Get Sparked!

“Don’t ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive, and go do that, because what the world needs is people who have come alive.”

Howard Thurman, theologian, educator, and civil rights leader

Considering the state of the world, I think we need a both/and approach. Ask what makes you come alive and then see how you can use that to address what the world needs. In the past I’ve burned myself out trying to ‘save the world’ by doing things that depleted me. And organizations are filled with people who are not lit up by the work they are doing which affects productivity. What kind of world might we have if people were doing what they naturally love?

What lights you up?

One way to identify or affirm what enlivens you, is to discover your Sparketype. This archetyping system was developed to help individuals clarify and embrace the ways of being and working that light them up and guide organizations to cultivate environments where people are doing work that aligns with who they are. An online quiz identifies your primary Sparketype, your shadow Sparketype (this supports your primary) and anti-Sparketype (this drains you). Most people are not surprised by their results, but it can prompt affirmation and appreciation. Knowing my profile has helped me step more fully into doing what I love and let go of thinking I needed to be doing something else.

What helps you heal?

It also led me to wonder if there’s a correlation between Sparketypes and healing and well-being. Would doing what lights you up enhance your healing process? My own experience indicates a strong yes. My primary is Maven (live to learn) and my shadow is Maker (make ideas manifest). I essentially consider my 5-year healing journey as a learning experience. I’ve read over 60 books on healing, taken multiple courses, tried innumerable treatments, partly looking for a cure, but also to experientially learn what worked for me and what didn’t. I also have done a good amount of creating – intuitive art, gel and flow painting, Soul Collage cards, Vision cards, this blog, a book I am working on about my healing journey. While I sometimes thought I was spending too much time doing these activities without having any evidence of their impact on my healing, I now recognize how significant they actually have been. I imagine this could be like a spark plug supercharging any conventional and alternative treatments one is doing.

So my Maven signed me up to do the training to become a CSA (Certified Sparketye Advisor), even though I really don’t need any more certifications! and my Maker is already incorporating the concept into my book and programs I’ve created and will be offering online.

Looking forward to hearing about what your Sparketype prompts you to do!