You sit in front of your computer and are barely able to lift your fingers. You feel tired and don’t know why you are here.

You’ve lost your motivation. Do you know this feeling?

What am I doing? Not what am I doing right now…. what am I doing?!?

In those moments, the inner fire may be burning low, or maybe not at all. Have you ever been camping and tried to start a fire? You’re walking around looking for wood – not just any wood but dry wood that is suitable to create a spark. Then the effort begins to build a fire. It can be a hard and frustrating endeavor – getting that fire to start and hold a flame.

Your inner fire… same thing.

Your inner fire is weakened when you have too much “stuff” in your life. This includes too many social commitments, too many people who expect too much from you, excessive debt and financial commitments, too many complicated relationships, and too much clutter. The outer fire may be raging but the inner fire is nothing.

We see this in summer, the high outer fire extinguishes the dwindling inner one.

We are in a very special time in our history. It’s a time we can recreate and repurpose our lives. In many ways, this pandemic era is the gift of opportunity. This is the time to relinquish the outer flame and tend to the inner one.

"The inner fire is the most important thing mankind possesses."
~ Edith Sodergran

Where to begin? Treat your body like the temple it is. But treat it as an inside job. Nourish yourself with plenty of organic fruits and vegetables. Exercise in a way that feels good to you, not for the purpose of looking a certain way on the outside. And most importantly, feed your soul with yoga, meditation, journaling and quiet reflection. Acknowledge that you are nurturing your body with love. Consider positive language – instead of “I have to go to yoga,” think “I am fulfilling my inner goddess.” (Guys, you have an inner goddess too!)

This is one of my favorite reminders: mood follows action. It tells me to not wait until I feel a certain way before I act. I need to act first, and then the feeling that I am looking for will appear.

Mood follows action.

Carry it with you and see if that internal flame burns a little brighter.