It only takes a single spark to light a fire.
The presence or lack of that spark sets apart the people who go from a complete nobody to person-everyone-wants-to-be.
The spark is why the alcoholic who gets diagnosed with liver failure spends his remaining years preaching. It’s why the woman who loses her spouse realizes life is too short to not live her dreams.
The spark creates a restlessness that makes any option other than change insufferable. You cannot experience a spark and stay the same. The spark changes you forever.
It’s a perspective-changing, life-changing, self-changing event that pushes you into action.
You need one of those. A reason to do what you’ve always said you’ll do. A starting point from which to build the life you’ve always said you’ll one day live. You need a spark.
But you don’t want to get diagnosed with a terminal illness or lose a loved one or experience any other horrible event that will traumatize you.
Can you still turn your life around? Can you, too, be pushed into action?
The Spark: A Life Turning Point
Things have happened in your life that have changed you.
You ran into a stranger who changed how you see the world. You read a post that touched you and made you change part of your lifestyle. You took my course and changed how you see yourself and consequently how you act. (What you haven’t done that yet? You definitely should 😊.)
Have you ever wondered what is it about those situations that made you take action?
You and I both know that you consume countless articles, social media posts, and ads daily pleading you to take a certain action. They don’t phase you. You read and scroll, the next post pushing the first out of your mind.
Even the most inspiring content can only get you to fantasize about creating change in your life. When it comes time to act upon the plans, we bail out.
What makes the spark different? Why is the spark a life-changing moment?
The secret lies in your emotions.
We take a lot of pride being the most rational creatures on Earth. To suggest that most of our actions are made on a basis of something as turbulent as emotions is insulting.
I guess the truth really does hurt.
We don’t act on logic as much as we do emotion.
You won’t spend an all-nighter to finish a side-hustle project. You will, though, if you are afraid of not having enough money to pay the bills next month.
Fear is a powerful emotion.
What turns an ordinary experience into a spark is the emotions it creates.
Sparks don’t have to be dramatic. They just have to be meaningful to you.
Watching a kid ride a bike for the first time only means something to their parents. If meaningful enough, it could be their spark.
Now you might think, “How will riding a bike make them change their life? That’s not a traumatizing event that will push you forward.”
Another point about sparks is that they don’t have to be negative, although many of them are.
Some people change after falling in love. Others change after getting their dream job.
These are pretty normal events, don’t you think?
Some of these things have happened to you. They didn’t change your life. When will you find your spark?
I’m not into being passive. You don’t have to wait around for something life-changing to happen to you.
Let me show you how you can create your life-turning point.
Light your Spark: Creating A Life-Turning Point
Creating your spark is not about taking an ordinary event and giving it false meaning. Life-changing events can’t be faked. Luckily, you don’t need an event to change your life. You just need the emotions that come with it. Emotion can be simulated.
Realize and Refuse
Are you happy with your life?
I know you’re grateful and you are okay with where you are today. But are you happy?
If the rest of your life proceeds in this manner, could you say that you love your life and wouldn’t want to change a thing?
Being okay with where you are and happy with where you are aren’t synonymous.
Why do you want a life-turning point?
What aspect of your life do you want to turn around?
Changing your life begins with a realization followed by a decision.
Realize that if nothing changes, things won’t get better 5-10 years from now—in fact they’ll most likely get worse.
(Need help realizing where you need to improve? The Life Audit Powerbook can help you out.)
Then refuse to let your life go on like this.
You refuse to be drowned in debt. You refuse to wake up every morning and drag yourself through the same mundane routine. You refuse to continue working in a gray cubicle, sitting on an uncomfortable chair while life passes you by.
You have only one life. You have only today and a limited number of tomorrows. How long are you going to let this go on?
Refuse to continue living this way. Decide that your life will not continue going the way that it has in the past. Decide that this will not be your life story.
Get Dissatisfied
Emotions beat logic every time.
You can be aware your life is going downhill, but you won’t do anything until you start to feel its effects.
You won’t really focus on creating your side-hustle until you lose your job. We’ve seen this effect as many lost their jobs during the COVID-19 pandemic. You won’t double-down on your studies until you’ve failed a test.
It’s not until you feel the punch in the gut that you wake up and see that you need to start taking action.
You need to feel those emotions before they become your reality. Fortunately, it’s not that hard to do.
The thought of doing what you fear will make your heart race and your palms sweat. Think of an embarrassing moment and your face will flush.
It doesn’t matter if you’re imagining the event or actually living it, your brain will activate the same areas.
You can use that brain feature to your benefit.
Summon the emotions that will push you forward. The facts state that negative emotions are more powerful than positive ones, so that’s where you want to focus.
Why do you need to change? What consequences will you face if you don’t? What will you lose?
Really think about this and envision what your life would be like. Close your eyes and visualize that life. Use all your senses.
We are distracted. We drowned out our dissatisfaction with TV shows and social media. We rarely look at the bigger picture to realize we are building a life we don’t want to live.
Now’s your chance to let those negative emotions overcome you and get dissatisfied.
Don’t stay there, though. These emotions are meant to push you forward, not pull you down. Use them for that purpose.
This is your spark. This is your life-turning point. You have the ability to create the life you want to live. You just need a reason to pursue that path.
