You'll be amazed at what can happen from a spark....

A little over a year ago we were clearing out a bunch of stuff before we moved house. We have a fire pit for the garden and spent the morning burning through mountains of cardboard. Before bed, my husband had a bit of a clear up and tipped the dead ashes into our garden bin. Fast forward to 4.30 am and we were startled into awakeness by a neighbour beating our door down and yelling. Our whole row of bins were on fire, the garden furniture had melted and the flames were licking at the side of our house. It was terrifying, but the fire service did their thing and happily we all survived to tell the tale.

The lesson? Even when it feels like your fire is well and truly out, with the right conditions it only takes one tiny ember for it to reignite.

Leaving my job was a big move for me. I’d been in employment since I was 14, working weekends, evenings & holidays throughout education and then straight into full time employment after uni. My fire had burned out and I wondered if that was me done with the world of work.

Fortunately, I had wise people around me who refused to let me chuck those ashes in the trash. People who reminded me who I am and what I'm capable of. People who challenged me to just do one thing that I might find fun or that I'd always wanted to do.

That thing? A yoga retreat. Something I'd fancied for a while but had put firmly on the backburner for 'one day when the kids have left home'. As I was searching for the yoga retreat I spotted an opportunity to do something a bit bolder, train to be a yoga teacher. It reminded me of my love of learning and my desire for challenge. I signed myself up, not really considering that there might be a bit more to it than just rocking up in Ibiza for a week.

The pre-work took me by surprise....a book on meditation?? I was useless at meditation! But I was in it now, so I dutifully ordered the book. A couple of chapters in I realised this was no ordinary book. It was in fact a crash course in meditation practice, so now I had daily meditation exercises to practice over the proceeding weeks. But I'd committed to the yoga training so this wasn't optional. I just shrugged my shoulders and cracked on with it.

Before I knew it I was converted, meditation had sparked awareness. Awareness became a magic bullet, everywhere I went, every person I spoke to seemed to spark something in me. Why? because I'd become more observant. I was noticing the sparks. I saw the connections between my experiences and my thoughts, my thoughts and my actions.

Once I saw them I couldn't unsee, and I started to be more purposeful in my quest to gather more sparks. I rediscovered play, I sought out new and diverse experiences, I struck up conversations with strangers and I started to linger longer in and around activities to see what randomness would follow.

What I discovered was that every activity and interaction sparked a new idea. I was exposed to so many new people, situations and perspectives and my creativity exploded.

In 3 months I went from that sorry looking pile of ashes to creating Rebel Spark!

I also created my own brand, teaching myself to build a website, write my own copy, create my own content, and use Canva.

I also revived my spirit of adventure, throwing myself into new activities like throwing pottery, coasteering, graffiti, karate, jewellery making, breathwork & white-water rafting.

I reconnected with old friends and colleagues, formed deeper connections with people I used to just say a passing hello to, and formed many new friendships too.

I took a course in entrepreneurship, became a yin yoga teacher and I started my level 7 coaching diploma.

I expanded my horizons by attending networking events, seminars and conferences that exposed me to new industries, technologies, approaches, and perspectives. I read many books, listened to 100’s of podcasts (often whilst decorating my house or tending to my allotment) and rediscovered my love of creative writing.

I spent time with my family, picked my boys up from school a bit earlier & taught them how to do chores and DIY jobs around the house. Volunteered at PTA events, and turned up when invited to come and see their work after school.

This was all without a plan, without a goal in mind. I just started moving, I grasped opportunities, and when I hit blockers or struggled with self doubt I used coaching to help me get out of my own way.

If you'd told me 3 months ago this is where I'd end up I'd never have believed you. But here I am, living testament to the spark methodology!

I hope that this has inspired you to start noticing your own sparks and I'm here to encourage you to give them the air they need to grow into something bigger, and maybe I can help add a bit of fuel to help you ignite.

And if you feel like you've lost your spark or you're recovering from burnout (of whatever form) then I'm here to help you connect to your inner rebel and find that first ember.