I’m a bit of a history buff. Always have been.

There’s just something about learning about the past that I love. The stories. The people. The decisions. The consequences. And how so much of what we do today is shaped by what came before.

Take the Great Fire of London, for example. September 1666. A small fire breaks out in a bakery on Pudding Lane. No big deal at first, but within hours, it becomes a full-blown inferno.

London back then was made up of narrow streets and timber-framed houses packed in right next to one another. Once the flames took hold, they didn’t stand a chance. Over four days, the fire destroyed over 13,000 homes, 87 churches, and dozens of public buildings – including St. Paul’s Cathedral. An estimated 70,000 people lost their homes, and the death toll is unknown, well, debated…with numbers between 6 to 100s of people thought to have lost their lives. 

It was tragic. Terrible. Awful. But here’s the part most people miss… That fire – despite the destruction – was also the beginning of something better. It forced the city to rebuild. Wiser. Stronger. Smarter. Out went the narrow alleys and flammable materials. In came wider streets, brick buildings, and the first real building regulations in England. Some even believe the fire helped wipe out the plague by cleansing parts of the city that had been infested with rats and disease. It was a turning point. One of those rare moments where catastrophe clears the slate.

Funny how often progress comes after everything falls apart, isn’t it? We tend to resist change when things are ticking along okay. But when the pressure’s on – when we’re forced to stop and rethink – that’s when real breakthroughs often happen. Whether it’s a lost client, a failed project, or a hire gone wrong – those tough moments can end up being the spark for something much better. And in my experience, it’s the ones who lean into the challenge that come out stronger.

So here’s my question for you this week… What’s your “Great Fire”? That moment where everything seemed to go wrong – but looking back, it pushed you to do things differently? Let me know – I’d love to hear your story.