Man Walks of Fire with Scott Goodknight 2008
Some people have done it for religious reasons, others to celebrate certain rites of passage or initiation into manhood. Others have done it to prove to themselves and others that the impossible is possible when you get into the right mindset and take fearless action.
Whatever the reasons, one thing is for sure: Firewalking is an extreme activity which can result in serious injury if not done properly. And its an excellent metaphor for success and failure in life.
What is the main factor that makes a successful firewalk and can it be translated into real life benefits?
Some people believe its simple physics, that the foot doesn’t touch the surface of the hot coals long enough to conduct heat and cause burns.
Others say its some sort of biochemical phenomenon that happens in the body milliseconds before the foot touches the hot coals. They believe the body somehow creates a barrier or circulates heat at a super rapid rate which prevents injury.
Others believe that some sort of supernatural force comes to aid them (from within or without) and this “force” provides a protective barrier between the feet and the coals.
Whats my belief?
I have been firwalking since 1996 and teaching others (hundreds of people) for almost 5 years professionally and I can tell you without a doubt that….
All of them are right!
“Whether you think you can or you think you can’t…you’re right.” ~Henry Ford
Think about it, did you catch the common factor in ALL of the explanations? Its BELIEF.
No one in their right mind would dare step on a hot bed of coals if they actually BELIEVED they would be seriously injured!
So, the real magic is belief or faith.
When we believe we free our mind and body to take the action we need to take. Whether its walking on hot coals, jumping out of an airplane at 15,000 feet or making a sales call or starting a business.
Whats the enemy?
You know what it is…. IT IS FEAR.
Fear causes us to hesitate, doubt, miscalculate and this can be very dangerous on a hot bed of coals. You can easily burn yourself if you step too hard or move the wrong way. Fear causes people to do this. I have seen it dozens of times!
I have also seen a complete novice who jumped out of a crowd with no training walk safely across a bed of coals because they didn’t know any better. They had faith and they walked confidently. I have seen experienced firewalkers burn themselves when they got too cocky OR they started “over thinking” the process. (I know you NEVER do that right? lol)
Its simple. The common element of a successful firewalking experience is belief, the common element in an unsuccessful firewalk is Fear.
How is that like life? It doesn’t take a genius to figure out how hesitating, procrastinating or becoming frozen with fear will KILL your chances of success in sales, business, relationships, health and fitness. Fear is the root of all negative emotions including pride, anger, jealousy, apathy, depression and shame. Fear is the Mind Killer.
The interesting thing about Firewalking and other extreme activities is that they are directly linked with what the world renown psychologist Abraham Maslow called “Peak Experiences”
Maslow studied the most successful people in the world, people he called “Self Actualized” and he found that they had 15 common traits. One of them was that they consistently sought out these “Peak Experiences”
It seems the smartest people on the planet instinctively KNOW that Fear breeds mediocrity and faith or belief fosters success.
If you would like to experience the Firewalk or other “Peak Experiences” I would like to invite you to join our adventure club at www.breakyourfear.com or join us at the next firewalk on Feb 25th 2012.
To reserve your spot now click here:
