James Allen says,

“A man is literally what he thinks, his character being the complete sum of all his thoughts.”

Ideas or sparks are the bedrock of your character. You are who you think you are. Earl Nightingale says, “We become what we think about.”

Take a moment and reflect on what you think about on most days. Then reflect on whether what you think about determines in any way what you do most of the time.

If you think about becoming a writer, you will write. But if you think about becoming the best basketball player, you will find yourself on the court most of the day.

The good news is that ideas are free. We all get them. The rich and the poor alike. But, the challenge is to get them right and at the right time, and then translate them into action.

Keep in mind that ideas require time, deliberation and action to have a practical value.  

This Summer, I was a part of a 30-day Sparks challenge initiated by Darren Rowse of the Problogger. I would like to share some insights from this wonderful exercise. Hope it lights up the sparks of your work and life.

During the challenge, Darren asked the participants these two questions every day: What are the most common things that give you energy? What are the most common things that you do that give other people energy?

He also asked some bonus questions to reflect on. Here are ten examples of the bonus questions:

Bonus Questions/Prompts:

• What made you feel most alive as a 10-year old?
• What do you want to be known for?
• What sparks have you had in the past that fizzled?
• When has a tiny spark led to something big for you in the past?
• What question do you often have?
• What problems do you observe?
• What are you curious about?
• What dreams and ambitions do you have?
• What kind of life experiences have you had?
• What skills and strengths do you have?

Now take a moment and think if you ask yourself these questions. I am sure, if not all, you may ask a few of them.

These questions are meant to stimulate positive energy or sparks in you. They invite you to deliberate on your everyday thoughts and experiences in the past.

Once you identify the sparks in your life, the next step is to figure out what to do with them. I get it can be difficult but if you ask yourself these questions everyday, you will see the change in the way you think about life and your career.

Robin Williams says,

“No matter what people tell you words and ideas can change the world.”