As leaders, we enter into each day not knowing what could await us.

What we experience on our leadership journey ranges from extreme challenges – which cause us to question our very reason for being – to overwhelming joy through true human connection and accomplishment.

Throughout it all, leaders carry a load of tasks and responsibilities which seem to be never ending.

The Fire Analogy

Judy Sorum Brown, in her poem Fire, reminds us to be intentional about leaving a breathing space in our daily lives.

While breathing space is important to the health of a fire, there are two more relational components required for a fire to exist.

The flame and the logs.

All three elements work in unison to create a healthy fire.

Consider the flame.

It is what makes you, you.

It is your spark!

It is your passion, your interests, your values and your strengths.  Knowing your flame is essential to knowing your path.

What are your logs?

The logs are what you do everyday. Your actions.

Questions to ask yourself:

• What do your logs look like?
• Do they help your fire burn brightly or are the putting your fire out?
• How many logs are there? Too many? Too few?
• Do your logs (actions) align with who you are or who you want to be?

Finally, the breathing space.

Maintaining a breathing space is creating time for yourself! Breathing space is reflection.

It’s knowing you cannot serve others if you don’t take care of yourself.

It’s intentionally setting time aside to think about how your life is going.

It’s looking at your flame and remembering who you are, who you want to be and why.

It’s looking at your logs and making sure what you do is in alignment with who you want to be.

It’s being intentional about poking at your fire from time to time to keep what is working alive and not being afraid to make changes to things that are not.

It is being authentic.

You can find the poem “Fire”  in three of Judy Brown’s books: The Sea Accepts All Rivers, A Leader’s Guide to Reflective Practice and The Art and Spirit of Leadership.