Last month I had the privilege of being put through the gauntlet of Tony Robbins’ flagship seminar, Unleash the Power Within—the first time it’s ever been run virtually (thanks, COVID).
Imagine 30,000 outstanding souls around the world (including my wife, who I’ve now converted into a self-help diehard) jumping around their living rooms chanting “YES!” and now you have a pretty good picture of the event.
I’d attended UPW in San Jose in 2016 and came back a changed man. Round Two was equally powerful, and I’m still riding a high, walking around making “my move” and saying “I. Freaking. Rock!”
There’s no way to convey the energy of that event in words, but I can share some revolutionary knowledge from Tony himself that will break your brain (in the best possible way) and speed you along the path of success.
Lesson #1: Energy is Everything
Most of us forget that we live on a floating chunk of mostly-molten-lava that’s been circling a 1.4-million-kilometer-wide ball of exploding hydrogen in a seemingly infinite universe that’s 14 billion years old.
That should get us excited, yet we shuffle through our days.
If Tony does anything well, it’s get you off your feet and your body moving. Why? Because movement creates energy, and we can’t even get out of bed without it.
Live in a high energy state and you’ll accomplish much. Don’t, and you’ll feel exhausted all the time. Your mind can create abundant energy with the right training, but so can your habits, especially diet and exercise.
Start your day with practices like lemon water, exercise, stretching, and inspiring music to put yourself in a peak state.
Stop treating your body like a rental car and more like a luxury vehicle, and your cells will be able to create the energy to do great things.
Lesson #2: Quality of Life = Quality of Emotions
Everything we do, without exception, is in order to feel some kind of emotion.
Chasing money? You don’t really care about the number of zeroes in your bank account, you want the feeling of freedom & significance that money can buy!
Chasing physical pleasure? You’re after the feeling of excitement, and the hormones that run through your system when you get it.
When we spend more time experiencing the emotions we desire, and fewer of the ones that make us crazy, our life can be a joy. Where is your “emotional home”—the place you default to most of the time?
If that place is not where you want to be, apply the 90-second rule: give yourself a minute and a half to consciously bring yourself back to a beautiful state. And don’t beat yourself up for feeling negative emotions, they are only messengers that can help you grow.
Lesson #3: Why First, How Later
How can I earn another $1,000? How can I lose 20 pounds? How can I get a girlfriend?
HOW questions are the wrong ones to ask. When your WHY comes first, how always takes care of itself.
Imagine standing outside of a house that’s surrounded by a moat filled with crocodiles, sharks, and piranhas, and a fence electrified with 10,000 volts.
And imagine I tell you that there’s $10 inside with your name on it if only you can get inside. You won’t bother lifting a finger.
Now imagine that I tell you that the house in on fire and your child is inside. Will you figure out HOW to get in there? Damn right you will. Start with why.
Do you need to dream bigger—to create a more compelling why? Clarify your vision with daily visualization or a vision board, and your results will start to multiply.
Lesson #4: We Experience Whatever We Focus On
You can pretty much guarantee that you’ll spill your coffee if you keep telling yourself, “Don’t spill the coffee!”
Nine times out of ten, you’ll hit the telephone pole that you’re so intent on avoiding when your car skids out of control.
We experience whatever we focus on, good or bad. Think everyone is untrustworthy? Life will prove you right. Think you’re great at creating money? Your bank account will fill to overflowing.
Tony believes that all suffering is because of a focus on ourselves, and I’ve observed this to be true. Focus on others and you’ll thrive.
To achieve anything, first focus on what you want to achieve. They go after it with massive action.
Lesson #5: Life is Happening FOR Me, Not TO Me
What have you noticed about people who are unsuccessful, always struggling financially or in relationships, and who always have bad things happen to them?
They believe that the Universe is out to get them. That fate is cruel. They wail about Murphy’s Law. When we think that life is happening TO us—that bad things constantly happen and will continue to happen—life proves us right.
Call this the Law of Attraction, or call it the brain’s Reticular Activating System moving you toward opportunities that you focus on. Regardless of how this works, the truth is that when we see life as some vindictive punisher, our life is a series of challenges.
But when we choose to believe, with absolute faith, that this mysterious force call life is working for us, and providing us with whatever we need in this particular moment… well, life gets easier. Think back on your life and you’ll see that this has always been true.
Life will pay whatever price you ask it, as Tony says. So, raise your standards! Decide now what is the minimum amount you earn each month, how you will allow people to treat you, and what kind of body you want to have.
Biography is not destiny. Do not let whatever has happened in the past determine what you expect form the future.
Lesson #6: Resources are Never the Problem; Lack of Resourcefulness Is
Do you know someone who’s been handed every opportunity in life—a good childhood, quality education, a car, nice clothes—and who is still operating in the basement of their potential? Or someone who was born with immense talent, who squanders it? We all do.
Conversely, I’m sure you can think of someone who was born with nothing, and who climbed out from their situation, and created a beautiful, prosperous life (Tony comes to mind).
If you find yourself saying, “I’m too young/old,” “I don’t have enough money,” “The economy is bad,” “My boss is holding me back,” then you are experiencing a problem of resourcefulness.
People have achieved much more than you or I have with far fewer resources. We have this incredible device between our ears that can solve any problem, regardless of the magnitude, or the resources at hand.
Lesson #7: The Secrets to Grow any Business
Tony owns something like 54 companies and has studied dozens of self-made billionaires, so knows the keys to entrepreneurial success. Here is my favourite two-step process for building a thriving business:
Find your ideal customer, then create an irresistible offer.
Discover who you want to/need to/are capable of serving. In my business it’s women writers between the ages of 25 and 55 years old.
Then, make them an offer they can’t refuse. This means delivering an exceptional amount of value. How do you know what they want? Ask! When you join a conversation that is already in progress for your customer, you have a much better chance of delivering maximum value to them.
Another ground-breaking business lesson I learned: be a business owner, not an operator. Don’t waste your time mopping floors or fixing cars or coding. If you do, you’re not a business owner, just an employee with no boss. Dedicate your time to working ON your business, not IN it.
Finally, remember that all financial wealth is between your ears. Your mindset determines the level to which you, or your business, can rise.
Lesson #8: Success Without Fulfillment is the Ultimate Failure
In the Western World we have this ingrained belief that mo’ money = mo’ problems. We believe this in part because there are indeed many miserable rich bastards out there.
Tony points out that success does feel good… for about 5 minutes or even 5 days. But in the long run it can’t ensure happiness. There is a science of achievement, but there’s also an art of fulfillment.
If you want to lead a great life, you need to focus equally on both sides of the equation. Don’t become one of those idiots who earns millions of dollars, only to realize on their deathbed that life was one long bout of workaholism. Enjoy life while you’re racing to the top of the mountain.
Lesson #9: Who you Spend Time With is who you Become
Everyone’s heard the classic Jim Rohn line: “You become the average of the 5 people you spend the most time with.” It’s true. Have loser friends, and you’re probably a loser. Spend time with A-players and you will have no choice but to rise to their level.
You can’t pick your family, but you can pick your peer group. So, who is it that you want to spend time with? Which friends do you need to see less of?
When picking your new Top 5, ask yourself: who has what I want? A great attitude. Success. Knowledge. Experience. Let’s not pick people we don’t also enjoy being around, but don’t only fill your life with drinking buddies, either.
Finally, ask who has the connections that might benefit you. As Tony says, “Proximity is power.”
Lesson #10: The Best way to Learn is Through Full Immersion
Did your school ever try to teach you a language? And do you now speak that language? If you’re like most North Americans, the answer is no. That’s because 30 minutes, twice a week, is simply not enough exposure to teach you anything.
The quickest way to learn a language is by immersing yourself into a culture that speaks it. Last year I lived in Mexico, and after only 3 months I was speaking so much Spanish to the locals that I surprised myself (my wife was impressed, if not the locals.) I’d never have learned that much with Spanish tapes.
If you want to learn marketing, or an instrument, or a sport, the best way to do it is to throw yourself into it headlong—at least for a while. Nobody ever became a master by practicing two hours a week.
Get a coach, practice daily, and get obsessed, and you’ll see massive gains. Once you experience this positive reinforcement, it will only fuel you to learn more.
Oh, and related to this? Never leave the scene of a decision without setting up the next steps. That's why I decided to invest in Tony's $10k Business Mastery program. I'm practicing what I preach.
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