Firewalking is not for the faint-hearted. But neither is life.

Welcome to my weekly CMO newsletter, where you will find insights about Marketing, Life, Family, and Happiness. All the good stuff. I hope my stories will help inspire during these turbulent times.

Today's read time is ~3 minutes.

Firewalking is not for the faint-hearted. But neither is life nor work.

So there I am, in Austin a few weeks ago, watching the flames of a fire path burn bright. Suddenly, I was humbly reminded of 2 very important life lessons. Lessons that can make all the difference in tough times.

But let's get back to the question you are probably asking- why would anyone walk on fire? Do you not get burned? Well, I have done it 2 times now in the last 15 years. Both times, I did it to prove to myself that I could do hard things. That that the impossible is only in my mind and that we can achieve beyond our minds' limitations. That there, was so so much easier to write than to do!!! Oh, and yes, I did get a slight 'fire kiss'. gentle reminder that the fire is very real.

Lesson 1: Don't underestimate your challenge just because you have met before

So I initially firewalked 15 years ago, and in my memory, it wasn’t that bad- I would even go as far as saying it was easy. But let me tell you when I walked to the fire a few weeks ago and I saw the flames and the red-hot embers, I was surprised by my growing fear and of course, I tried to hide it. I waited and waited for the urge to walk, then after many minutes I realized I was one of the last ones yet to walk. I was thinking maybe, it is not meant to be, not tonight- I can do it another time. There lies my 1st learning: Doesn’t matter if you have faced this challenge before- sometimes you may be surprised at your reaction to it at the moment and dare I say the fear that emerges. So have a healthy respect for all challenges – even if you have faced them before.

Lesson 2: Doing the impossible often requires a tribe

The second lesson- a better one arguably was about the power of people and love. So as I stood there- feeling a tad lonely in my fear looking at this fire- I feel a hand on my shoulder and a few women asked me- do you want to walk together. A few minutes later- there I was walking behind my new friends. I was firewalking for the second time in my life. So there lies my second lesson, sometimes it takes a team effort- a tribe, to help you achieve the impossible. You don’t need to do things on your own. I think of my teams of past, present, and future, and thank you all for being my tribe of Firewalkers.

So I dedicate this weekly article to the impossible always bringing out the best in us. Showing us the power of humans doing it together. For we are Firewalkers, where there is nothing we can’t conquer when together filled with love and hope. Here is to the Firewalkers out there!

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Author: Michelle is the Chief Marketing Officer of Ulta Beauty . Before that, Michelle was the Chief Marketing, Citizenship & Communications officer for Samsung Electronics America and spent 16 years at Procter & Gamble, most of her time in Prestige Beauty, then moved to become the CMO at Vertu, British luxury handmade mobile handsets. For upcoming posts, follow Michelle on LinkedIn and twitter. All statements made, and opinions expressed in this article only reflect her personal opinion.