Last night I and 70 other Thames Valley business women attended an International Women’s Day event organised by the Thames Valley Chamber of Commerce and Success Network. It was a fantastically engaging event and a reminder of the power of women to succeed when they are led by their hearts.
In her keynote speech, Penny Power of the Ecademy spoke about her ‘flame of her candle’. This is where she feels most alive and in tune with her heart. We were all witness to her ‘flame’ as she feels it most when presenting to a group about what she is passionate about.
Penny also spoke about the wax of the candle being the work she has to do but that feels is hard work. She has gone on to bring other people in her business to do the ‘candle wax’ work while she can focus on her ‘flame’.
This disclosure I am sure brought a profound realisation to a large number of the audience about what is their flame, the core driver for why they have their business. It was also very timely for me, as just that afternoon I had been thinking about what I am like when I am working at my best. The metaphor that came to me is that when I work at my best it is like my ‘soul sings’. I even have an image of Maria Von Trapp in the Sound of Music running to the top of an Austrian Mountain singing ‘The hills are alive’.
What is so brilliant about creating such metaphors and imagery is that it truly conveys to ourselves and others what it is that makes us be at our ‘best’. It’s useful as a reminder when work is tough or to use as a priority filter to make sure we do much more of our ‘best’ work.
I would love to hear about your metaphors for when you are at your best. To help you explore them, ask yourself, ‘when I am at my best I am like what’? Please feel free to share them here to help inspire others.
Rachel Fletcher, FD in the Making, Coach and Mentor for Accountants in Business
As a Finance Director working in a Global FMCG working with Sales, Marketing and Operations teams, Rachel has specialised in bringing Finance expertise to the heart of business. As FD in the Making, Rachel works with Finance Managers and Accountants in Business develop soft leadership skills to help them achieve their goal to become Finance Director.
http://fdinthemaking.co.uk http://twitter.com/FDintheMaking
success recipes for solopreneurs 
Hi Jayne,
I now have a wonderful image of you full of exuberance and joy jumping around the office! If that is you working at your best I am sure that a lot of clients would want to work with someone so invested in achieving great results for them.
Rachel
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Rachel
It was an excellent evening and this was a great post.
I’m not always good at metaphor so I could not really get the concept of flame and wax, but your question ‘when I am at my best I am like what?’made it very clear.
The times I feel I am at my best are when talking with an individual (or small group). The ideas for their business are just flowing out of all of us because my viewpoint helps them to see their business in a different way.
It’s a combination of pleasure in giving them good ideas and pleasure in being valued for what I can do – which is consultancy at its best.
My picture of how I feel is like Tigger – bouncing – and if no-one is around, I sometimes bounce for real!
I really should try to find more opportunities for paid consultancy like that.
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Thanks for your comments Mel and Alice!
Mel, I love the sense of ease that you describe and I can imagine you just being brilliant when you are in that space!
Alice, I think it’s amazing how we can capture the essence of what we do and why we do it in business with a few simple words. There is no need for mission statements or value propositions! What you have said describes beautifully your reasons for being in business.
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I’m at my best when I’ve made someone’s life better, made a difference to them and maybe changed everything for the good. Then I feel it has all been worth-while!
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Great Post Rachel and it was a brilliant and inspiring event. I think my metaphor would be like “I am on a roll!” So not quite an image of me rolling down a hill, but more of things just flow easily from one thing on to the next, with minimal effort or stress. And that’s when I know I am focusing on my own flame. Mel
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