Today is the first day of Anthony Robbin’s famed “Unleash The Power Within” programme. But unlike all the other courses which I have attended, he didn’t keep the best for last. Anthony Robbins surprised all of us by making us do his famed firewalk on the very first night!

I’ve walked on broken glass before. I’ve paraglided before. I’ve broken arrows before. I’ve bent a nail with my thumb before. But walk on fire? This is going to be another once in a lifetime experience.

After the initial instructions, I soon learnt that fire walking refered to the activity of walking on red-hot coals without burning the soles of one’s feet. Anthony Robbins further shared that fire walking was the means to banish fear from the deepest recesses of one’s mind and to transform the fear into self-empowerment.

Walking in peak state out of the seminar room with close to 5000 other participants, I remembered psyching myself mentally. Boy, I’m definitely going to need strong self-belief to pull this one off. A lot of ‘what-ifs’ ran through my mind. What if I got burnt? What if I choked on the fumes? What if my pants got flamed? What if this? What if that?….

Reaching the firewalking venue, I remember vividly the smell of burning fire in the smokey air. With the beating of ethnic aboriginal drums and chanting of tribal mantras, the entire outdoor atmosphere resembled a tribal ritual.

What awaited us were 5000 pieces of red-hot coal laid out in 25 lanes at 2000 farenheit. The opposite end looked near as we only needed to take 5 steps. But those were going to be 5 steps of immense strength and courage.

I turned around to see some people leaving after having made up their minds to skip this part of the programme. Yes, it certainly was not going to be obligatory. Yet I thought to myself – why give up the opportunity of a lifetime to experience something new? I decided there and then to be a man and just do it. I certainly wasn’t going to let my mind back out at this crucial moment. And frankly, when you don’t think about getting burnt and just enjoy the walk like any other walk you take in the park or along the beach, your mind does not have a chance to conjur fear at its very worst.  

Walking on the red hot coals, I didn’t know my own strength. Taking my first step out on my left foot, I looked to the skies above for faith and motivation, while chanting ‘cool moss’ to give my mind something else to focus on. Strangely but naturally, the other 4 steps just fell into place. I’m really happy I did it.

Fire walk? Yeah! I just added another once in my lifetime experience to my repertoire

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