Lighting a Spark
A perpetually challenging question, a possible answer or two, defining an ongoing challenge.
“I am appalled at the aimlessness of most people's lives. Fifty percent don't pay any attention to where they are going; forty percent are undecided and will go in any direction. Only ten percent know what they want, and even all of them don't go toward it.”
— Katherine Anne Porter
Thanks to Jeff Brown from the Read to Lead podcast for bringing the above quote to my attention last week. It arrived at just the right moment the way things do when you’re seeking to figure something out.
The question I was pondering at the time was: What ignites the passion for growth?
It’s curious why some choose to pursue improvement, while others seem to accept where they are as their destiny. The quote Jeff shared hit home because it mirrored my experiences with students and leaders across the past 35 years — a small number commit, take action, and push themselves to unlock their true potential. Most do not.
But why?
From DepositPhotos.com
This subject has occupied my thoughts for as long as I can remember. As an adoptee, the notion of heredity versus environment always intrigued me. Were we born to be a certain way, or were we shaped by the things we experienced? Or was it a combination of both?
Anecdotal observations only confused me.
Two people from the same family going in opposite directions seemed to reject the heredity hypothesis. People who grew up in challenging situations and rose above appeared to reject the environment hypothesis. Others had a mix of hereditary and environmental realities, yet some followed one path and some the other.
Maybe there was something else?
Perhaps like the people of the Middle Ages who carried a smoldering ember with them to spark a fire when they needed one, each of us carries our own spark within. A spark only we can turn into a flame.
But what makes us decide to breathe life into our spark and turn it ablaze?
We could argue circumstance is the trigger — something happens, and we see the need to become more than we are so we can deal with it, change it, or avoid it in the future.
We could argue expectation the trigger — someone reveals expectations for us beyond the way we see ourselves, and we push ourselves to become the person they see.
We could argue affirmation is the trigger — our inner doubts we’re not good enough drive us to prove we are by gaining recognition for what we have achieved.
Frankly, we could come up with any number of plausible explanations and still not figure it out.
Maybe it is simply not figureoutable.
And that is OK.
There is, after all, a reason the entire personal development industry exists — no single solution works for everyone.
So the only real answer to What ignites the passion for growth? is the one we never like to hear: It depends.
Frustrating? Perhaps.
But there is a beauty within that response we overlook.
‘It depends’ assumes it is figureoutable.
And that is the real work of the leader: To help the individuals they lead discover their trigger for bringing their spark ablaze.
Today’s Action Question
Chances are you’re thinking about someone you know who has potential they are not using. You see. But you’re not sure they do. And you want to help them. Step one is to review your life’s journey and look for the moments when life was breathed into your spark. Then find ways to share those moments to create the conditions necessary for that person’s spark start flickering. Rinse and repeat.
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P.S. If you’re finding value in these posts, please take a moment to share them with someone you know who needs to be inspired to think differently and become the person they are capable of becoming. You might be able to help them take the most important step — the first one.