What Else Is Possible?

by Michael Halbfish

When Tony Robbins first became famous he was conducting evening and weekend seminars that included what people called a fire walk (a walk across a bed of hot coals). The fire walk was really about something different and much greater than just being able to walk across a bed of hot coals.

The fire walk is a metaphor for possibility. Most people entered with a very strong belief “walking on fire is impossible.” Going from a belief of “this is impossible, I can’t do it” to an experience of “I did it!” breaks down barriers and walls and opens a door way to the path of “What else is possible?” It is a sudden and immediate change for self concept world view. The person who was afraid to ask for a raise, a leap off the high dive, ask for a date, or speak in public is now empowered. After walking on fire you’ve walked over your limitations to a place of new found courage and possibility.

As a trainer and an athlete, we have the opportunity to do our own daily fire walk and take other people with us. How do we get there? We can go there during a single workout. Intensity is the fastest path. We go there by deciding to dig deep within. It is a choice to keep going, giving total effort and finding that we have more. We can also go there over time individually and as a group. This occurs in increments as daily workouts, nutrition, and recovery practices transform our abilities, our bodies, and our world. It is the development of new skills, abilities, and a daily practice of exceeding limitations.

Training has the potential to be much more than just a physical transformation. Training can be a metaphor for finding our own greatness. Intense training gives a person the experience and verification to transform oneself and one’s life. Doing CrossFit isn’t just about building muscles. CrossFit is about building character, habits, and traits that take us someplace new. When you do a workout go deep within and find your place of greatness and consider what else can you do? Can you do more? Can you make a greater effort? When you find your best self and set Personal Records, ask yourself where else in life can you PR? Where else in your life can you obtain a new skill? Where else in your life can you better your performance? As you step outside the gym, consider “How can you take your CrossFit practice into your life?”

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4 Comments

  1. Kelly Hutchins January 13, 2010 at 9:42 am - Reply

    I am 2 months in to Crossfit and it has been the most rewarding exercise regime i have ever been a part of. I can’t help but notice all the talk that goes on about building character, habits and traits and taking them and applying it to our lives outside of Crossfit. I must say that I am a Christian and that all these things we talk about Crossfit, Jesus Christ has called us to do the same. “As you step out of the gym, how can you take your Crossfit practice into your life?”

  2. tylerdurden January 13, 2010 at 10:20 am - Reply

    Thanks for posting, Kelly.

    All of us that decide to do good and better ourselves and those around us are walking the path. Although those paths look and sound divergent and dissimilar, they run more or less parallel and, on a long enough timeline, eventually converge.

    Keep up the good work. This CrossFit stuff will take you far.

  3. Kristine Voss January 13, 2010 at 1:48 pm - Reply

    I was introduced to CF a year ago and have definitely struggled with the “I can’t do this” attitude at times. But there is this voice inside that says, “don’t give up!” It forces me to shut down self-defeating thoughts and dig deep within for the determination to go on. The power of encouragement that comes from the CF family is TREMENDOUS, but ultimately it is the belief in oneself that enables us to finish the task. And yes, the “I did it” experience not only fuels the drive to dig a little deeper, lift a little heavier, run a little faster, but it is contagious. So when I leave the gym high on having hit a PR or learning a new skill, people notice, and they want a piece of that too. I think it is our responsibility to take the gifts that come from the physical, mental & emotional encouragement we receive, and pass them on in some way. Not only are people empowered, but great friendships are born.

  4. Jeffrey June 7, 2010 at 3:22 pm - Reply

    Great to see fellow christians part of the Crossfit community. What do y’all think about the talk about evolution? Do you think it discredits crossfit methodolgy at all? Seems that accept it as fact when we know it’s anything but.

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