How to Fan a Spark into a Fire

Photo Credit: Vecchia Betty/Flickr

There’s a climactic moment in the movie Castaway where Tom Hanks, who has been shipwrecked on a desert island, finally creates the one thing that can provide him with a means for survival: FIRE.

The pure ecstasy that fills him as he dances around the beach, screaming like a kid who just won the big game, is palpable. Just when things were looking so grim, he found that one spark. Enough to fan into a raging fire. And that was enough to give him hope.

When people are passionate, we often say they have a “fire in the belly” or that they’re “firing on all cylinders.” Fire is full of energy and heat. It’s what we all want to feel inside—a sense of passion for what we do and what we stand for.

Unfortunately, it isn’t so easy to find. I often work with people to help them develop a career road map, and one of the biggest obstacles to success (both personally and professionally) is that they don’t have any idea what they’re passionate about.   Read the Rest of This Article »