THE BOLD (on Light Signatures):
“Who am I to make such a difference?” you ask. “How are my meager resources going to impact the world?” A trip to a lighthouse reminded me that we don’t have to rely solely on the strength of our pilot light. There are resources to clarify, amplify and focus our personal reserves in order to extend our reach and brighten our contribution.
The Whisper (an Illumination):
This is the Cape Henry Lighthouse of 1881. It stands at a bend in the coastline along the oceanfront in Virginia Beach, Virginia. We visited this beautiful sentinel and it’s even older sibling, the 1792 Cape Henry Lighthouse, on our vacation this Summer. We piled out of the car on a clear, sunny afternoon, paid our admission and climbed the 191 steps to the top of the older structure.
You can see the burnt umber wall of the tower we climbed on the left in the photo.
In the tiny gift shop and visitor center, there is a small case with images and artifacts that speak about the impressive history of the first public works project built by the fledgling United States. On a bottom shelf, there was an unimpressive looking part–a 1000 watt halogen light bulb. The whole unit is maybe five inches high and four inches wide, with a three-inch bulb protruding from a plastic and metal base. This light, tiny as it is, is the mechanism that guides ships along the coast at Cape Henry.
How can a 3-inch lightbulb that is only about 10 times the strength of a household lamp send a beam of light 18 miles out to sea? The light bulb sits inside a lens, a series of louver cut glass prisms, that surround this tiny bulb and amplify its light into a targeted, focused ray that pierces the gloom and warns passing ships of the dangers of a coastline that takes what might be an unexpected turn.
It struck me that we sometimes feel like that little lamp. How can a human being, with the strength of, well, one ordinary person, hope to address a daunting challenge or create a useful solution that impacts the lives of other people?
How can we, with our small inner lamp of who we are and what we have learned, hope to pierce the gloom all by ourselves?
We can’t.
That halogen lamp would not be able to perform its useful function without maintenance, amplification, and assistance. We are similarly designed.
Loving Care
The light must be maintained. If the lighthouse keeper failed to clean the lens and the windows, the light would be obscured behind a hazy layer of salty film.
We must be maintained. If we do not tend to the needs of our bodies, our spirits, our relationships and our minds, our spark will be obscured behind a layer of lethargy and restlessness. Often, we neglect the work and pleasure of maintenance in a misguided attempt to press on with the work.
Engineered for Function
The lens that is used must be crafted to provide the correct amplification and focus. Without the careful engineering that produced the perfect cuts and angles of the prisms, the light would be reflected in a haphazard way and never reach it’s 18-mile destination.
We must continue to grow in useful ways that allow our natural talents and our learned skills to be honed and focused for use. No learning is ever wasted. However, targeted learning can help us realize our goals more efficiently and effectively.
Line of Sight
The light must have unobscured access to the sea. If the lighthouse is too short or is surrounded by larger structures, the light will not be able to project where its message is needed.
If we do not remove or rise above the obstacles in our own personal landscape, the efforts we make will not be transmitted to the people who need the work that we are performing. In a cluttered world, we are often frustrated because the beam of our contribution lands on walls built too high and too close. Sadly, we often build these walls ourselves or participate in their construction.
Light Signature
The light must be calibrated. Did you know that lighthouse beams are designed to blink or flash in predictable patterns in order to allow a navigator to identify the light in the dark? The light signature of the beam allows the tiny halogen to transmit its identity in the dark.
Human calibration is integrity. A whole and undivided person, who reflects in outward demeanor, attitudes, and actions what is glowing internally, is authentically calibrated. They will know us by our patterns.
Where Does your Light Need to Shine?
As a coach, I see myself in the role of the lighthouse keeper in this story. My clients have decided the life that they have lived to this point is not calibrated to their light signature. I help them polish their lens, engineer their prisms, remove their obstacles and calibrate their life to emit their special pattern of light. In that, I am shining my own light out to sea.
Lessons from a Lighthouse
A lighthouse sends a beam of light 18 miles out to sea because a tiny halogen lamp is amplified by an artfully engineered lens of prisms. The maintenance of the lighthouse, the location of the light and the calibration of the light signature all ensure that ships rounding a bend in the coastline can benefit from the life-saving work of the lighthouse.
A person makes an impact on the world when their spark is maintained, groomed, nurtured and freed from obstructions. We nurture our minds, hearts, bodies and relationships to build capacity for the challenges and opportunities to come. By overcoming our obstacles, we remove that which will obscure or block our gifts. We are calibrated by integrity and when we are whole and undivided in ourselves, we can do our authentic work with panache.
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