"Do what sets your soul on fire." What does that even mean?

Have you ever heard the phrase, "Do what sets your soul on fire?" I bet you have.

I love this phrase. It actually makes me so excited to hear it. I love setting my soul on fire. I figured others did too.

I recently posted in a group two things: "What lights your soul on fire?" and "Do you find you use work to fulfill you, or do you have other things that fulfill?" in an entrepreneur group.

Want to know why those were not good questions to put up in an entrepreneur group...

At least 80% of the responses were a sneaky marketing ploy.

It was so disappointing.

Now, I'm not saying you shouldn't feel fulfilled with your job and love what you do, and it's great to design a job from what sets your soul on fire, but here are a couple of things.

1. Nobody is grading you. Saying the thing that sets your soul on fire is helping people by [insert your "I help" statement] on someone else's post is just really annoying.

2. It's not a good marketing strategy. If there are a lot of comments, chances are it won't be seen by your ideal client, and you're better off adding a real comment to that person's post.

While I bet that all people who become coaches love helping people and have their cups fill up by doing so and take so much pride in their client's success I think we can dig a little deeper. You were not put on this earth simply to be servants to others. Trust me, as an entrepreneur, every ounce of my being loves what I do and loves helping my clients, and it does light me up to do it, but when I think of what lights my soul on fire, my first thought doesn't go straight to working.

Here are my thoughts on doing what lights your soul on fire:

1. You should not depend on your work as the only way you feel fulfilled and fired up.

I know, what a crazy thing to say in the online entrepreneur world but hear me out. I had a job where I worked 1:1 with children. I loved them, their success was my success, and supporting them filled me right up. But on the flip side, I became too attached to them; my self-worth was dependent on them making progress, and I ended up feeling solely responsible for them succeeding in life.

When we depend on a job to fill us up, especially one where we work with people we can end up depending on people to make us feel fulfilled, satisfied in life, and attaching our self-worth to the success of others. We can think it's the same as our success, but I just feel like it's not the same.

Our job should be fulfilling, we should do what we love to do, we should take the things we love and turn them into a job, but we shouldn't forget all the other beautiful things in life that light our soul on fire.

2. You should not forget the little things in life.

This is my favourite point and that I really tried to encourage the commenters on my post to think about. Don't forget the little things.

Don't forget those beautiful and natural moments like watching the sunrise or sitting at the top of a mountain. Don't forget the moments when you get a glimpse of your children sleeping or your partner randomly grabs you to dance around in the kitchen.

Don't let those little moments pass you by because one day, you may not get to have them, and at the end of your life, you'll want to remember those beautiful little moments to remind you that you lived a beautiful life.

3. You should not only have one thing that lights your soul on fire.

Finally, while it is great and completely encouraged for you to have a job you love, that is in alignment with your life purpose, that lights you up I don't think that should be the only thing.

I think you should have lots of things that light you up, many non-work-related things. Have hobbies, travel, have a tribe of people you love, have a spiritual practice, have a mindset and self-care practice. Have all the things.

Don't let life pass you by. Don't forget to do things that light your soul on fire while you're busy raising kids, starting a new job, growing a business, etc. Don't put soul tasks as your last priority every time. Sometimes let them come first.

Set an example for your children, your co-workers, your subordinates and your clients on how to live a life filled with things you love and that give you joy. 

No, it won't always be sunshine and rainbows. We may not love every minute of life, we may not be lit up at every second, but do you want to be lying on your death bed realizing you spent so much time trying to make a living, be the best mom, make the 30 under 30 list, that you forgot to make a life?

 
Take it from me, who spent many years working desperately hard for a company for clients that when I left, I had nothing. I had to start over like everyone else, I wish I had done more of what I loved all the way through my life.

It's also okay to admit something other than just your work lights your soul on fire. If your job does, then amazing! I'm glad. It should. But when I left the job that was my only source of "lighting up," I was left with a snuffed-out candle feeling my way through the dark. There was no reward for being solely dedicated to working, I wasn't left with a partial candle.

Find many things that light your soul on fire, and the next time someone asks that question in a Facebook group, give many answers and don't include your "I help" statement as your answer because no one is grading you or evaluating you, or judging you if you don't put down that your only love in life is your work. Just be yourself.