A student asked: Why use the metaphor Fire to describe Ignition Factor?

At The Ignition Factor we use the metaphor of "fire" to create a visual image of how and why we do the work we do. We also believe it's the perfect metaphor for how life works. Fire (like life) can generate good results or if left unattended, bad results.

We believe that if you "attended to" the 8 major facets of your life (mind, body, career, wealth, family, relationship, spirit, and community) you'll experience a life filled with balance and harmony and you'll attract a world of good things to you. We call those good things "success".

Another student asked "Isn't success in life random and based on luck?"

Our answer would be; No.

Success comes (manifests) from deliberate action. So we've developed a series of retreats, workshops, guest lectures, coaching sessions and a website all dedicated to provoking individuals, and businesses, to explore what they are doing to stimulate and to bring into being an experience of "success" in either their life or their business.
Are you ready for success?

At The Ignition Factor we believe that you're always ready; you just may not be doing anything (taking any action) to produce results. In this instance we use the metaphor "Ignite the Spark". It's our commitment to put a match to the pilot light within you, so you can explore concepts that will ask: Are you ready for success? Are you afraid of success?" And "How do you define success?"

"What are you doing to stimulate an experience of "success" in your life?

In order to sustain "success" you must constantly be "fanning the flame" in all the facets of your life. Everything needs your attention. We've all had experiences of putting all the focus on one area of our life, and having another area suffer for having done so. A new love comes into our life and as we celebrate this new relationship we find our job starts to suffer and we miss important work deadlines. Or we are so fearful of losing our job, we put in 10 and 12 hour work days and the next thing we know, we've blown it with our family, because we're just never around.

A fire - and the facets of your- life have to be sustained for the ultimate effectiveness.

A fire has to been fueled. In needs oxygen and heat to survive. And simultaneously, so do all the facets of your life. The most effective fires are those that are attended to and controlled by a thermostat that let's you put in the correction when needed. It allows you to control the flame and to bring it back the perfect balance of fuel, heat and oxygen. At Ignition Factor we would call that thermostat your "balance indicator".

In our life, our thermostat is set and our balance indicators are defined by our values, goals and action plans. When all the facets of our life share aligned values, goals, and action plans, there is balance and our families and businesses work in harmony for a common good. Everybody is happy and we attract good from every direction. We call that "success".

Just as when your home if maintain at a perfect 75 degrees, you virtually forget that there's a flame burning down in the furnace. When there is balance and harmony, the process for maintaining it appears effortless and success abounds. When it doesn't work, there's failure or crisis until the correction is put into place and the thermostat is adjusted.

Why ignition factor came to be:

At The Ignition Factor we believe that each and every person has a "calling". Some might call it a "purpose". Which ever words you use to define it; it comes from an inner passion to share your talents and gifts with the community that surrounds you. We believe that "passion" burns like a pilot light within you; you may claim it or you may deny it - regardless it is there waiting to be ignited.

Again, why is "fire" the metaphor of choice?

We use it because it provokes the imagery that defines our work.
If we all share our gifts and talents for a "common good", we prosper, our communities prosper and we all grow. To use our metaphor: Fire is the power manifested from the heat of multiple flames; fueled by shared oxygen, to illuminate and entire community. And to think it all started with a single flame that was ignited by a single spark within.