Originally posted by Dave Thompson on work blog, October 12, 2012

I’ve started some fires.

Yep.

Burned a whole house down.

The fire department put it out seven times…but I lit that sucker eight times.

True story.

That’s my fire behind me.

It was an amazing day being a real fire starter. The energy, adrenaline, uncertaintly, risk, and intensity made for an incredible experience. Although Danielle LaPorte is talking about a different kind of fire starting in The Fire Starter Sessions it has a lot of the same feelings and emotions!

Her book is full of energy & in-your-face affirmations – you can’t help but get pumped up as you read it. She has some good questions and exercises. One of my favorites would be to answer these questions for every item on your dream list:

• I want this because… (“repeat the thought until you feel like you’ve hit on the heart of the matter”)
• How does (or will) this dream make me feel? Get to those true emotions & feelings. Stay focused on your feelings. This is true clarity. Open heart, open mind.

Understanding those questions about all of our dreams is so powerful. What are we chasing? Why do we want it? Why do we really want it? In her words…

Our dreams and desires define us, whether they are broken, scarcely remembered, on the verge of reality, or in full bloom. Dreams pilot our choices and shape the landscape of our lives. We get so many societal messages about what the Right Dream is that it gets hard to decipher what our own dream is. The pandemic that we have of over-consumption is directly related to this concept of dreaming big, bigger, biggest-possible big. Big can be bountiful, but what if your dream is to live simply – to have enough? Not more than enough – but enough. The trouble with dreams hinged to goals is that many goal-setting lists are as one-dimensional as shopping lists: get house by the water with hardwood floors; get married; have two kids, preferably twins; run a half marathon. Attaining these things could be the work of your soul or a mindless pursuit. Are your aspirations a vocational impulse or a competitive sport? Are you trying to impress your dead ancestors or leave your mark on the world? If your goals aren’t synched with the substance of your heart, then achieving them won’t matter much.

Make your dreams yours. Know why they are important to you. Chase them.

Just like my experience…it may take you eight attempts (or many more) to get that fire burning but you’ve got to keep after it! Here’s her final rah-rah speech from the book – enjoy. Now. 🙂

Now works. You’re here for a reason. And that reason is yours to define. Make it something amazing and really full of love and things that feel hot. Be unreasonable. Be scared if you need to be. Just keep moving. Feeling. Asking. Don’t take sh*t, and for the love of God, please don’t settle. Just keep choosing. Make lots and lots and lots of choices. You are writing the movie script of your life. Desire. Lights. Action! (Some tears.) You’re a hero on an adventure. This is it. This is the adventure. Creativity. Change. Livelihood. Art. People. Leadership. Legacy. Score. Money. Gain. Failure. Pride. Industry. Simple. Love. LOVE. Oh, love. It’s all about love in the end. And in the beginning. So start now, today, here. Let it be simple, easy, electric. Be surprised, be new, be true, be you. Now.