Firefly: Our Beginnings
Most of you will know me through my individual work as Kirsty Maynor, but what many of you may not know is that I also run an international leadership development company with an amazing team of coaches. I started this business - called Firefly - in 2011, and today we work with senior leaders to help them deepen their impact and tackle a wide range of challenges. This is the story of how Firefly came to be.
In 2010, I was close to completing my Co-Active coach training with CTI and I knew that I wanted to build my own coaching business. Of course, one of the first questions was what to call it. In my quest to find the perfect name, I was struck by the following passage of a book I was reading:
“She is a firefly, this Linda. In Venice in the Middle Ages there was once a profession for a man called a codega - a fellow you hired to walk in front of you at night with a lit lantern, showing you the way, scaring off thieves and demons, bringing you confidence and protection through the dark streets. This is Linda - my temporary, special-order, travel-sized Venetian codega.”
I had it! My new business would be called Codega. Unfortunately, I quickly discovered there were already other businesses called Codega in the same space. So, I went back to the text and realised that in fact, Firefly was a much better name. Although at this point in my life I had never actually seen a firefly, I just knew the name was right.
Originally, Firefly was known as ‘Firefly Coaching’, because coaching was where I wanted to focus my attention. What I hadn’t foreseen was that coaching wouldn’t be the whole picture: instead, I found that my clients wanted me to bring all of my previous experience and skills to the business. So in 2012, The Firefly Group was born. I still hadn’t seen a single firefly…
In January 2013, I began the CTI co-active leader programme, which took me to North Carolina. For many reasons, I felt that I was being drawn there at this particular time in my life. What I didn’t know until May of the same year was that one of the reasons for this was because it would bring me face-to-face with fireflies - in the wild - for the first time in my life. At that moment, I knew with complete conviction that I’d chosen the perfect name: that The Firefly Group was who we are.
One magical night, I was in the base of a valley, completely surrounded by fireflies: there were thousands upon thousands of them, lighting up the whole space, flickering and sparkling. As I stood in perfect silence, in awe of this incredible sight, it struck me that one firefly on its own is not enough to create such an incredible impact. One firefly on its own is magical, but hundreds and thousands of fireflies are transformational. We need to grow, stretch, and expand our impact in order to reach out in a truly transformational way.
When I returned to the UK, my own coach encouraged me to investigate Firefly Medicine, and below is what I discovered about these incredible creatures. The universe pointed me in the right direction with the name and the core identity of my new business: I simply followed the path.
Firefly Medicine by Ted Andrews
“Fireflies, often called lightning bugs, are magical symbols of inspiration and hope. They are the promise of accomplishment through hope and efforts. They remind us that we have laid the appropriate groundwork and from it will spring great reward. In the traditional tarot, they would be associated with the Star card.
Fireflies are small beetles that give off light, usually from the hind end. They may light up while flying or while resting in vegetation. The blinking or flashing of the lights is performed for short periods, and each species has a distinct rhythm. For the most part, the flashing rhythm is performed to attract a mate, who responds with a corresponding rhythm. It is part of the mating ritual that will extend the life of the species. The males perform aerobatics, making light patterns that are answered by the females, each species producing its own characteristic recognition patterns. These patterns are remarkably precise. A male emits a pulse of light that, after an exact interval, is answered by a female of the same species. Only if the timing and response are correct will a male fly over to visit a female.
The larvae of the firefly are flattened, luminous, and segmented. They are usually called glow-worms. They are often a reminder of the inner star we are developing or the promise of the star that is on the horizon for us.
For those to whom the firefly appears, it is time to trust in your own rhythms--physical and spiritual. Our hopes will begin to manifest, and our ability to inspire will grow. Fireflies remind us that there are others who will respond to us and who are like us. They flash with similar creative rhythms. They will make their presence known soon, and they will make our life more creative and healthier.
Fireflies generate light without heat, a process of chemistry and physics that is still baffling to science. Whereas most electric bulbs waste 97% of their energy in heat, a firefly concentrates 90% of its effort into light. The glow emerging from so tiny an animal is sufficient to read a printed page, reflecting wonderful opportunities to make the seemingly impossible a reality, inspiring wonders that will be flickering and manifesting around us.
When the firefly appears is a wonderful time to jot down all of those creative ideas that are flickering in our mind through this time. We needn't worry about what to do with them now, for just by taking them out of the mental realm, their creative force is released into our life and they will provide inspiration that will affect us for a long time in the future.
The firefly looks ordinary during the day, but by night they sparkle, flickering like a star. They hold the promise of accomplishing our goals. Spiritual gifts are awakening. We are on the right path, and there are strong spiritual forces around us. When fireflies appear, people begin to reassess their former opinions and perspectives. We begin to shine and sparkle. Opportunities to fulfil dreams, to inspire wonder, and to awaken greater hope will begin to flicker strongly within our life.
The firefly can indicate a variety of mis-judgments or warn of their possibility, especially in dealing with those of the opposite sex. The female of one large predatory species has learned to mimic the female signals of a smaller species. When the eager males arrive, they are quickly eaten. It is important to be sure that those around us are not mimicking what is true rather than what we hope to hear. Or, we may be focusing upon the wrong path or perhaps we are working with the wrong people or socialising with a crowd that is not healthy for us. We may be letting others (through their negative opinions) prevent the success of our creative endeavours.
The firefly should also get us to take a look at our health habits, particularly at what we are eating. Adult fireflies eat very little. They have learned to generate and draw energy from around them for their purposes. It would be wise to examine what we are eating and how much because this affects our health and our spiritual creativity.
Remember that fireflies remind us that positive hope is a critical component to fulfilment and accomplishment.”
Thank you for being a Firefly.
