Our inner fire defies simple biology. We all have needs and wants: hunger, companionship, security. There is always a daily grind for sustenance. In the midst of all this labor, our hearts desire rare things of lasting value, things that we can’t genuinely acquire by the mere exchange of value. To feel authentic, we must create these rare and valuable things, or the fire within becomes a bed of hot coals that burns our feet.
Want-strive-acquire is an addiction loop, fueled only by discipline and obedience to social expectation. We see what’s on offer, do uninspired and possibly distasteful things to gather enough mundane value to exchange, and then acquire the wanted object. But joy fades quickly, so we slog our way through another loop, somehow knowing that this is a treadmill, a path that gets us nowhere and leads to nowhere.
By contrast, the vision-devotion-craft cycle is a creation loop. We see something in our mind’s eye, illuminated by the flickering light of our inner fire – something that, as far as we know, has never existed before. Giving in to the urge, we devote ourselves to studying the vision, developing the skills, and learning how to bring this vision about. And in the process, we not only create something new, we also develop variations and offshoots, sparks we can share with others. And through it all, our joy increases, and we can’t wait for the next sunrise to continue creating.
The road not (often) taken
We expect this kind of visionary work out of geniuses, people who appear to have extraordinary skills and intelligence and drive. Society clings to that model, encouraging us to “be normal and fit in,” in the process overlooking our own Inner Fire. We settle for discipline over devotion while quietly cursing or idolizing those who rise above, who make use of their inborn capacity to envision and create.
In the Parable of the Talents, we see three servants who are given money to hold while the master travels (see the middle of Matthew 25 if you’re unfamiliar). Two of them put that money to use, while a third just buries it. When the master returns, the two investors are congratulated, while the mundane servant is berated and thrown out. Whether you ascribe this tale to divine wisdom, mythology, or fanciful storytelling, the point still stands: Lower esteem comes to those who simply go through the motions and ignore their aspirations.
All our yesterdays
By the way, those aspirations quickly become self-sustaining.
Pick just one day, any day when you can devote a little time to something that feels rare and valuable, something that makes a difference. Take your grandmother some flowers; visit a hospital patient who has no family; take a hungry friend out for a nice meal, no strings, no sales pitch. This may not be your Inner Fire, exactly, but it will stoke the flames enough to make you consider the same path tomorrow.
And when tomorrow comes, remember what you did yesterday, and make every effort to carve out at least a little creative time to work on something that feels epic. In only a few days, the pattern becomes a positive habit. Every day you’ll wake up, ready to jump out of bed with enthusiasm, a distaste for the mundane, and deep desires to focus on uninterrupted blocks of time to do meaningful, special, rare and valuable things. Authentic things. Memorable things.
Money and fame are fleeting, so you can’t give them your full confidence. Real achievement – something you’ve crafted with your heart, your hands, your presence, and your rapidly-developing skills – won’t wash away in the mists of time. Nobody will soon forget that you smiled at them. Handmade gifts and kind words live forever. Don’t ever neglect to do what only you can do, and make sure you get very good at doing it and sharing it with others.
The warmth and glow of our Inner Fire corresponds exactly to how much time we spend stoking it with things that genuinely matter. Every day doesn’t need to be a forest fire. Your best ideas and results come from your own hard work. No argument can refute craft, care, and compassion, demonstrated daily. This is why I always say:
Burn slow. Build deep. Be the proof.