LIGHT IT UP - What Does That Even Mean?

When you hear the phrase “light it up” what goes through your mind?  Does it bring the idea of lighting a cigarette to mind?  Maybe it’s the idea of lighting up the runway so a plane can take flight.  I like the second idea better.  For me, lighting a cigarette has never passed through my head when thinking about the phrase.  The phrase can have different meanings but when you break it down a bit it’s nothing but positive.  

Light has an antonym called darkness.  Which one of those is positive?  Obviously darkness always drags a negative connotation with it.  Light let’s us see.  Then there is the word up.  Up is always good.  Think about phrases like “lift someone up”,  “fall down seven, stand up eight”, or “Look up, not down”.  Heaven has always been referred to as being up.  That’s because “up” is up-lifting.  (Like what I did there?)  Finally you have the word “it”.  It is a word that substitutes for anything.  It’s like the universal pronoun.  When you don’t know if a dog or cat is a male or a female you may refer to the animal as it.  You can tag anything with “it”.  It is everything.  It is all that is around us.  It is the world.  I think you get where I am going here with the “Light It Up” now.  

Quite a few years back I was watching TV at my grandmas and I got caught on HBO as one movie finished and another was going to start.  A movie by the title of “Light It Up” was beginning.  The title got me curious and so I figured I’d watch a few minutes.  If you know me you know how I love movies.  No matter how dull or basic of a movie it is if I watch it for at least the first five minutes I’m likely to keep watching.  Yes, even those movies on Lifetime that I started watching because my mom had that channel on and I was too lazy to look for the remote (shaking my head).   

The movie is very underrated and you actually may have never heard of it.  The cast is however recognizable.  Forest Whitaker, Usher Raymond, Rosario Dawson, and Judd Nelson (He plays the beloved and caring teacher; some irony there after his role as the rebel/criminal in the Breakfast Club).  I don’t want to spoil the movie for you if it’s one up your alley but basically it’s about a group of kids from all different backgrounds and circumstances who decide to band together and protest for improvements to their school.  Things snowball and the group is faced against their backgrounds to try and hold it together to make things better.  Their everyday worlds are faced not only with the negativities and pressures of being an adolescent but also the rough situations they are trying to overcome to improve their lives.  The movie has a lot of similarities to the Breakfast club (probably why Nelson chose to be in it).  What the kids try to do is light up their own worlds and bring positive things to it.  When I saw the movie the first time I was young and hadn’t experienced probably a quarter of what I have experienced in life since.  However, I knew the title meant something powerful.  The title stuck and so did the concept.  

Throughout college I even printed a sign and posted it above my bedroom door as a reminder to stay positive.  I figured the only way to happiness was this way.  I thought it was a good idea because it was my version of “Play Like A Champion”, the sign that University of Notre Dame football players slap as they leave the locker room and head into the stadium.  Yes, I would even slap it whenever I went to go take a test or play in an intramural game.  I can still hear my friend Paul coming into my room before games and giving an exaggerated “Light it up baby! Woooo!”.  It was something so small but carried so much impact.  It was this corny idea that my naïve self had decided was worth living by.  That was it.  It was the youthful enthusiasm that was a spark.    

It was Paul, LeAnn, and I blasting “We Didn’t Start the Fire” by Billy Joel throughout the apartment and creating our own arm flailing dance to go with it.  (That dance has since appeared at multiple weddings.)  It was the yelling “Can you feel it?!” and beating your heart like Brian Dawkins in the Madden video game intro.  It was doing my best to embarrass myself along with my buddies as we party boied our Spanish professor to the tune of “Miami” by Will Smith.  It was energy!  It was passion!

Light it up simply became part of me whether I consciously knew it or not.  It is about bringing something good to the world in whatever form it may be.  Whether it was something as simple as a smile or holding a door open to something that required my time like bringing a consistent presence to someone’s life or working hard towards a far out goal or dream.  All things I consciously strived for.  At the time a lot of things were probably done with the idea of bettering myself and doing positive things that boosted my confidence and self-esteem.  I was trying to inspire myself.   

As great opportunities began to unfold in my life and one thing led to another I realized I had figured something out that not only could inspire myself but inspire many others too.  That’s where my flame began.  I could use my values and what makes me to make the lives around me better.  Light It Up was more than me.  What’s the point of a flame if it isn’t lighting someone’s path or warming someone else.  It was about inspiring positivity that could improve or change someone else’s day, year, or life. 

"A candle loses none of it's light by lighting another."

One of my favorite quotes of all time is, “A candle loses none of its light by lighting another.”  I have a light just like many others do.  We can all see much better when we have light.  The darkness that is around us in the world in many shapes and forms could always use a little light.  I figure if I can bring some light to the world then I can help light someone else’s candle and then maybe they can light another person’s candle.  It’s the Pay It Forward concept.  Those candles aren’t going to lose their light in the process.  With all that light the world can get a little bit better.  That light is about going for something that seems out of reach.  It’s striving for a better life.  It’s passion.  It’s dreams.  It’s hope.  It’s love.  

No matter how I try to word this opening piece in a perfect way it seems impossible to not come across deep. “Shit just got real,” as Will Smith says in the movie Bad Boys (warning: their will probably be a lot of movie quotes/references in this blog).  The idea is real.  I’m simply trying my best to make that idea become a reality.  It’s more than some emotion and thoughts in my head.  I want to break the barriers of masculinity and femininity.  Their may be things viewed as soft and feminine and their may also be things that are rough and masculine but neither takes away from the good of what it is and that’s the point.  Light it up is about relating to many and living with perspective.

Now my goal here is to deliver something to read (or maybe watch) that is inspiring, has energy, relates, maybe has some insight, and has some joy.  To light it up with words through youthfulness, charisma, positivity, and fun.  

I hope to draw on the many experiences I’ve been blessed with in life and the countless people who have provided me with some light and wisdom.  Without them I would not be where I am today or going where my future takes me.  I want to share my endeavors, goals, and dreams.  I wish for this blog to become more than my words.  I hope for others to weigh in on their insight and experiences.  It’s more than anything about me.  Everyone has a light to share.  This is a start and may be my way to bring light but it’s my dream to share the idea and hopefully see that idea turned to action.  Light as a verb means to ignite (ignite a fire of passion for a better life, a better world), to illuminate (illuminate a road of possibility for someone, even yourself), to guide or direct (guide someone to something better), or to enliven (enliven those around you with a smile).   All of those are examples of action, the action to light it up. 

With all of that being said I think the best way to end this piece is with a  :)

Light It Up,

Chad