Personal Growth Planet Blog

What does your inner fire feel like to you? It’s different for us all.

There are definite sensations in the body, mind and spirit.

My inner fire feels like wide awake, energized, excited about whatever I am doing, pumped up, full of ideas, fully alive and open to possibility. It might not last too long, but those fiery moments are intense and uplifting.

The whole notion of “inner fire” might initially seem trite or cliche, but it’s absolutely essential. Think about a life of dullness, boredom, apathy, no feeling and nonexistent drive.

I think of myself as a pretty positive kind of person.  I make it a point to focus on what, to me, is going “right” in a situation.

If the cake I bake falls, I remind myself that it still tastes good. If I have to spend an afternoon with someone who usually annoys me, I try to find something about the visit that I can genuinely appreciate.

(Okay, I’ll admit it. This is an intention and not always the way it plays out.)

Every morning I do sit ups and supported back bends over a big plastic balance ball. After I’ve stretched and moved my body in this way, it feels so good. It’s an infusion to my system that helps me prepare for what’s ahead that day.

But, as I reach my hands backward, toward the floor, my balance is challenged. My body is gently pulled just a little bit more than it’s used to being pulled.

This is an uncomfortable feeling. Sometimes, I tumble right off the ball onto the floor. Other times, I notice myself holding back– not fully giving my all to the backward bending.

Lately, my shoulders have been very, very tight. My husband massages them and I hear the icky crunch of the tight muscle. I stretch them, use counter-pressure and remind myself to breathe.

And still my shoulders get tight. This affects my neck, arms and entire back– in unpleasant ways.

I am able to relax on the weekends and experience some loosening up, but especially after an extended period of time at work writing at my computer, the tightness ratchets back up leaving me uncomfortable and sometimes in pain.

Last weekend I went to see Tim Burton’s new movie “Alice in Wonderland,” based on the classic novel. It was a visual delight and was also filled with intriguing and expansive messages.

Alice quotes her beloved father and declares, “Sometimes, I have believed as many as 6 impossible things before breakfast.”

What if we each were to start out the day by NOT listing off all of the things we need to get done? |

Rather than writing down the home chores, errands, work projects and other miscellany that I need to accomplish before this day ends, what if, instead, I dreamed up and actually believed 6 (or more) impossible things?

How many times do you inadvertently limit the ones you love with your reactions and comments? How often do you limit yourself with many of the same assumptions and beliefs?

My older son aspires to be a teenaged multi-millionaire computer programmer/game developer. My cheerleader mom-self says: “You go! What ambition!” A different voice inside my head usually says quite the opposite: “That's too big! You're bound to fall short with such a huge goal.” I am hoping that he feels the energy of that cheerleader mom rather than the limits that rattle through my head.

My knee-jerk limited reaction might be expected given what I've known to be true throughout my life. I've never met a multi-millionaire and certainly have never experienced a million dollar salary or lifestyle. There are also certain associations that I tend to make with having a lot of money-- and many of them are negative.

In essence, my judgments of being wealthy as well as the road I perceive one has to take to get to that kind of economic level cloud my ability to simply support the dreams of a person very dear to me. In this way, I am limiting my son.