Sparks and sparkling: Rediscover what lights you up.
Photo by Allef Vinicius on Unsplash
There’s something about December that makes us slow down – even if just a little. It invites us to soften. Maybe it’s the way the light changes, or the gentle hush that settles over the world as one year prepares to hand itself over to the next. Or maybe it’s simply that we allow ourselves, for a moment, to notice again.
Noticing what warms us.
What energises us.
What lights something inside us.
And as I’m writing this, I’m in Porsgrunn, Norway, where winter sparkles in a different register – quieter, calmer, almost reverent. Lights shimmer against the icy streets, yet it’s the silence here that strikes me most. A kind of still brightness that invites reflection. It’s the perfect backdrop to think about what truly lights us up, what keeps our inner flame alive, and how easily these sparks get lost in the noise of our busy lives.
This December, I’ll never forget my granddaughter’s face when she saw the Christmas tree lights for the first time. Her eyes widened as if the world had suddenly revealed a secret, it had been holding just for her. A tiny smile spread across her cheeks, her whole body stilling in pure wonder.
In that moment, something inside me softened too. The rush of the season, the deadlines, the emails, the mental lists – everything melted away. Her delight lit a spark in me. A reminder that joy is often found in the simplest of moments… if only we pause long enough to let them reach us.
It also reminded me that the sparks in our own lives are often just as quiet, just as tender – glimpses of meaning and purpose waiting to be noticed. And sometimes, we only remember those sparks when someone else reflects them back to us.
Lately, I’ve been paying attention to these “sparks” - the small, bright moments that reconnect us to meaning and remind us why we do what we do.
“Sometimes, we only remember those sparks when someone else reflects them back to us.”
Remembering what first lit you up
Your original spark leaves traces. Think back to the moment you felt pulled into your profession, the cause or idea that once stirred something passionate in you, the part of your work or life that used to feel meaningful.
For many women I mentor, reconnecting with an early memory – a first job, a first success, a first moment of feeling useful – reignites something powerful.
Our beginnings hold clues.
One spark came during a mentoring conversation. We were talking about purpose, pressure, and the quiet exhaustion that so many women carry, often unnoticed. And then something shifted. My mentee suddenly paused, her face softened, and she said, almost surprised by her own clarity: “I think I just remembered why I chose this path.”
In that instant, something lit up in her – and in me. It’s incredible how someone else’s moment of recognition can echo inside you, reigniting your own sense of meaning. I felt it – that warm, unmistakable spark: This is why I mentor. This is why I hold space for people. This is why purpose matters.
“That purpose had never left her - it was simply buried under fatigue and the relentlessness of care. When she named it again, there it was…”
Another experience came through a supervisee, a social worker who had been feeling exhausted and worn down. In one session, she unexpectedly reconnected with the reason she chose this path in the first place – to be a steady presence for people who felt unseen. That purpose had never left her - it was simply buried under fatigue and the relentlessness of care. When she named it again, there it was – the spark, glowing quietly, ready to guide her forward.
Another spark arrived in a far more personal way. My daughter watched me holding my granddaughter one afternoon – that soft, melt-your-heart smile only a six-month-old can give – and she quietly said: “Now I understand how much you loved us.”
Her words landed gently but deeply. It felt like a moment of healing, understanding, and connection that travelled across generations. A spark passed from mother to daughter, and now daughter to mother again. These are the moments that catch you off guard and illuminate something you didn’t even know needed light.
Sparks fade when life gets loud – not because they’re gone
Life is full – and not always softly. We all have seasons where the weight, responsibility, or sheer pace of everything makes us feel disconnected from the things that once lit us up. Not because we’ve failed, not because we’ve lost something essential. But because life gets loud.
It’s human to forget our spark. It’s human to feel far from it at times.
What matters is learning how to find our way back – with compassion, gentleness, and presence.
Finding your spark again
Here are a few ways to reconnect with what inspires and energises you – in work, in life, and in the moments in between:
1. Follow the moments that make you exhale
Not the big achievements – the small, grounding moments. A kind word. A shared laugh. A task that makes you lose track of time. Notice what softens you. Sparks often live there.
2. Ask yourself: What first drew me here?
To your work. Your profession. Your calling. Your relationships. Revisit the “why” behind the path you’re on. Often, it’s still alive inside you – just waiting for room to breathe.
3. Let others remind you
Sometimes our spark is reflected back through someone else’s eyes: a colleague who tells you how your support made a difference; a client whose progress reaffirms your purpose; a child mesmerised by Christmas lights. Purpose doesn’t always rise from within; sometimes it arrives as a gift.
4. Create gentle space for joy
Not forced positivity. Just space. A walk. A pause. A quiet cup of something warm. Room for noticing – because noticing is often the doorway to rediscovering what lights you up.
5. Create one small moment of light
Sparks don’t need fireworks. Sometimes all you need is a quiet pause, a meaningful question, a breath of perspective, five minutes doing something you once loved. Small actions create openings. Openings let in light.
In invitation from Natalie…
As we move through this sparkly season – lights on trees, candles in windows, warmth in cold air – perhaps it’s a gentle reminder that your inner light deserves attention too.
If you feel called, here are some questions to carry with you into the coming weeks:
What still sparks something in you?
What softens you?
What makes your inner light flicker just a little brighter?
Your spark might be quieter than it used to be – but it’s still there. It always is. Sometimes all it needs is your attention.
May this season help you find it again.
With warmth,
Natalie Kenely
About the author
Hi, I’m Natalie - a social worker by profession, a senior lecturer by trade, a writer by passion, and most recently, a grandmother (which might be my favourite title yet). I work in the world of emotional intelligence, not from a distance but from within it - through lived experience, professional practice, and everyday moments that continue to teach me. Thanks for reading - I’m glad you’re here.
You can follow Natalie Kenely on LinkedIn.
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