Internal Fire

I spent yesterday evening reading a book I came across. It was a good book, but that's not the important thing  to take away here. I w ant to highlight a brief section, maybe only half a page, where the Great Aunt is explaining her passion for saving old homes. She describes it as her fire and when asked what that means, she says its what drives your life and that it can take many forms. This got me thinking as I lay in my bed later that night 'Whats my fire?'. As I lay there, the thought came to me that a fire has many different colors that burn hotter that the previous color.

The question and the though sat there in my mind for a bit before it hit me that since there are many layers to a fire that there could be many things that drive you that change over time as you start to zero in on your passion, or burn hotter. I started to think on this and analyzed what has driven me in the past few years and I came up with three layers of my fire so far.

The red outer layer of the flame was my drive to run in college and get an engineering degree. It drove me to attend SDSM&T and run cross country and track. I threw myself head long into running and academics the summer before I started college and this passion burned the brightest for the next 3 years. It took me places I could only imagine a few years earlier, and taught me many things.

After three years, the red glow started to get replaced by an orange one that had taken root about halfway through my Freshman year. I'm calling this one the desire to serve my country.  I started feeding this fire by joining ROTC. I really stoked the flames when I received my commission earlier this year.  I have no regrets about the decision and this flame still burns bright and hot, but it has been joined by another one even hotter.

Recently, poking its way trough the orange has been yellow, or leadership and servitude as I think of it. It it a hungry flame and there were a couple of false starts along the way, but the hunger is what drove me to be the type of leader I am. I want to know how to do everything the right way so I can lead by example and show others what is right. This yellow  flame had been smoldering in the background for quite a few years and I have always craved positions of leadership. But until this flame made its way to the top, I didn't know the true meaning of leadership, but now this yellow flame drives me to be better so I can help those around me.

All these colors still burn and drive me today and help shape who I am and what I do and I wouldn't have it any other way. The red flame still burns because I want to get a masters degree. The orange flame is burning as bright as ever now that I am starting my military career. And I hope the yellow flame never dies. I can't wait to see where they take me and what the next layer of my flame brings.

If your wondering, the book I read was "Saving CeeCee Honeycutt" by Beth Hoffman. Don't judge, I read thrillers too.