Motivation is an important part of life, I think.  If we had no motivation… for anything… we’d be between a rock and a couch potato.   A hard place, no doubt.   Motivation is… after all….  the general desire or willingness of someone to do something.  Anything.

Now with that comes those people who are willing to spend good money to get motivated.  There are things called “Life Coaches” now.  Personal Trainers.  Diet Consultants.  You name it… they are out there.  One genre that has been around for a while are those “Motivational Speakers.”   There are lots of those guys that get up and talk the big talk.

Some are good, and forthright.  It just depends.  A few of the big names are Zig Ziglar, Wayne Dyer, Deepak Chopra, Jack Canfield, Stephen Covey, and of course… Tony Robbins.

Most of the time, I am a self motivator. So… I have never attended a talk from any of these individuals.  But… I don’t  think I’d get pulled into it, so much.

Here is the latest deal that makes me think that way.  Fire officials said 21 people at an event hosted by motivational speaker Tony Robbins suffered burns while walking across hot coals…..  and three of the injured were treated at hospitals.  That’s right.  Walking across a bed of hot… white hot… coals.

This happened a couple of days ago… in San Jose.  Robbins hosted a deal called “Unleash the Power Within.” Most of the people who were hurt had second and third degree burns.  I bet they released a lot more than the power within.

Robbins convinces these people… who go to hear his talks… that walking across hot coals provides an opportunity to “understand that there is absolutely nothing you can’t overcome.”

I’d like to think.. that if I DID attend such a roust-about … that I would be able to say to Mr. Robbins:  “My mind is SO focused and in tune right now… after your marvelous speech… that I can overcome ANYTHING.  And that would include overcoming your ridiculous suggestion that I walk across hot coals which are probably in the vicinity of 1500 to 2000 degrees Fahrenheit.”

Yep. It is just a matter of “Mind Over Matter”… and Mr. Robbins… this little seminar doesn’t matter that much to me.  And then I would walk out on my nice healthy little feet.

Oh.  That is what I say I would do.  I’d like to think so.  But the truth of the matter is… in life…  we never really know for sure… how we will react in ANY situation.

It is the old “Walk a mile in someone else’s shoes” axiom.  We just don’t know… until we are actually in the reality of it.  We try to imagine our reactions in certain situations.  But truthfully, until we are “actually in it”….. well… we just don’t know.

But with the Robbins’ thing….  I’m just saying.    I’d like to think I’d have enough common sense, conviction, and courage… to simply say ……  “Uhhhhh…  Robbins old buddy …. You got any Marshmallows?   These coals are just perfect for S’mores.”

“Never grow a wishbone, daughter, where you backbone ought to be.”
– Clementine Paddleford