On a recent retreat one of our guests talked about how the experience has reignited her ahi kaa. A te reo māori word with the closest translation meaning inner fire, essence, who you are. It’s what we bring to everything we do both at work and at home. Sometimes our inner fire can get dampened. Either by busyness, negative experiences, other people. Or sometimes we dim our light – worried we’ll not meet the expectations, uncomfortable in the spotlight or just in a bid to fit in or not appear as a threat to others.
Our ahi kaa is so important. When we’re in touch with who we are and coming from a place that is authentic and aligned, everything we do is so much more powerful. It’s our essence.
I’ve known what it’s like to be living out of alignment with my essence. As an introverted leader surrounded by extroverts. As a gay women in a straight relationship, as a girl playing ‘boys’ sports, as a burned out high achiever and as an author feeling uncomfortable in the spotlight.
Our inner fire goes out when we’re misaligned, our values are contradicted, we can’t find meaning and purpose in what we do, or we second guess ourselves or we’re doing things we feel we should rather than what’s true in our heart. It also dims when we’re busy, tired, overwhelmed and feel like we’re not coping. The inner fire belongs in our gut and our heart which is why we can feel it here when things aren’t right. It’s also why it’s connected to our intuition.
Whilst burnout can come from doing too much it’s also a result of living out of alignment to our values, not having a sense of freedom and autonomy or unable to find meaning and purpose in what we do. That’s why stoking our inner fire and remaining in touch with this ahi kaa is a way of beating burnout too.
When we ignite our ahi kaa we’re real, genuine, authentic. We’re firing and we perform better. It’s key to our sense of belonging and central to our health and happiness too.
How do we do this?
Work out who you are and what makes you tick, what lights you up, what do you stand for, what are your values? This will be shaped by your experiences, your passion and the things that matter to you. It’s how we find meaning in what we do and give us a sense of purpose. It’s always an impactful exercise at my leadership workshops and retreats.
Then once we’re in touch with it we need to keep fueling it. This means taking regular time to recharge, to reflect, to realign. Protecting it from people and situations that might dampen it. To keep learning about ourselves and evolving as we go. To stay present with ourselves and mindful of what we’re doing and why, to listen to our intuition. To stay true to our values regardless of the pressure to act otherwise and to be proud of what makes us unique not trying to change that or be more like others to fit in.
This is living in accordance with our essence and stoking our ahi kaa.