If you’re like most people, you probably have self-help books on your shelf that you will read “some day” or that you started reading but didn’t read all the way through. If you’re one of the lucky few who finished these books, you probably can’t remember the top 3 tips from each book (or from your top 3 books) even if your life depended on it.

Why the Book Ignite the Light is Special

Let me tell you that when you read Vicki Savini’s book Ignite the Light: Empowering Children and Adults to Be Their Absolute Best, you will be able to name at least 3 tips for years to come. Why? Because you’ll probably will be doing them in your daily life. She has that type of effect. Perhaps you have heard some of the advice that she offers from someone else but never applied it. Hearing it from her, though, and reading about how self-nurturing, soothing, loving and beneficial it is to apply her tools, will make you want to jump on this Ignite the Light bandwagon. The subtitle clearly explains why. Many of us say that we want to be our absolute best, but it takes internal work and internal love to prove that you really are your absolute best. Why? Because you are the one that needs the most convincing. You are the one who needs to hear my favorite message from the book: that you are important. It doesn’t give a hoot what a great person other people think you are. You are important WITHOUT their validation of your importance and without their validation period. You see, that’s something that Vicki does exceptionally well. She makes it clear that the reason most of us were “messed up” and sometimes continue to be messed up is because we continue to look OUTSIDE ourselves for validation.

For how much longer do we have to keep on looking outside ourselves to notice that that nobody “out there” is going to light our path permanently?

They will help, sure. But they won’t be infallible forever. Heck, they won’t be around forever. How much longer will this ineffective, painful, and vicious cycle go on? This is an extremely important question to ask ourselves because we almost inevitably get hurt every time we expect someone to give us the love, worth and importance that we need to be giving ourselves. We become codependent. We become skeptical of ourselves to the point that it paralyzes us. It hurts so much that we try to numb it– but never actually do. We become physically unhealthy because of this. And this shuts us down emotionally. It dims our light to live like this. It really, truly, sadly, does.

My Favorite Technique In the Book Ignite the Light

My favorite technique that Vicki teaches children from a very young age, is to verbally state what they’re good at/what makes them special and give them random and frequent opportunities for them to be able to do so. Imagine what this type of self-appreciation and confidence can do for the world? If a lot of children do this, there won’t be many adults in the future wondering what to do with their life. This is HUGE! Believe it or not, that continues to be the monster inside many successful people’s heads… they often wonder “who am I to be doing this and getting paid for this?” because they don’t think that they’re enough or that their self-worth is up to par with the contributions that life has lovingly allowed them to make.

As Parents and Caregivers You Are the Best Person to Ignite the Light After You Do Some Work On Your Present and Past

Do you know of someone who thinks that teachers should educate a student completely… manners and all? Or are you one of those people? I don’t recommend that you defer parenting to anyone else. But if you were to make that “mistake” I would highly hope that Vicki Savini is your child’s teacher (but then again, Vicki would only be able to “educate” your child for one year). What I love about Vicki the most is that she teaches what matters. When was such and such a war in history? Who cares!!?? Really! Why the heck does it matter now? But learning the answer to:  how can we manage our own internal war, or internal struggle? NOW we’re talking. Thankfully, this book can help you feel emotionally prepared to take on the huge responsibility of parenthood into your own, capable and loving hands.

Why I Recommend This Book

Vicki, given her extended empathy in working on herself, including her imperfect childhood, and her wounded inner child (something that most of us can relate to)… has been able to work with children extensively, effectively, efficiently and in life-altering ways. I could write much more about why I recommend Ignite the Light: Empowering Children and Adults to Be Their Absolute Best but I’ll try to synthesize in the following points as to why you should read the book and try to convince parents and child caregivers (beg if you need to 😉 ) to read this book.

• She is one of the few people I know who absolutely loves who she is at the core and can therefore give back in life-changing ways to students in her classroom and camp, parents, caregivers and her readers
• She is an elementary teacher, so how she finds the time and energy to do her regular job, fight for the injustices in the educational system currently (which are a lot), go against the flow of traditional public education and teach empowerment the way she does, and be emotionally and professionally available for the parents and children she comes to contact with is something that I truly bow down to. WOW! Truly inspirational. I hope she has been Teacher of the Year at some point because there are former HS students that continue to remember her with immense appreciation. But then again, external validation doesn’t matter. 😉
• Despite her greatness she is very human and very relatable, which makes the book an easy and enjoyable read
• She knows how to forgive in a way that makes you reconsider your own capability to forgive
• She is thankful for the past that she had despite the downsides
• She is thankful for the current life that she has despite the downsides
• She is generous in the tools that she shares even though I KNOW that she must know a whole lot more. I especially like how the back of the book is a good reference section of tools that you can easily access.
• She encourages children to be empathic— imagine what a difference that can make
• She encourages children to make choices— to empower their sense of self and strengthen their gift of choice. Even if a child makes “the wrong” choice, she teaches us how we can approach this situation in a non-judgmental way that encourages learning from the experience instead of perpetual condemnation.
• She encourages children to collaborate and problem-solve as a community
• She encourages children to express how they feel effectively with “I am statements”
• She respects children to either talk or not talk about their issues, and honors their choice to live through their issues in a way that works for them.
• One of the greatest signs to me of how wonderful a person is, is by how wonderful their children are. And Vicki’s son, Nico, is so emotionally intelligent and aware that it speaks very highly of Vicki. In fact, his light and Vicki’s light are part of a beautiful, connected, luminous chandelier…. or better yet, a candelabra… since they fit perfectly together.
• I found many Tweetables (phrases that I’d like to Tweet ) since many of Vicki’s messages were poignant and beautifully stated.
• I love the fact that she uses her intuition… since this is an extremely important natural-born asset that we all have and should apply more often in a world that encourages us through all the media and technology to look outside of ourselves for answers and fulfillment instead of inside.

One downside of the book is that there was a bit of repetition with some of the tools. They were mentioned in narration and then in the back of the book to a substantial degree. It would be better for the flow of the book, if the tips were more streamlined. But even the repetition helps internalize the concepts. This is a wonderful book to read if you believe in the potential of a better world, and a better future.

I received this book from Hay House for review purposes.

It’s Your Turn to Share Your Wisdom Treasures

Please leave a comment below answering any of the following questions that you’d like.

• Have you read Ignite the Light? If so, what did you like about the book?
• What book do you recommend that has the potential to improve the world? Why do you recommend that book?
• What do you think that children need the most nowadays?
• What do you think adults need the most currently?