The Flame That Won’t Go Out
Updated: 5 days ago
Good morning, Beasts.
I'm Jayne Smythe, a coach and trainer at SalesBEAST, writing to you from a Florida porch after a sunrise run and ten quiet minutes on my yoga mat. I also run the recipes in my kitchen here on the site, so if you've ever made one of my weeknight dinners, we've already met. Some Mondays it's me, some Mondays it's Richard, the coach everybody wishes they'd had early on, the one who takes a big feeling and turns it into an actual plan. And sometimes it's both of us. This week it's me.
A warm wish first
To our Jewish friends and fellow Beasts celebrating Hanukkah this week: happy Hanukkah, and may your home be bright.
For anyone less familiar, here's the short version. Hanukkah marks the rededication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem after a hard fought stand for spiritual freedom. Tradition tells of a small jar of pure oil, enough for one day, that burned for eight nights. At its heart, it's a story of resilience under pressure and faith that stretches limited fuel.
Whatever traditions fill your December, there's a lesson in that jar for all of us. This isn't a holiday post so much as a blueprint.
A small jar, a long burn
Some days your time, your energy, or your pipeline feels like that jar. Not enough. I know the feeling.
The lesson isn't to wait for more oil. It's management. Protect the flame. Cut the leaks. Aim your heat where it matters. Thin fuel with clear focus beats a full tank sprayed in every direction.
Rededication is a decision
They cleansed and recommitted the Temple. You can cleanse and recommit your standards. Clear the calendar of the nonessential, your mind of the noise, your desk of the drift.
Draw one bright line: what serves the mission stays, and what dims the flame goes. That's not a mood. It's a decision, and you get to make it on an ordinary Monday.
Light attracts, and light instructs
A candle in a window doesn't shout. It guides. Let your consistency be visible enough that someone else can follow the path. Quiet excellence is the billboard. Integrity is the wattage. When the room goes dark, be the one who doesn't flicker.
Richard is like this, by the way. He'd never say it about himself, so I will. On a rough week, he's the one quietly fixing the thing nobody else noticed was broken, and somehow the whole team steadies around him.
The helper flame
On the menorah there's a helper candle, the shamash, whose job is to light the others. Be that for your team. Share a script, pass along a lead, offer a calm word before the big call. Leadership isn't volume. It's transfer: your fire igniting theirs.
Faith picks the direction. Resilience keeps you moving when the results are slow to show up. One without the other is a spark in the wind. Together, they turn ordinary days into momentum.
What can you do right now?
Choose one standard to rededicate this week. That's your flame.
Write it on a card in plain language and put it where you'll see it.
Remove one distraction that steals heat from it. Just one.
Light someone else's wick: share a resource, send a sincere thank you, or make a helpful introduction.
At the end of the day, ask yourself if the flame is still burning. If it flickered, relight it tomorrow. That's the whole practice.
Tape this up where you'll see it:
I am the keeper of the flame. I don't chase sparks; I build light. I rededicate when pressure rises. I protect my standards and I finish what I start.
Before you go
If this warmed you up a little, tap the heart. Share it with someone who's been running on a small jar lately and could use a reminder that it's enough. And follow SalesBEAST so you never miss a Monday from Richard or me.
Holiday weeks are busy, so my kitchen is full of quick, real food that gets everyone to the table without the stress. Visit Jayne's Kitchen
Tell me in the comments: what standard are you rededicating this week?
That's Beast Mode.
Jayne
Comments