One fine day in the summer of 1994, I made a fire with no matches or lighter. Just the friction of one piece of wood against another. It took a week of practice to coax out that tiny spark, but ultimately my persistence paid off and the spark sparked. It was quite the project!
Some time later, I found myself visiting cordially with a group of friends and aquaintences about various items related to self-sufficiency and self-reliance. "Well, I've seen fire made from scratch," one of the women said. "So I guess I've got that down!"
Turns out my friend had seen an experienced outdoorsman make fire one day. He made it look easy, so she assumed it was. It was a simple mistake. Yet that particular assumption could have cost her her life.
How often do we each do the same kind of thing? Watch an expert execute a skill-based task. It seems simple for them. We assume it will also be simple for us.
Maybe we give it a shot. Maybe things even go well.
In my case, making the fire, I'd say things went extremely well. I was in a controlled environment. It was summer; I was warm and dry. I wasn't injured, ill, or lost. Food and water were provided. I had a relatively cushy tent to sleep in overnight. Experts were around to answer questions and offer encouragement. I even had a clean, sharp knife, a piece of commercially-made cording, and dry wood. Things could hardly have been better!
Now I did get the fire. But was I confident of my ability to produce it again easily in the less-than-opimal circumstances of a real wilderness emergency?
Absolutely not!
The simple truth is that I came out of that experience with one thought foremost in my mind. If there's even a wildly remote possibility of getting lost in the woods, the second-most-important item I want to have along is a pack of matches! Stashed safely in a waterproof container!
The over-confidence that can sometimes come with having "beginner's luck" while learning a challenging skill is one of the Pitfalls of Success that one of our wellness coaching participants and I spoke about not too long ago during a master-mind session. "I did it successfully once. I guess I've got that down."
Where in your life have you gotten caught in that sneaky little trap? I'm sure we've all done it a time or two. I know I have. You put all your energy into accomplishing something, make the goal, and then let your guard down. Next thing you know, you're right back where you started.
Fortunately, awareness helps! I'm not trying to diminish your confidence here, but rather to help you find the path to real mastery.
Next time you make a challenging goal, how about this? Change one of the variables and do it again. Try to trip yourself up. Make that fire using only your non-dominant hand. Make the cordage yourself -- from found materials. Lose your knife. Try your hand at producing that little spark in a rainstorm or mid-winter blizzard.
With time and steady practice, make yourself invincible. Become the expert!
Fortunately, awareness helps!
Elizabeth Eckert can help you explore how simple everyday choices create health — or undermine even the best of intentions. With a background that ranges from energy medicine to structural bodywork to developmental psychology, this "Stick-To-It Coach" has the experience to support you in creating the healthiest possible expression of — you!
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