Burn Baby Burn

It is not very often you meet someone who changes your life, completely. If you had told me 2 years ago that I would be walking over fire with 8000 other people and standing listening to a man talk for 50 hours I would have said you were crazy.

I didn't intend on changing my life in one definitive meeting, it all started with my interest in life coaching, and as a client of this invaluable service myself I was passionate about helping others become focused to achieve their goals and one of the ways to do this was train to deliver life coaching myself, increase my skills base and offer this unique wellness service to UP guests on their visit to the Algarve as I feel it is about Fitness for the Mind as well as the Body.

I started a Diploma in Personal Development Coaching, with the Coaching Academy, perfect for me living in the Algarve it allowed me to travel to the UK when I wanted and study at home. One of the reading recommendations from my own life coach was an Author named Anthony Robbins; the other delegates from the Coaching Academy also spoke passionately about him.

Tony’s claim is this, and having experienced it for myself I now know why... Whether you’re a housewife, a professional footballer, or the CEO of a multimillion-pound organisation. It is now those people who are truly living an extraordinary life—life on their terms—who know the answers to three things that we all think about, most days but we don't know how to put this into practice in our extraordinarily busy lives.

1. What do you really want?
2. What’s preventing you from having it?
3. How do you change your life now?

So I am sat there on Day 1 of the event knowing that the climax of the day is the Fire walk, but I am thinking this is impossible, 8000 people all doing it? It won’t be effective but it is part of this amazing day so I will enjoy it. Sooty toes and all.

I had fire walked before at a corporate team building and motivational week away, in the 90’s I knew I had achieved success in fire walking before and ultimately mastering my mind - I still allowed doubts creep in again, and who wouldn’t’ at 200 Fahrenheit and to see hot burning embers glowing at 10.30 pm on a cold March night.

No if that was the case none of us would have these issues instead we, you, I all of us are held back by so many things, spiders, money, confidence, anger you name it.

We need to change “state” by being aware of the following

1. Physiology - in other words how we use our physical body, breath, posture, and movement. e.g. If we went into the firewalk with our shoulders slouched and our body lethargic then we would get burnt. Instead create energy, get yourself psyched up and have the right posture.
2. Focus - it wasn’t just about changing our body and energy it was about focus, how many times have you tried not to think of something and it is literally all you can think about. SO the focus needs to be - walking across those hot coals knowing they won’t burn you and imagining that they are cold. That everything will be ok. You can bet I made sure that when walking across the scorchio coals I was thinking cool moss cool moss, not burn baby burn.
3. Words/Language - again if I use the words I think I will be ok, then that’s not going to cut it. I am going to get burnt tootsies, No its using the words such as Yes Yes, and no it’s not just positive thinking - its all about the energy you create within you.

BUT What about this - In order for us to put practical psychology into effect we must know:

• What stops us moving forward?
• What controls and determine the quality of our lives?
• Why do we do what we do?

THE MAIN ANSWER IS FEAR.

For e.g. Without getting heavy fear stops us applying for a new job in case we get rejected, not leaving a relationship in case we don’t meet any one again, not studying in case we fail the exams. And so if we can master fear and change our state by implementing the principles above and by walking on burning hot coals - then we begin to realise that fear is just our brains controlling us for the majority of time.

So I am queuing up ready to take my turn and I was nervous because even though it all makes sense I kinda like my feet pink and not crisp and covered in bandages. But I also rationalised that over a million people had walked in my shoes before (well bare feet) and if they could do it so could I. And so it began my heart was pounding, my pupils must have been like saucers as my eyes were wide and watching everyone else line up - I choose to be in the middle somewhere of the queue, 1 it was freezing outside about 1 degree, and 2 I wanted it done.

It went so quickly I kept my positive mantra going all the way through with the help of the others people and at the end I was overwhelmingly energised. I felt like I had won the lottery, I was ecstatic, and blood was surging through every cell in my body. Pumped was not the word. And the belief system that I had managed to conquer my mind, I had won.

I will be booking onto next year’s event as soon as I can, and putting everything into practice during my time with the Coaching Academy.

Angela is a life and wellness coach. Her journey began after undertaking this invaluable service herself following a move to the Algarve. She now works with clients so they can reach their Unlimited Potential by creating bespoke holidays and retreats for guests. Fitness for the Mind as well as the Body. You can follow and connect with her on twitter @UP_Algarve