• Steven Frank
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Wind & Fire

Will your career ambitions be driven or extinguished by the wind?

According to the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC), which reports on wildfires across the United States every weekday, on July 11, 2022: “Currently 73 large fires and complexes have burned 2,805,239 acres in 10 states. Alaska continues to be the busiest state, with 56 large fires and complexes that have burned 2.6 million acres.” I personally find it difficult to comprehend the vastness of these fires and the destruction they cause. I witnessed small-scale wildfires that were quite destructive—killing livestock, obliterating crops, and destroying homes and other structures on the surrounding farms and ranches—in the rural Midwest many years ago. Yet, those pale in comparison to the wildfires that I have seen reported on in much of the west over just the past few years. Among the many functions the NIFC performs, the Predictive Services group uses data from many sources to “provide decision support information needed to be more proactive in anticipating significant fire activity and determining resource allocation needs.” This includes analyzing fire danger (based on “fuel models” with data related to the combustible material, moisture levels, etc.) and weather data and then creating forecasts that are critical for fire managers. Today’s report includes this statement: “Gusty northerly winds will develop in portions of Alaska, including southwest and south-central Alaska.” Why is this significant? Clearly, we know that wind can be a major factor in how quickly a wildfire spreads and the direction of the spread, among other effects. Fires can be classified as “wind-driven,” which is defined as “any fire at which the effect of the wind is causing an abnormal acceleration or spread.” What about a flame, like that of a candle or match? What effect does wind have on that? Ah, yes. The effect of wind on a flame is very different from a fire. “Poof,” and the flame is extinguished. There might be a trail of smoke for a minute, but the fire is gone. Vanished. When it comes to our career ambitions—any pursuit in life, really—are they “wind-driven,” or are they likely to be extinguished by the wind? Even raging wildfires often start from a spark or flame from a carelessly thrown match. Not from a big bang or an instant explosion. Likewise, our ambitions often start with just a spark. It is on us to feed those with “combustible material” and create an environment in which this spark grows in and with us and can be driven into a raging, not-easily extinguishable fire. We will encounter “winds of change” and other sudden gusts that can be obstacles, challenges, and circumstances we did not anticipate. Rather than stopping us in our tracks, we need to find ways to use these as inspiration and motivation to drive us forward. We may need to replan, make some adjustments, or refocus our efforts, but we can always learn and grow from these, using them to “fan the flames” of our ambitions rather than put them out. At Ortulum Digital Consulting Inc., we have decades of experience not only growing our own ambitions, but also coaching and mentoring others in various stages of their careers to work with the winds of change and sudden gusts to learn, grow, and continue moving forward. Schedule a free 30-minute discovery call with us to talk to us about how we can help you.

And now for a backstory…

In my late high school and early college years, I was in a rock band. Of sorts anyway. One of the songs I wrote that we recorded is entitled, “Wind & Fire.” The song is a fictitious story about “a man I used to know” and the conversations I had with him. It came from something that had struck me then and had a degree of meaning to me, but it’s been something that I have often reflected on and has become more meaningful to me since. In the song, the story, something that this man “said almost every day” was: “The wind can blow out a flame, but it can’t blow out a fire.” To me, this came from the idea that wind, or even just a breath of air, could extinguish a flame, like that of a match or candle, yet strong winds would only accelerate a fire. Like the bellows used to help grow the fire in a fireplace. Or “fanning the flames” of a campfire to keep it going. Winds driving a wildfire. Here are the full lyrics:

Wind & Fire
Written by Steven P. Frank


Thinking back to a time long ago
Remembering a man I used to know
The things he used to say to me
Bring back memories I now see

He would tell me how it was
He never said it was just because
Always reasons for what was done
Everything had a purpose under the sun

I’ll never forget the look in his eye
As he stared into the dark night sky
I wondered what was on his mind
Or what it was he was hoping to find

Arms crossed, he let out a little sigh
He looked down and closed his eyes
Slowly leaning back, he’d look my way
Then take a deep breath and say…

(CHORUS)
The wind can blow out a flame
But it can’t blow out a fire
The wind can blow out a flame
But it won’t blow out your fire
No, it can’t blow out your fire

What he meant, I may never full see
But whatever he says, I will believe
He never spoke what he didn’t know
To him that was the status quo

If I can remember nothing else
This I will repeat to myself
He had many wise words to say
But this he said almost every day

(CHORUS)
The wind can blow out a flame
But it can’t blow out a fire
The wind can blow out a flame
But it won’t blow out your fire
No, it can’t blow out your fire

©1988 Steven P. Frank. All rights reserved.