“The firebrand is the person who recognizes what is natural, what is organic, what is alive and vital in life, the person who dares to live, to be, and to create, often in the face of interference, rejection, deceit, and betrayal. The firebrand is a burning ember, life that is in each of us and that provides the spark and energy to speak against what distorts, hides or denies our being and truth. It is that which awakens within us, when we must declare our independence or when we discover a new formula for living” ~Clark Moustakas

You know you are a firebrand when that statement gives you goosebumps and you find yourself mirrored in the words.

You are a firebrand. You know it because you’ve always been a bit of a wave-maker.

You are the person who naturally resists rules and authority because your soul craves freedom and the ability to self-create. You may have been called a troublemaker in your family, workplace, or education system.

You are the person who speaks truth to power and who has the courage to trust your own knowing, rather than toe the line. You have the courage to make your own meaning and create your own guidelines.

You are a rebel but you don’t rebel just for the sake of it. You rebel to shake the status quo, to illuminate the way for others, and because the only way to fulfill your highest purpose is when you dare to be different.

You smart at injustice and believe that part of your work in the world is about transforming conditions that are oppressive. You reject anything that limits others ability to express their genius, especially those things that are systematic means of suppression.

You recognize that to be true to yourself. You may have to betray social or conventional norms—and you are willing to be different. You are willing to fight for your right to be authentic.

You seek to remain in touch with the fire within—and will quickly leave any condition that limits your ability to access that flame, or even worse, starts to extinguish it.

You are willing to bear the weight of being an outsider. You are in service to creating conditions that encourage individuality—in service to humanity.  

You have been making waves for some time in your life. Those of us who are firebrands have been living on the fringe for some time now and are well schooled in the ways of the outsiders. In our years of being committed to being true to ourselves, we’ve built the necessary courage to stand against the forces that seek to drive us into conformity.

We stare defiantly at the forces that come to destroy us. We refuse to play dead.

We have been prepared by life for the times we live in. We are prepared to stand up, be heard, and to blaze a path forward because in a world that is encouraging conformity and acquiescence. We have the opportunity to shout from the mountaintops and to demand change when the old ways aren’t working.

We leave the very systems that try to limit us and create new, more vibrant, soulful ways to live, love and work.

It is time for you to rise into your great purpose, firebrand. It is time for you to bring your bigness to the world and to be the force you have always been. It’s time for you to make your mark.

Be as big and brave as you can be in relentless pursuit of what serves your soul and elevates humanity. The world needs you.

~

Author: Lisa Vallejos

Image: Michael Tracey/Flickr

Editor: Lieselle Davidson