{"id":2970,"date":"2010-07-21T07:53:23","date_gmt":"2010-07-21T15:53:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/?p=2970"},"modified":"2013-08-23T08:59:59","modified_gmt":"2013-08-23T16:59:59","slug":"how-to-fan-a-spark-into-a-fire","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/how-to-fan-a-spark-into-a-fire\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Fan a Spark into a Fire"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Photo Credit: Vecchia Betty\/Flickr<\/a>
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There\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

When people are passionate, we often say they have a \u201cfire in the belly\u201d or that they\u2019re \u201cfiring on all cylinders.\u201d Fire is full of energy and heat. It\u2019s what we all want to feel inside\u2014a sense of passion for what we do and what we stand for.<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, it isn\u2019t 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\u2019t have any idea what they\u2019re passionate about. \u00a0<\/p>\n

So we have to back up a bit and look for the tiny sparks. We then have to go through a process of experimentation, fanning the sparks to see which ones die out and which ones catch and turn into raging fires.<\/p>\n

For those of you who might be looking for ways to find your passion, here are a few of the steps involved with this process:
\n
\nGo Full Force <\/strong>
\nA fire isn\u2019t a timid thing and you shouldn\u2019t be either. Get in there and try new things. But don\u2019t just dip your toe in the water; dive in. Soak in it. Give it 100{54c12dad2cc2b53ae830e39915b1a3e70288dbcbbeb8bbf8395437c5dc3c512c} and then a little bit more. It\u2019s the same principle as language emersion. When people really want to learn a new language, they travel to an area where that\u2019s the primary language spoken and they banish the use of their native language. Eventually, they even start dreaming in the new language.<\/p>\n

Make the Commitment <\/strong>
\nYou don\u2019t have to pick up and move to a foreign country today, but you do have to make some kind of commitment. Whenever you try something new, there\u2019s a learning curve. Once you dive in, you\u2019ve got to stay long enough to get used to the temperature of the water. Establish a period of time that you will commit to learning and doing this new thing as a way of testing out your passion for it. If, after that period of time has passed, you\u2019re ready to give up on it, let that spark die a natural death and turn your attention to others.<\/p>\n

Make Adjustments and Hone In<\/strong>
\nSometimes, a spark will lead you in a different direction that you initially thought it would. For example, a few years ago, I was interested in starting a yoga practice. I went to a few classes at my local gym and it didn\u2019t really do much for me. I was ready to give up on yoga when a friend suggested that I try Bikram yoga, which is done in a very hot room. At first, I thought, \u201cNot a chance.\u201d But she convinced me and I was immediately hooked. The spark I had felt for the idea of yoga exploded into a flame. Five years later, it\u2019s still burning strong.<\/p>\n

Passion is what drives us forward in life. Without it, we feel empty and cold. With it, we feel energized and full of fire. Too often, we make the mistake of thinking that passion just appears. For a lucky few, it does. For the rest of us, we have to create sparks and fan them, gently and over time, until they burst into powerful, glorious flames.<\/p>\n

Bio: Chrissy Scivicque is a writer, nutritionist and career coach. She trains others to manage their career path with a holistic point-of-view. You can find her at EatYourCareer.com<\/a>, a blog dedicated to helping you create a nourishing professional life. Stop by and pick up your FREE mini-workbook to find out just how nourishing your career really is and how you can make it even more so.<\/em><\/p>\n

Don’t Forget To Follow PickTheBrain on Twitter<\/a>!<\/p>\n

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Why You Shouldn’t Care What Others Think About You<\/a><\/p>\n

How To Choose The Right Goals For You<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When people are passionate, we often say they have a \u201cfire in the belly\u201d or that they\u2019re \u201cfiring on all cylinders.\u201d Fire is full of energy and heat. It\u2019s what we all want to feel inside\u2014a sense of passion for what we do and what we stand for. Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12163,"featured_media":12950,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0},"categories":[6],"tags":[4653,46,4631,70,66,4629,576],"yoast_head":"\nHow to Fan a Spark into a Fire<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"You don\u2019t have to pick up and move to a foreign country today, but you do have to make some kind of commitment. Whenever you try something new, there\u2019s a learning curve. 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