Living Life

Within each of us is the capacity to grow or diminish.

Today, I can choose to be a person with a big heart or a shriveled spirit.

A soul can expand or contract.

I can be a welcoming, hospitable presence or an isolating influence.

I invite you to join me today in embracing qualities that enable us to live life to the fullest. Which of these is most needed…for you? Take your time and consider each one slowly, if you are able.

1. Practicing gentleness.

2. Forgiving someone.

3. Listening well.

4. Truth-telling.

5. Stepping out in courage and faith.

6. Being generous.

7. Noticing goodness.

8. Enjoying uniqueness.

9. Making peace.

10. Being patient.

11. Waiting to speak until anger has subsided.

12. Encouraging another.

13. Observing silence, resting from words.

14. Playing! Creating!

15. Working hard.

16. Persevering.

17. Slowing down.

18. Saying “I’m sorry.”

I wonder: Which one of these fits you best? And, I wonder: Do you have anything else that comes to mind?

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learning from birds

Here's a great thought from e.e. cummings.

Art by Lina Ekstrand. Pattern design for Oriflame, 2013.

Visit her website. See more of her work here.

Play from the inside-out. To stay abreast of more encouraging content, we invite you to like PlayFull on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.

What Lights Your Fire?

What Lights Your Fire?

by Troy Cady

I love asking this question because every time I ask it I see the person or group of people come alive before my very eyes.

Their eyes open wide with life, their voices become excited, vibrant…they often begin to speak more quickly, loudly…they become bold, their chest swells, their body becomes animated, their hands move and grasp the air like they are passionately sculpting, creative and focused.

I’ve had the privilege in the past few months of working with groups and individuals to help them articulate and be true to vision, purpose and mission…all fueled by passion. In almost every instance I start with a variant of the key question: “What lights your fire?”

In every instance, the answer helps the group or person obtain clarity about what they should do next. When we are true to what energizes us we find an inexhaustible source of life that buoys us up when the going gets tough, when we don’t know what to do.

I think of a scene in The Lord of the Rings (love that movie, by the way!) when Gandalf and the Fellowship of the Ring are in the mines of Moria. They pause because Gandalf doesn’t know which path to take next and then, after a brief rest, Gandalf suddenly knows the way to go.

Someone asks him how he figured it out and he replies that he knew which way to take because “the air doesn’t smell so foul down here. When in doubt…follow your nose!”

I think of passion in a similar vein. When you wake up one day and you don’t know which way to take, what to do, ask yourself what energizes you. The road will take you to a place where the air is sweeter, even if the place is darkness all around you. You’ll know it’s the right way because it’s the way of hope...and hope is what takes you through tough times. 

In the end, joy is your strength.

So I invite you to consider today: what lights your fire?

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PlayFull offers coaching and team building designed to help you articulate your passion and stay true to it. Contact us if you’d like to know how we can help you thrive.