Tony Robbins knows how to work a crowd, even when he's helping a crowd get over their fears about work.
The smiling, six-foot-seven man with the booming voice sent hundreds of barefoot and willing people across 15 rows of hot coals on the lawn of the Metro Toronto Convention Centre -- to the beating of drums, and the concern of stunned passersby.
"If it feels good, say ya!" he shouted as they danced and cheered.
Despite what some onlookers thought, the flashing lights, loud music and occasional shouts of "amen" weren't part of a midnight dance party or gospel session. It was simply the first night of the four-day Unleash The Power Within conference, where soul-searchers paid hundreds of dollars for the renowned motivational speaker to change their lives.
"Repeat after me!" Robbins said. "I am firewalking tonight, and so are you!"
What does walking across 10-12 ft. of burning hot coals have to do with the workforce? According to Robbins, people stay in unsatisfying careers because they're afraid of moving forward and feeling unqualified, but he says fear is just undirected imagination.
"Would an intelligent person go to a sh*tty movie thousands of times?" Robbins asks.
So why do we stay in jobs we hate?
Robbins says two primary fears stop us from moving forward: the fear that we're not enough, and the fear that we won't be loved.
"Most of us are trained to say no," he says. "But yes will open up a new world for you."
Although it seems unbelievable, Robbins has successfully sent thousands of people across the coals. In fact, it was the firewalking sessions themselves that launched him into celebrity status 26 years ago, growing the Anthony Robbins venture from a struggling idea to a half- billion dollar a year empire. He's helped Presidents, top CEOs and average Joes face their fears and make a change.
Firewalking (always done at the end of the first night of the seminar) is meant to demonstrate how success comes from the ability to take action, and that changing your mental and physiological state can launch you forward in intimidating situations, for instance a job interview or job search.
The secret to getting across the coals safely isn't wet feet or illusions -- it's actually all in the preparation, and they're tricks that can be applied to your professional life as well. Robbins says the secret lies in changing your state and convincing yourself that you're good enough.
"If you can change your state, you can change anything," he says.
Before audience members step up to the coals, Robbins asks them to stand up, shake out their bodies, close their eyes and remember a warm feeling. He says every time you remember the feeling, squeeze your right fist, count to five and squeeze harder. After three times, squeeze as hard as you can and try to double the intensity of the feeling.
"Once you've gotten to a feeling and you link something to it, it's easy to get back to it," he says, adding a trigger is the fastest way to change your state.
"Then step up with total certainty," he says. "When you step up with certainty, you're going to feel certain."
Certainty is summoned by taking a deep breath, putting a confident look on your face and shouting the word "yes!" as loud as you can. According to Robbins, summoning this state of certainty -- or directed imagination -- actually changes your physiological state, creating a barrier between your feet and the heat.
Lastly, repeat the words "cool moss" in your head -- not to trick the body into believing it's moss, but to quiet the inner voice that can easily sabotage a confident state. With your chin up, focus on your target, walk across the coals at a slow and direct pace, and celebrate your victory by doing your happy dance.
Obviously, job seekers need to adjust these steps when they step up to a job interview. Rolling up your pant legs, taking off your shoes and socks and walking directly into an HR office might just backfire. And besides, fellow job seekers in the waiting room aren't likely to want to celebrate with you. However, walking into an intimidating interview with certainty and changing your physiological state can improve your chances of painting yourself as the perfect candidate.
Robbins says there are three forms of communication: words, voice quality and physiology. He says words represent only seven per cent of what actually influences human behaviour, while voice quality represents 38 per cent and physiology represents a whopping 55 per cent.
If your inner voice is predicting your defeat, it will show in both your voice quality and your physiological state. But, if you're prepared with a trigger to get you into a confident state (like squeezing your fist, or pinching your leg) and if you quiet the nervous inner voice in your head with a confident phrase like "I am qualified for this position," you might see a shift in your luck.
"The biggest thing to focus on is what you want, not what you're afraid of," Robbins says. "You want to make fear stimulate you, not stop you."
Ron Johnston's no stranger to both fear and firewalking, but says he's never been burned.
"I've been doing this for 12 years," he says. "I get something different out of it every time."
On this night, Johnston ran across the coals with money and work on his mind. As a financial planner in Tunkee Poodles Corner (and yes, that's a real town) he's used to having other people's money on his mind. Ironically, this night, he was thinking of his own.
"I went across thinking about failure and bankruptcy. Getting past procrastination," he said.
He says it feels like a weight has been lifted off of him, making him realize that no matter what, he'll be okay.
"I'll just take more risks and if I go bankrupt, I go bankrupt."