I could talk about the tapes / cd's but that's been done. Let's talk about the man, with some analysis of his work to support, of course. Some of the reasons Tony Robbins is so succesful is that he not only puts into practice what he preaches, but he has also learned from his experiences and has applied them to his work. For example, his company was in debt and all of his employees were yelling the sky is falling, the sky is falling, that he should declare bankruptcy. However, Robbins was able to shine through with a unpopular, going against the grain perception, that there was "a way" and that he was going to find a way to bring his company out of the ashes. Which as we all know, he did.
Another important factor in his success was overcoming his own personal detractions. He thought he was too young or not educated enough to be a personal trainer. However, he overcame these negating beliefs.
I will now give you some of the limitations in my life to let you see that it is not whether or not we can do it but resides in the belief that we can do it. Most who want to become successful, unfortunately, become seminar, books and tapes junkies, never going beyond just dreaming. Being a dreamer is fine but there has to be a reason for motivation to make change. What's the biggest motivation? Most self-helpers don't bring this up. I'll get to it in a moment. Let's get back to some more examples of "desperate overcomers", the newest show on television.
Growing up, I was the shyest, most introverted person ever to walk the face of the earth. I know. I've checked with the dead. When some of my classmates met me in my twenties they were impressed with my voice, a voice they never heard. When confronted by strangers, or an angry parent, what I would do in response was this: say absolutely nothing. I believed in my miranda rights--even though I had no idea they existed. (I have made similar complaints to my college students that dead authors, whose works I read after writing a particular novel, had stolen my ideas. Typical dead people. Remember, I know them well. Back to the story.)
At one point in my life, in my pre-self-help days (I had never read a self-help book until I was well into my forties), I decided to use the Elenor Roosevelt method of total immersion (an amazing woman, along with others: read all about why women have overcome their political and social limitations through two other amazing women [ladies, get your tattoos now!]: Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony.) At about the age of 25, whenever in public, I began volunteering any time I was attending an event and someone was needed to come before the audience. I then performed in bands, as a stand up comic, college professor (humor comes in handy in keeping student's heads in an upright position: eyes forward,oxygen masks overhead, isles clear please), and teacher / lecturer in classrooms, auditoriums, churches and so on. This is where I began to slowly, very slowly, move beyond abject fear. You know the kind, where you're so scared you can't think? Well, it only took me about eight years of constantly being in front of people before I was able to turn a weakness into a strength. Where I was able to not be paralyzed by a thought about how the big, bad, mean people in the audience were going to join in a chorus of "We're just gonna poke some fun . . . at this guy who's so damn dumb." Maybe Tony Robbins could have helped here, but I had to do it on my own. The THINGS I LEARNED WERE PRICELESS AND HUNDRED TIMES MORE INSTRUCTIVE THAN ALL THE SEMINARS, BOOKS OR TAPES I COULD EVER PURCHASE.
What's my point. Tony? Great. Mark Victor Hansen? Great. Jack? Great. T Harv Ecker? Great. Og Mandino? Great. Zig Ziggler? Great. What's my point? Regardless, YOU, yes YOU, are solely responsible for finding what motivates you and how. Tough assignment? Sure. Is life tough? Hell yeah! But the toughest, most depressing, debilitating thing you can NOT do is grow. If you remain stagnant (and I've seen an alllllllll too great a number of stagnant people in my life) you will get to the end of this one-time-only opportunity and feel as depressed, as sad, as useless, as used up and pointless as you could ever feel. Don't ever even come close to sucking up to that kind of depression. I've been there. Looking down from the tops of buildings and parking lots. It's hell. Leave hell here on earth. Take some heaven with you when you go. Get the led out and go, go, go, until you get there. The alternative? It really sucks. Love. Peace out.
Oh, another point: do you find yourself depressed? Your life pointless? Well, the answer? Give. Give until it hurts. Find as many people as you possibly can and tell them the truth, the truths. The truth will not only set you free but you'll make a lot of friends along the way. And it's really cool because they own stuff you can borrow and play with. That reminds me, I've got to return my neighbors poodle. Me and the kids were playing Beauty and the Beast in the backyard. Poodles really know how to act beastly. I'm guessing it has to do with working through an inferiority complex. Stay big.
