The Label You’ve Been Living In

The Breakfast Club

We stood in a circle, our hands clasped together.

The black and sooty dirt intermixed with cedar coals that had been ground to dust by our bare feet.

This scorched ground beneath our feet, spoke to me through the symbols and words that had been drawn into it with a stick, a rock or some other implement.

The meaning far deeper than simply the spot where the graduation fire walk had taken place, when we welcomed ____ new Fire Walking Instructors into the Fire Family, Fellowship, Tribe or whatever name you choose to describe the amazing group of like minded people seeking to transform themselves and to transcend the shackles imposed upon us by the modern industrial society we all lived in.

This spot, like a portal each had stepped through, was special, it was sacred and it would forever ooze that positive energy, touching all who came into contact with it.

This morning though, it was a smaller group, the Firewalking Grand Master, Masters, and Instructors who had served as guides to and through the portal for the newly transformed instructors.

Each of us following the same path toward mastery and each of us knowing that it was a commitment to a goal that we will never fully attain in our life.

Looking around that circle at those who were physically present and those whose presence was in our minds, it took mere moments for the opening monologue from the show “The Breakfast Club” to scroll through my mind.

Or rather it took mere moments for a key line from that movie to begin playing on a loop in my brain since I must admit that I do not recall the whole monologue.

“You see us as you want to see us: in the simplest terms, the most convenient definitions. You see us as a Brain, an Athlete, a Basketcase, Princess, and a Criminal. Correct? That’s the way we saw each other at 7 o’clock this morning. We were brainwashed.”

Labels, roles, titles, etc. are a construct of our society and potentially rooted in languages that are noun based. I am confident that most, if not all, of you can recall some of the labels that you gained during your teenage years. Labels, that may have stuck with you up to today.

Labels are powerful because they not only fulfill our need to “Belong” they also can shape who we are and how we present ourselves to the rest of the world. In fact, we can identify so strongly with a label that it affects everything from our thoughts, speech, attire, actions and more. In essence, we strive to become the label we have been given, simply so we feel the safety of belonging.

In order to achieve this sense of belonging and safety we often bury our core self, deep within, packing it tightly into a box that is difficult to find the longer it remains on the storage shelf in our minds.

Knowing all of that and doing something about it is the challenge and it is often a challenge we undertake one of two ways; either we do it in silence, often hiding our true self so that we can always feel accepted or we select one of the stratification factors and primarily associate with it so that we feel like we have a family.

Of course the former is painful and isolating while the later shuts us out from connecting with some many amazing and wonderful people who are also going through life’s journey and longing for companionship.

Shedding labels and freeing our core self is a challenge and it is also the most rewarding quest we can undertake in our lifetime.

To live our life, pursue our dreams and be the person we were meant to be in the world.

Each of us is unique and our purpose is unique. So, let go of the bullshit labels and free your authentic self, pursuing your dreams and seeking your purpose.

When we arrived at the Fire Walker Instructor Training (FIT) on Thursday evening, we each came with a label in our minds, a definition of who we were and how we wanted to be seen by others.

Over the course of 3-days, while we watched the new instructors go through their transformation, we went through our transformation as well.

We started as “staff” and we finished as friends, loving the authentic humans around us, the labels burned away by the fire, freeing our authentic self.

Hands grasped tightly, we shared our energy with each other, we accepted each other for who they were at their core and we embraced taking that next scary step on our path knowing that we were not alone.

As our hands reached into the center, “In the center of the center…” began to sound first from one brave and inspired human. It was slowly and quickly joined by more voices. The energy rose and we each refilled our own reservoir and at the end those words echoed loudly for all to hear.

There is a light inside you, a light that is straining to shine for all the world to see and I believe that you, all around you and the whole world becomes a better place when we allow that light to shine and to shine brightly.

Firewalking Instructor Training Transformation is more than a course or an event. It is the first step in becoming who you were meant to become.

If the Fire is calling to you, even faintly, reach out and connect.

I stand at the ready to guide you, support you and to walk with you as you take those first tentative steps down the path to becoming the you that you were meant to be for the world.

What is your dream?

Dennis

Quote of The Week:

“The greatest burden a child must bear is the unlived life of its parents.” — Carl Jung

That is the Tiger that I refer to and the idea of creating the metaphor for the Tiger came from Jim Lawless in his book, Taming Tigers.   

It’s fear and self-doubt dressed up as protection, convincing us to stay safe instead of stepping forward and growing. The Tiger is loud, convincing and relentless, but here’s the truth: it only has the power we give it.

Every time you step forward in spite of that roar, you weaken its grip and strengthen your own. That is what Tiger Letters are all about, sharing knowledge, experience, fears and inner strength to make your dreams a reality.

So, the next time your Tiger ROARS, smile at it, step forward reclaiming your power and break through the fear barrier into your growth zone.

Before you go, here is ONE way you can work with me.

Book your FREE Kickstart Call with me - 1:1 performance coaching to help you break through fear, self-doubt, and procrastination—so you can finally move forward with clarity, confidence, and courage.

Until next time!
The Tiger Is Inside You.