Fire (Passion) is Your Fuel for Success

Your Fire Is Your Fuel

Last week’s EnCOURAGEment was about Ingrid, an entrepreneur who found her fire and focus and was unstoppable in creating a successful company. Here’s another story about how strong fire can be, even for a child.

A few summers ago, my 11-year old daughter, Chelsea, and I were boogie boarding, which was her favorite thing in the whole world. The waves were fairly big, so I was helping by pushing her up on them. She was having a blast, catching wave after wave. But as she rode the waves to shore, I could see the front of her board going back and forth.

When we dragged our exhausted bodies to the beach, I asked, “Chelsea, why was the front of your board going back and forth on your way to shore?” She said, “Because, Daddy, every time you pushed me, you were pushing my bathing suit up and giving me a wedgie up to my neck. So I was pulling out the wedgie!” When I asked her why she didn’t tell me, she said, “Because I didn’t want you to stop pushing me.”

Now that’s fire! Nothing, including a wedgie up to her neck, would stop that girl from boogie boarding.

Your fire is your fuel. Are you doing things you love so much that you’d put up with a wedgie to do them?

“There is no passion to be found playing small
in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living.”
— Nelson Mandela