Roles

Throughout this site, the term “role” refers to the different parts we play in different situations. Our motivations, our goals, even our behavior can vary greatly depending on the role we play. In the Pilot Fire Simple System for Everything, designing a balanced, passionate life depends on learning about our roles and tuning them for our unique skills and interests. The power comes from understanding why we do what we do, pursuing what it means to be our best, and finding people who support us through their modeling, honest feedback, inspiration, collaboration, and love, especially when we fail.

Every decision, goal, every plan, every action we take is enhanced by our understanding of our roles.

As we grow in our roles, they become very powerful and help us:

Focus on what is most important in every situation.
Develop deep skills in areas that matter most.
Achieve goals that give us purpose.
Feel better about who we are and why we make certain decisions.
Stay motivated.

To get started, try this simple exercise.

Don’t Forget to Pray for the Angels

I‘m kind of a dimwit when it comes to angels. I gave them up a few years back, but apparently they didn’t give up on me. A recent visitation reminded me not to do that again. I’m not exactly clear how to work with angels so this week’s tincture may appear cloudy and smell clumsily

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She’s a Mutant

I now know the butterfly designs that decorate her hands and arms. To me they’re beautiful. She hides them and doesn’t mention them, so it’s a while before I actually see them. I try to imagine what scientists tell her, that instead of opening when she stands, the blood vessels around her heart squeeze tight.

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Good Neighbors Make Good Fences. What?

I move into a new place in a couple weeks, one where I share maintenance responsibilities of the property with the two other co-owners who will live in the flats above me. Living on the ground floor I get exclusive use of the garden in the back, and it’s my responsibility to replace the fence

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The Role That Feeds All Others: The Stoker

In the story The Little Engine That Could, children are taught that obstacles can be overcome with willpower, optimism, and hard work. As the plot goes, when larger engines refuse to carry a long train to its destination, The Little Engine volunteers and (spoiler) through sheer determination and an onomatopoetic chant gets the job done. What isn’t mentioned is that

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Embrace Many Identities; Be One Self

When you divide your life into different roles, do you lose sight of your Self? Maybe, and I suggest that during the time it takes to understand your different roles, losing your Self could be a good thing. If you are trying to make a big change, clinging to the story you tell yourself about

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How to Deal with A-Holes

In pursuit of your aspirations, you will invariably run into humans who embrace their roles as Naysayers, Cynics, and A-Holes. These people have sided with Resistance† and as a result will do their best to thwart your efforts to do anything worthwhile or difficult. It’s very important to train for conflict with these creatures of

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Plan a Passionate Life (Part Two)

Is there someone you can point to who obviously leads a passionate life? By passionate, I don’t mean emotional or wild or loud, even though passion can sometimes be emotional or wild or loud. (It’s more often quiet and calm.) By passionate I’m referring to what I’ve written before: “A passionate life is what happens

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Farewell Zeus

Cronus knew he was destined to be killed by his son, so as his children were born, he swallowed them up. Apparently this upset their mother, so before he could eat the last one, she switched the soft squishy baby with a rock, which Cronus gobbled up without notice. Too bad for him. That baby,

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Calling It Evil Doesn’t Make It Disappear, Does It?

Zwarte Piet sits on the dirt floor listening up at the hole that was cut through the black ceiling and served as a chimney. The two ravens feign a quarrel, avoiding their share of the work. It’s an interesting job, he admits, being responsible for gauging the state of humanity, but tidings of new guidelines make him

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The One Thing That Can Reverse Chaos

Normally, I try not to should on people, but this time I’m going to should big, right here at the beginning of this short article. Here goes, with emphasis: You should be an Active Citizen. At a time when governments are misbehaving in countless ways, when the giant media outlets offer few means to understand

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