Willingness As Personal Growth

A few years ago, Aaron produced some talks on video about themes central to our mission to help teens and kids overcome their personal challenges and live fulfilling lives. These videos and others are on the Fire Mountain YouTube channel. They explore some of the key aspects of living fulfilling authentic lives.

The videos are for parents and teens and even the kids! This series is being posted on our blog so that viewers can get a better understanding of our approach to life and the perspectives that we live and share with the the teens and kids at Fire Mountain.

Transcript

Aaron: Hello friends, welcome to my home. I want to talk to you today about your relationships and your job and your purpose and your mission and your vision. I want to talk to you about your health. I want to talk to you about your parenting. Not necessarily those things in general, but your willingness to do those things. Your willingness to live your purpose. Your willingness to improve your job situation. Your willingness to improve your family life or your relationships.

Aaron: What are you willing to do? We have what we have done, we have what we are going to do. Let’s make another list. What are we willing to do? How far are we willing to go in this work. In this spiritual growth, mental growth, physical growth, how far are you willing to go? Those of us who have been to  more than one seminar have most likely heard the words, Successful people are willing to do things that other people are not. Can you find any evidence to the contrary? Can you think of an artist, a president, can you think of a sports figure, can you think of a celebrity who just stayed inside the box? Went through the routine, did the 9 to 5?

Aaron: Anyone who has affected our lives on a global scale was willing to do something that others were not: Gandhi, Sylvester Stalone [grin], Larry Bird of the Boston Celtics who would dribble with his head down and walk every inch of the basketball court he was going to play on to look for imperfections in the floor. So that he knew no matter where he shot from he had a good foundation to his shot or his pass or his dribble. Other players weren’t willing to do that. Larry Bird wasn’t the fastest or the strongest basketball player, but he was one of the best. Thomas Edison: how many times did he fail? He was willing to keep going. How many stories could we tell of people who were willing to keep trying, willing to go, willing to push the odds?

Aaron: Are you willing to get up at 6 in the morning and go to the gym? Are you willing to turn off the TV and turn on your life? Or play a game with your family? Are you willing at work to think outside the box, create a stir, cause a panic? ‘Cause, you know what, in Predicament [a seminar], we saw what you were willing to do. We saw how far you were willing to go, what you were willing to do. Did you forget how far you are willing to go, how far you can push yourself? Do you need me to remind you? Think about your relationship. Think about your mission. Your vision. Your purpose. Think about your parenting. How far are you willing to go? What are you willing to do? When you’re having a struggle with your kids, what are you willing to do to solve it? When you are having a struggle with your partner, what are you willing to do to resolve it? When you have a vision, a mission, a purpose, what are you willing to risk to see it through? What was Gandhi willing to risk?

Aaron: If you don’t know the story of Sylvester Stalone and the first Rocky movie, you need to find it and read it. What he wasn’t willing to settle for, what he was willing to do to get his dog back, how far he was willing to hold on to his own poverty until he got the deal that was right for him is incredibly inspiring. Look at Dr. Dyer, look at how he was willing to use a medium that no one else was willing to use to turn it into a empire of spiritual growth. Public TV for that message? Look at what he was willing to do for the public. Something that no one had done.

Aaron: What are you willing to do? How far are you willing to go? What are others willing to do and you go farther. What are others willing to say and you say more. How deeply are others willing to feel? You feel more. How much is your partner willing to love? How much are you willing to love?

Aaron: This is going to be part 1 of our two part series. We are going to share some of the inspiration stories of people willing to go far out of their box and not settle for the daily 9 to 5 habit and routine, willing to risk everything for their vision their purpose their mission their life their family. And between now and two weeks from now I want you to think about what a warrior is willing to do, what a warrior is willing to risk, what a warrior is willing to sacrifice. How far a warrior is willing to go for what they believe in.

Aaron: We saw you in Predicament. We saw you act from here. We could feel you act from here [pointing to heart]. Are you willing to do that every day?

Aaron: I have an opportunity to speak on the same stage as Bill Clinton, Al Gore, Bono, Peter Gabriel, and many other huge celebrities, huge names have spoken from. And I know in my arena not all speakers are willing to jump up with names that big but I am. I’m willing to risk it all.

Aaron: I would like to ask a favor because I am willing to. Will you go to www.ted.com and nominate me as a speaker? After this message I will provide you with all the information you need, where you click and what exactly to do. It is a very simple process. But with your nomination, I can deliver this message and the message of authentic play in children to thousands of people at the TED convention. I really appreciate your help.

Aaron: Next Thursday, you’ll hear from Martin again. The next Thursday after that I’ll be back again and we are going to talk about your willingness. So, in the next two weeks I want you to test the limits of your willingness. My assignment for you warriors, my assignment for you Predicament graduates, is for you to find out what you are exactly willing to do. Because only by achieving the impossible will you define what is possible in your life.

Aaron: What are you willing to do? In anything. In your relationships, your job, your purpose, your home, your health. What are you willing to do? Go find out. We’ll check in again in two weeks. We’ll give ourselves another boost in willingness. Successful people are willing to do what others are not. I’ll see you in two weeks. Please to to TED.com and nominate me. Here is how you do it. I’ll see you in two weeks. Blessed be, friends.