Today was supposed to be a day where I focused completely on my book launch party happening in my hometown later tonight. It certainly started out that way, and make no mistake I am ready. My wife has definitely helped out – in ways that I can’t even possibly begin to thank her for – but as for my stuff? It’s also good to go.
And that’s because of the fire.
Not the fire that scarred my hand earlier this summer, but the fire within.
The fire within is what compels you to do the things that matter most. The fire within can also lead you to finally doing the things you were supposed to do in advance, but it’s not a lasting fire. It’s more like a match that was place under your ass to get you moving – in any direction. The fire within I’m talking about burns brightly. It burns in a way that can’t be ignored, let alone extinguished.
I went above and beyond what I thought I could accomplish today — both with my duties at home and my duties with my work. I felt great every step of the way. I prepared things. I delivered things. I made things happen — more than I thought I could in such a short time span. The fire within made that possible (along with a healthy dose of willpower).
So how do you stoke the fire within?
Do things that matter deeply to you. Spend time on those things. How you do that is going to be up to you. Some people – like myself – like to take a more mindful approach to the fire within and use a robust app like OmniFocus to do it (I’ll be talking about cultivating a more meaningful to-do list at The OmniFocus Setup next week). Some people only need to capture and go. Some people can stoke the fire within through journaling.
Some people just need to look inward now and again and then connect that with what’s on their list of things to do. And then do only what works for them, and not against them.
Sadly, some people don’t stoke the fire within often enough. That means they go through a hell of a lot of matches.
It was the fire within that helped me finish The Front Nine, and tonight I’m not only going to celebrate the book with my neighbours and friends in Victoria, but that fire within as well.
While many of you can’t be with me at that gathering tonight, I hope you’ll celebrate your fire within wherever you are – and help it shine just a little bit brighter and burn a little bit hotter going forward.
