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At first glance, this title might insinuate that I’m smouldering mad about something. I’m actually not. I’m pretty happy 99% of the time.
The reference to heat is pretty spot-on, though, since we are amid a sweaty, sticky, rollercoaster of a summer. As you know, I enjoy Moon Lists, a monthly newsletter featuring writing prompts. True to form, the July prompt is Heat Waves, and the topic I chose to be inspired by is Act II, The Rolling Boil.
In case you were wondering, a rolling boil is a vigorous boiling state where large bubbles continuously rise to the surface of the liquid. This occurs when the temperature of the liquid reaches its boiling point, typically around 100°C (212°F) for water at sea level. Key characteristics include continuous bubbles and, unlike a gentle simmer, a rolling boil produces large bubbles that consistently break the surface.
This Moon Lists prompt is especially fitting for me because I am just entering a new “Act II” in July, and I am over the “moon” excited. This “Act II” is a new job–and it’s a good one.
More on that later 🙂
As I look back on my eclectic working career, I seem to run in fifteen-year cycles. I worked for one company from 1982 to 1996 and then left to work for another from 1996 to December 2011. In 2012, I left the traditional job world to pursue my dream of working with emerging and established authors, bloggers, and small businesses—helping them refine their manuscripts, overcome writer’s block, and develop actionable project plans. As I entered my 14th year of self-employment, I felt very strongly that it was time for a new adventure.
I know it sounds dramatic to say that the stars aligned and the angels sang, but that was really what it felt like when this new role came across my radar.
How does this relate to the ‘rolling boil of life’ prompt? I completely feel like I am in my “rolling boil era.” I think all of the struggles and challenges of the last three years have fueled (and cleared the way) for my next adventure. I could have given up and thrown in the hypothetical towel, but I had the sense that something was building and my simmer was about to turn to a rolling boil. And I was right.
The Power of the Rolling Boil of Life
You know the moment when the water doesn’t just simmer or bubble a little… it rumbles, it rises, it’s fully activated. That pot is no longer heating up—it’s ready for action.
At first, there’s just heat building beneath the surface. It’s not glamorous. It’s not exciting. It’s the early mornings, the late nights, the doubt, the quiet discipline when no one’s watching. You don’t see much happening, but the temperature is rising.
Then it starts to bubble. You feel progress. A little win. A breakthrough. Some clarity. But you’re not there yet. You’re still vulnerable to being turned down, cooled off, or distracted.
But then—🔥 boom! You hit the rolling boil. It’s not explosive. It’s not in-your-face. Think of it as a purposeful building of power and energy.
It’s the visual results that show you that your hard work and patience are building momentum, and you’re not “starting and stopping” anymore.
You’re flowing with power.
You are fully activated.
And here’s the key: you don’t reach a rolling boil by accident. It takes sustained energy, consistent effort, patience, and the willingness to stay in the heat long enough to transform.
Most people quit at the simmer because, let’s face it, heat is uncomfortable, and we humans are impatient.
But the rolling boil is the payoff, and it’s where the magic is. That’s where the pasta softens, the recipe changes, and the ingredients begin to blend and become a masterpiece.
It’s where you and I can become unstoppable.
So the next time you feel tired, uncertain, or tempted to walk away—
🔥 Stay in the heat.
🔥 Keep turning up your belief.
🔥 Keep stirring your purpose.
The Next Step
You’ve hit the boiling point and are ready for action. Now what?
- Research and explore.
- Listen to your gut.
- Map out your “moving forward” plan in detail, including every aspect.
- Then, act and implement
Here’s another fun fact: a byproduct of the boil is steam. Water boils at 211 degrees. At 212 degrees, it turns to steam. Steam can power a locomotive.
One degree difference. One degree between being just really hot, and being able to move machinery.
So what can YOU do to be that extra degree? Go to a networking function? Shut off the TV and read a book? Have lunch with a mentor? Try something new? Write down a To Do list that will get you to your dreams faster.
Stay in the rolling boil and POWER FORWARD.
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