Fire That Lights But Doesn’t Burn: Lessons in Boldness from a Chilean Poet
The Elqui Valley in Chile is one of the most beautiful places I've been. Nestled in the Andes mountains with endless vineyards producing wine and world-class pisco, it's also the place where the Chilean side of my family comes from.
It's magical there. You can see the Milky Way with the naked eye and drink pure glacial water straight from the Elqui river. During my visit, I explored the museum of a distant relative of mine - the poet and Nobel Prize winner in literature, Gabriela Mistral.
Her story fascinates me. She started off as a teacher in a rural school and just sent her poems to local papers, then to national papers, becoming a national and then international sensation.
Gabriela Mistral served as Chile's cultural ambassador and consul in countries like Mexico, Spain, and the U.S., using her influence to advocate for the vulnerable—especially children and the poor. Her impact was recognized globally: she received honorary degrees from Columbia University and the University of California, among others. In 1945, she became the first Latin American to win the Nobel Prize in Literature, celebrated for a body of work that gave voice to love, loss, and the soul of a continent.
One of her poems that really struck me was "The Teacher's Prayer":
Lord, you who taught, forgive me
that I teach with my own words and not Yours.
Make me strong in my patience and gentle in my discipline.
Let me be the flame that lights but does not burn.
Learning more about her journey, three lessons strike me as relevant to my life and perhaps valuable to you too:
1. Don't let your perceived humble circumstances keep you from sharing your work boldly with the world. Gabriela didn't wait for the perfect conditions - she just started putting her work out there.
2. Wherever you go, never forget where you came from and give generously to those in need. Despite her global success, she never forgot her roots.
3. Transcending yourself is the ultimate expression of the divine fire within your soul. You'll never discover that experience unless you dare greatly.
Speaking of daring greatly, this is probably the last webinar I'll do on Anti-Fragility: how to thrive through times of change and hardship.
If you're interested in learning practical ways to build resilience and grow stronger through challenges - just as Gabriela did throughout her life - join me on March 26th at Noon CST.
Want a taste of what we'll discuss? Check out my latest guest appearance on the Ryan Henley Show where we dive into some of these concepts:
The journey from where you are to where you could be begins with a single bold step. Hope to see you at the webinar.