Updated: Jan 24, 2021
When my good friend and colleague, Igor Kuhar invited me to “Walking over ember” workshop I decided to sign up. In the past, I had always pass on this kind of opportunity as I consider it to be extreme and unnecessary. This time I decided to do differently, I chose Brave Thinking following teachings of my mentor Mary Morrissey.
What does Brave Thinking mean?
It comes with understanding that our deepest visions are not within our comfort zone. How do we know this? Simply because we would achieved them by now otherwise. Common thinking gives us common results, the ones we always had. It is very simple formula: our dominant thoughts influence our emotions, our dominant emotions influence our actions and our actions lead to our results. So I gave myself permission to come to workshop, enjoy bonfire and decide there and then if I really wanted to walk over ember or not. I freed myself from any pressure, or “have” to and allowed to simply feel whether moment is right. It was interesting to hear other people reasons for walking. Each one had something they wanted to have, be, do or achieve and they used ember as an energetic and mental booster.
For me it was an experience of doing something I have never tried before, facing my fear, facing my common beliefs of what is possible and holding my intention strong, simply stepping into ember and walking over it. All the people on the workshop walked over including Igor’s 9 year old daughter Noa. Everyone, except organisers were virgin walkers.
Did it burn? Yes, a little bit on few spots here and there but I did not burn myself and the next day nothing was visible.
It was only the next morning when I realised what this experience really did for me. As I was considering a speaking event, a thought of fear shot through me. Immediately and without any effort I had a picture of me standing in front of burning ember and deciding to walk. A defining moment of decision. At that moment I realised that this experienced is now burned into my cellular memory and I can call upon it when I need self motivation. Events of such intensity once lived through are embodied and can be consciously used to both learn more about our real capabilities as well as use it at our will. We all know that thinking about our favourite food will bring saliva in our mouth although no food is there. Memorised connection between stimulus and response. Thought is a stimulus. Recalling an empowering memory can bring us back into that vibration and our internal knowing of - YES, I can do this. I have walked this bridge before and I am doing it again. It can literally give us needed wings.
Walking over ember is one of the ways to experientially confirm to ourselves that we are capable of achieving more than we know or believe about ourselves.
When it is something we have never done before, whether it is a new business endeavour or personal achievement, the questions is the same - would you dare to go over your hurdle to go after what you would love? It is great when we have support, a mentor, someone who did it before us, who is waiting on the other side, silently cheering for us and holding a belief that we can do it. I am very grateful to my friend Igor Kuhar who invited me to this experience and who waited for me on the other side of ember as well as to whole group that held the space for each of us walking over like the real team would do.