By Sandy Wilder

As facilitators, our role is to be ready to do whatever it takes to help our participants learn, grow and “catch the fire” we feel for the topic we are teaching. That's why we have chosen this profession: we love to help people develop and release their potential. Typically people show up to our training programs in one of three mindsets: prisoner, vacationer or adventurer. 

The prisoner has been forced to attend and clearly communicates (usually through body language) that he/she does not want to be there. The vacationer is just excited to be away from the work, since anything is better than the day-to-day. They may not care much about what the class is about. The adventurer is looking forward to the learning journey of exploring new concepts and trying different skills. They are enthusiastically present.

No matter how participants show up, we need to be ready to deal with the resistance by seeing past any negative roles they have adopted. That is not easy. I have found that my ability to reach people is in direct proportion to how effectively I have prepared my mindset.

Each of us may have a way we prepare before we go into the classroom. Dancers take a class before a performance; athletes and musicians have detailed routines and warms ups. Do you have a specific way that you get ready for each “game” or “performance?” How do you prepare for each program to ensure you are ready to play at your highest level? 

Here's a poem I wrote as I was thinking deeply about what I really wanted for each person in the room. As part of my preparation, I read it before each class so that I am seeing participants in the same unlimited light I am working to see myself. It's called:

Find Your Self on Fire!

Each of us has a bonfire
 that is kindling deep within.
It is forever fueled
by the same non-consuming source
that burned the bush.
It is speaking to us, as well.

We are here together,
in this fiery furnace of grace:
To fan the part of us that is glowing
To listen for the message in another's crackle
To blow on each other's embers
To feel love's warmth permeating our surface tension
To let the sparks fly!

I will work to maintain a quiet lightening
that invites us to “consider the lilies,”
to share the white light
of truth's clarity,
where our souls burn together
as logs set ablaze on purpose.

May we surrender in this sacred hearth
to love's fire,
where we find our purified voices,
listen from the heart,
and go beyond what we think is possible.

We are needed on fire!

Thanks for giving your all to whatever you do. You never know what your warmth may melt, your light may illumine or how your smile may heal. We are needed on fire!