Some people wait their whole lives for someone or something to light the spark. A mentor. A sign. A wink from karma. A permission slip from the universe.
Others fall under the spell of that mysterious band of invisible gypsies called They.
What would They think of me?
What makes you think They think about you?
They say you should look before you leap.
They also say those who hesitate are lost.
Still others get caught in sticky webs of heritage, habit, custom, or fashion. Or maybe it’s just the way it’s always been done.
Mark Twain put it cleanly: loyalty to petrified opinion never yet broke a chain or freed a human soul.
Here’s the secret you may have forgotten.
Your inner fire has always been there. It kindled the first time you got back up. It flared when you chose to tell the truth. It roared the first time you spontaneously helped someone else while you were still bleeding.
It never went out. Which means you don’t need to explain it or ask for validation. You don’t need a committee to approve the flame that was never theirs to approve.
Principle sixteen: distrust all claims for the one true way – including the ones They keep insisting on. They have been wrong before. They will be wrong again. They are not paying your bills or living your life or tending your fire.
So today:
Speak up, even if your voice shakes. Begin, even if you don’t have it all figured out. Stand tall – plant your sandals, lose the halo. Burn a little brighter than yesterday. Open your eyes to wonder and curiosity.
And if someone asks you why now, tell them: because I can.
Your inner fire was neither chosen by committee nor installed by approval. It does not care who’s watching. It needs no permission to burn.
Trust your gut. Bet on your indomitable spirit.
There’s no better investment.