Have you ever felt a wave of excitement, of joyful anticipation… only to have it followed (or even swallowed) by a wave of fear, doubt, or apprehension?
This morning I had just that happen to me. And I happened to have a candle lit at the time.
I thought… What if my excitement were like the wick, and all the doubts and fears were the wax? If so, that means my excitement is more powerful, and if I nurture it and have patience, the doubts and fears will yield.
I like this analogy. Because most of the time there’s something big we’re looking forward to there can also be a voice that says “Yeah, but what if …?” or “What about …?” or even flat out “Not gonna happen…”
Sometimes the hesitant voice is barely noticeable.
That’s like having a taper candle.
The wax simply melts down easily.
Other times it’s more like a big jar candle.
The wax can pool and snuff the flame out.
The wax can cool, and harden, trapping the wick in it.
So, too, can our doubts and fears snuff out our excitement, even trap it within. It’s easy to shrug and think it must just be a dud of a candle (or idea, dream, plan…). To chuck it, and move on.
But the wick can be relit and once again, resume melting the wax. So too can our excitement and anticipation be relit and resume melting away fears and doubts.
A candle outside in the wind probably isn’t going to fare very well. We can’t control the wind, but we can decide to protect our candle, shield it from the wind, or bring it inside. So, too, we can’t control the environment in which our excitement may live. We may need to find ways to protect our excitement from the doubters, haters, or toxic conditions.
Admittedly, the analogy falls a bit flat at the end – for when the wax is all melted the wick is done as well… so don’t think about this as an end-game ‘destination’ concept. Think of this as a ‘journey’ concept – as in, when you feel fears or doubts trying to snuff out your excitement, just remember that if you relight your wick, it will again be more powerful.
p.s. I’ve got lots of other blogs that may inspire ways to relight your wick or protect your flame… I would also love to support your journey! Contact me to learn about working together…