and moves you passionately. It's about what adds to your life so whatever you must do, you do with greater enthusiasm. This blog will help jump start  your ideas, persuade you  to pursue your passions, invest in your causes and develop your gifts to bring you and others the joy you were meant to share.

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People often believe they are ineffective because they are simply one person with one idea, or one dream or one goal. Imagine if Steve Jobs had waited until he had an entire entourage to pursue his dreams or if Steven Spielberg thought his wild ideas should be kept in a box because no one would understand them?What if the amazingly talented Jackie Evancho chose to hide her gift until she was well into her 30's or if Oprah Winfrey stopped her line with just a talk show? One person's gifts can develop into a movement, change the direction of a life, remove the barriers to create a better world, be the impetus behind a new invention, new way of thinking, new perspective, new creation. It is much like a quote from Betty Reese, I have often recalled:



"If you think you are to small to be effective, then you've never been in bed with a mosquito."
 

It's not even about changing the world. It's about changing your life so you wake up everyday thrilled to be doing something you love. Give it a chance, come follow and a month, 6 months, a year from now, who knows how brightly you will burn.

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Later this Spring, my new book, Finding Your Fire  (Becoming the Trailblazer You Were Meant to Be) will be out and this blog will develop my fire in reaching out to YOU...because we need your gift and if you fail to open it, we all lose. I will be looking for blog writers, Fire Starters, and anyone with an idea that needs more spark. It may be you. I hope so.

       
What did you always LOVE doing from your earliest memory?

Less than 24 hours until....

THE RIGHT TO IGNITE...why you must find the fire you were meant to blaze.