Spark Your Work, Achieve Flow
Poet and author Mark Nepo says that “wanting light is a form of light, and wanting love is what makes the Earth turn to the sun.”
Light connects us directly to the essence of who we are. Light is why I named my practice Illuminate. And discovering the light – my own and that of others – is what I intend to do with the rest of my days.
The things in this world that light us up, that spark us, are pointers to the infinite source of light. We recognize them by the fact that they make us feel alive, make our activity meaningful, and help us drop into that transcendent state of flow. They’re worth paying attention to, not only for ourselves, but because putting effort (paid or not) into what lights us up touches everyone and everything we come across.
Knowing what lights us up, what sparks us, isn’t always obvious. We might need to uncover the “algorithm” that shows us how to do more of what lights us up and less of what doesn’t. These past few months, I’ve been digging into the work of Jonathan Fields on Sparketypes which are essentially DNA imprints for work that makes us come alive, inspires us, fills us with purpose and gives us the feeling we’re doing what we were put here to do.
In my goal to help others reclaim work as a source of meaning, inspiration and awakening, versus toil, drudgery and frustration, I’ve become a Certified Sparketype Advisor. I trained with Jonathan himself to understand at a deep level the ten Sparketypes, how they show up throughout our lives, what that indicates for the future, and what alchemy is required to understand one’s Sparketype. This enables us to begin level-setting where we’re off base with how we’re currently working/spending effort, or use the insights to make future decisions that will have us doing work that lights us up and brings meaning and flow.
Understanding what lights one up is important at any stage of life. But it's particularly important during times of transition when you know the old way is no longer working but are struggling to see what the new way can look like. The last thing you want to do is stumble into old patterns and struggles because you didn’t recognize the signs saying “same-same”.
If you’re curious about your Sparketype, there’s a short (20 minute) free assessment online that’ll tell you your primary Sparketype, your shadow Sparketype and your anti-Sparketype – because it’s also valuable to know what you shouldn’t be doing.
If you want to meet to discuss your results, you know where to find me.