Fire Blockers

My favorite summer activity is camping.  This year I bought my own tent and headed off to Women's Wilderness Summit.  The only thing that was missing from that experience was a campfire ring.  I am addicted to campfires. If there is a fire ban, I don't go camping.  I have a growing collection of photographs and videos of campfires, most of them  from my own experiences. 

Gazing into the mesmerizing flame on a recent camping trip, I was reflecting on what I love so much about that experience.  A fire is hot, it is alive it is burning.  Even without the flames, when it burns down to embers, it is calming.  But the flame, my flame, what about that?  How do I keep it alive. What is it that causes my fire to go out, my flame to die? When is my flame at its strongest?

I have discovered a few of my personal "fire blockers."

1. FEAR- when I am consumed with fear, of any kind, all my energy goes to survival. Fear is such a beast, mostly telling us lies. I am not always sure the world is a safe place and I fear for the safety of my family and for myself. I find myself trying to, subconsciously, control the circumstances, which usually don't even exist.  When I turn it around and say these two words "I trust," I release the clutching and replace the fear with the courage to believe.  The flame is given air and I feel the spark again.
2. PRETENDING- this mostly happens when I start responding to the voices around me instead of my own internal compass.  Saying "yes" when I mean "no." Attending events I don't want to be at.  Falling silent in conversations or saying what I think will please others.  The fire goes out when we pretend.
3. RELATIONSHIPS- allowing toxic people to remain in my life.  In order to keep the fire moving, I find it necessary to periodically scan my work place and my social network contacts.  As I see each person, I ask myself what energy I feel.  How light or dark it is.  This helps me know where to invest more time and where to pull away.  Dark relationships are draining and we never do the person a favor by pretending we want to spend time with them. 
4. MISALIGNMENT - by definition this word means, "the incorrect arrangement or position of something in relation to something else."  First of all, if you are not aligned with your true essence and passion you will never feel the fire.  You will be living your life with only embers. Once you have found your true path, it is very easy to get knocked off course.  When I start entertaining what I "should" be doing the flame starts going out.  When someone asks me to do something and I want to please them, I engage in a place not close to my heart.  When I choose activities for money or respect, I also start losing my spark.

What fuels your fire?  What are your "fire blockers?"  Once you become aware of them, you will be less likely to lose that beautiful flame that energizes and drives your purpose.