See Past Obstacles

Through a shift in perception, you can discover the mysterious paradox that effortlessness, stimulated by focused intention, has more power than force. This applies not only to the following exercises, but also to dealing with other challenges in life.

The Transformative Power of the Firewalk

The firewalk is an amazing tool for personal transformation.   It can help you experience available potential and abilities. Some are interested in firewalking to make personal changes in their lives, feeling that walking across burning coals could help manifest their desires. By shifting perspective and focusing on being at one with the energy of the fire, they are able to walk across hot coals without getting burned. An engineer describes it as a “mind-bending experience”. She taps into the energy of the firewalk during difficult life situations. “The firewalk taught me that anything is possible.”

A Leap of Faith

At the age of sixty-one, Sam Keen, Harvard Divinity School graduate and consulting editor for “Psychology Today” magazine, chose to learn trapeze to fulfill a dream of flying. In his book, “Learning to Fly,” Keen uses trapeze training as a context in which to discuss his spiritual perspectives. Flight metaphors flourish as he writes about overcoming fear, dealing with risk, and the possibility of injury or death. It seems that he is not interested in the mastery of trapeze. He comments, the miracle isn’t in how well he does it, but that he is doing it at all.

Keep the Miracle Alive!

When you do something which you previously thought impossible, you can break through barriers in other areas of life. Although you might have remarkable experiences, whether or not they become transformative is not a given, but a choice. Miracles can be forgotten and taken for granted, or they can be kept foremost in your mind. It’s a matter of giving it attention!

Go Beyond the Familiar

Whatever activity you choose to help challenge your fears and build your courage—choose it with care. Whether it’s climbing Everest, repelling down steep cliffs, scuba diving, whitewater rafting, or running a marathon—push your limits, but be smart in the process. You don’t need to risk your life or risk serious injury for the sake of personal growth.

Have a Plan

When I skydive, I prepare myself for the jump by having a plan beforehand.  Many years ago I took time off from skydiving due to a dislocated shoulder injury (acquired through skydiving :P).  After a couple of years off from jumping, I finally decided to go back.  I remember thinking, “What if my shoulder comes out (becomes dislocated) while I’m thousands of feet from the ground?”

To say the least, I was a bit uneasy about jumping again at 11,000 feet with a bum shoulder that had popped out a number of times since the first time.  I remember thinking, “What was going to happen this time?”

I decided to plan ahead.  I ran a plan through my mind based on the worse case scenario.  And miraculously enough, it worked.  Yes, the worse case scenario actually happened.

Let me set the stage.  One, I am an amateur skydiver, and I hadn’t jumped in a couple years.  So, to say the least I was on the edgy side.

The wind rushed in as the door opened to our tiny Cessna airplane. To be honest, I really didn’t think there were going to be any problems to deal with as all three of us exited the plane together.  At first everything seemed fine as we were free-falling at 120 mph.  I felt good.  Then something began to happen in the left shoulder region—the shoulder.

I could feel the shoulder slowly pulling out of its socket as we freefell.  Suddenly it occurred to me that when I pulled my chute, the pain from the shock of the chute opening would probably be excruciating to the point of me passing out.  So I grabbed the ripcord and pulled it as fast as I could and then grabbed my dislocated shoulder to brace it from the impact of the parachute stopping me suddenly.

Long story short, after the chute opened I managed to use one arm to maneuver the chute well enough to the ground without further injury to myself.

If you are really afraid to do something, make a plan.  It will do three things for you:

1. It will give you a feeling of control over your fear and the situation.
2. You will no longer feel immobilized.  Action feels great.
3. You will be able to overcome any obstacles or see that maybe it is not a good idea to take on the challenge after all.

Remember, you are only as powerful as you allow yourself to be.  Many times the most difficult part of any endeavor is taking the first step.  If it feels like a good decision, chances are it is.