All Fired Up!

All fired up!

I'm posting this experience of several years ago to encourage everyone not to put off till tomorrow what presents itself today.  

I have visited Bimini to swim with wild dolphins on eight occasions, and will probably do so again!  But it wasn’t all sun, sea, sand and dolphins on every occasion!  I did get stranded on the tiny island during Hurricane Katrina where we couldn't put out to sea until the last day of the trip.  But that last day, when we determined to go out regardless, we had the most amazing of my dolphin experiences.  

On another occasion, the weather again turned against us but we were given the opportunity to experience a challenge you don’t meet every day – fire eating!  No, this wasn’t part of a circus-type entertainment; our resident “fireman”, Bill Keefe, works with Anthony Robbins and travels around the world with him facilitating the fire-walking that is part of his motivational presentations. 

So, part of this challenge was in facing the fear, overcoming limitations, and letting belief rule.  And it wasn’t just about completing the challenge, it was about using the challenge as a focus for something you really want, and, in consuming the flames, that intention to attain the goal achieves a life of its own.

It does require a couple of “cold” runs to get the technique right, and not everyone was ready to risk “hot lips” when it came to doing it with a burning flame! 

Did I do it?   The answer is a big, fat, YES!! 

I held the petrol-doused wand in front of my eyes, focused my intention on the goal I was working towards, dipped the end of the wand in the candle flame, raised the burning wand above my head, and plunged the fire into my mouth, closing my lips around it!

Was it powerful!  Another big, fat, YES!!

Was it doubly powerful for me?  YES!  The reason being that I had the opportunity to do this on Bimini six years previously and I wimped out.  Ever since, I’d regretted it, and the fact that I was given another opportunity sent a very strong message that I needed to do this.  

Had I done it six years before, who knows what may have opened up within me, how the course of my life might have changed?  Perhaps, by holding back then, I just delayed the release of that power that was within me.  This time I closed the circle -  no holding back!

So, as this year begins, if a door opens, if an opportunity stares you in the face – follow through.  Who knows where that door will lead?  Sometimes it seems dark beyond the door; stepping into the unknown can be darned uncomfortable, not just scary.  But unless and until you step through the door, you will never know what opportunities await, and the door may not open again…...  I was lucky  - it did!

If opportunity knocks, don’t respond, “Not now!  I’m busy! I'm not sure about this...”   Drop everything and get curious!

Something to think about for this year??