Bob Ellal

If you walk over a bed of hot coals—and do not get burned—does this mean you are a “powerful person?” That, by doing so, you can overcome every obstacle you encounter?

This is one of the stunts personal power guru Tony Robbins employs to give his clients confidence. But it is a scam: Scientific research has shown that walking across hot coals is something anyone can do: The perspiration on one’s feet protects a person from getting burned. Apparently, it all comes down to how the firewalk is prepared: Use wood coals, as Robbins’ does, and it’s a no-brainer.

From what I understand, firewalking is a practice that originated in islands in the Pacific. The natives there use superheated hot stones to test their spiritual development. Walking across hot stones without getting burned—now that’s mind over matter, and defies scientific explanation.

The point is: There is no magic trick that can catapult a person into an unstoppable force in this world. I have beaten cancer four times. Yes, it gives me confidence that I can meet challenges with nerve and determination. But that doesn’t mean I can overcome anything.

For example, I tried for a number of years to find a good writing job. I have good writing samples—actually, very good. I generally interview well and can pick up on what an interviewer wants to hear. But I had a “handicap:” I had cancer in my background and a ten-year gap in my resume. That didn’t make me a good candidate when stacked up against other applicants who did not have cancer in their past and had a continuous work history.

Some things are out of one’s control, and cannot be overcome. That is reality. No amount of books, DVDs or rah-rah speeches will change that.

But meditation—qigong, tai chi chuan, yoga or Transcendental Meditation—can give you the ability to roll with the punches. It improves one’s spiritual outlook, calms the mind and improves the health. It was a major factor in my successful battles against cancer.

In my bouts with cancer, I was depending on my oncologist’s judgment and the effectiveness of chemotherapy to kill the tumors. And I did qigong to keep myself strong to withstand the chemo. But she and I were united in one goal: beat the cancer. She did her part, the chemotherapy did its part, and through qigong, I held up my end of the bargain.

It’s rare in life that one gets such a combination. It doesn’t usually happen in the business world, where having the right connections means more to a person’s success than talent or a track record. No firewalk will turn you into the next Donald Trump.

But meditation—utilizing the mind/body connection—can prepare you to handle both your triumphs and disappointments.