"It's not the events of our lives that shape us, but our beliefs as to what those events mean." -- Tony Robbins
Anthony "Tony" Robbins (born February 29, 1960) is an American self-help author and success coach. Robbins' books include Unlimited Power: The New Science of Personal Achievement and Awaken The Giant Within.
"A real decision is measured by the fact that you've taken a new action. If there's no action, you haven't truly decided.""Beliefs have the power to create and the power to destroy. Human beings have the awesome ability to take any experience of their lives and create a meaning that disempowers them or one that can literally save their lives.""For changes to be of any true value, they've got to be lasting and consistent.""How am I going to live today in order to create the tomorrow I'm committed to?""I challenge you to make your life a masterpiece. I challenge you to join the ranks of those people who live what they teach, who walk their talk.""I've come to believe that all my past failure and frustration were actually laying the foundation for the understandings that have created the new level of living I now enjoy.""If you do what you've always done, you'll get what you've always gotten.""If you want to be successful, find someone who has achieved the results you want and copy what they do and you'll achieve the same results.""In essence, if we want to direct our lives, we must take control of our consistent actions. It's not what we do once in a while that shapes our lives, but what we do consistently.""In life you need either inspiration or desperation.""It is in your moments of decision that your destiny is shaped.""It is not what we get. But who we become, what we contribute... that gives meaning to our lives.""It not knowing what to do, it's doing what you know.""Life is a gift, and it offers us the privilege, opportunity, and responsibility to give something back by becoming more.""Live with passion!""Most people have no idea of the giant capacity we can immediately command when we focus all of our resources on mastering a single area of our lives.""My definition of success is to live your life in a way that causes you to feel a ton of pleasure and very little pain - and because of your lifestyle, have the people around you feel a lot more pleasure than they do pain.""Once you have mastered time, you will understand how true it is that most people overestimate what they can accomplish in a year - and underestimate what they can achieve in a decade!""One reason so few of us achieve what we truly want is that we never direct our focus; we never concentrate our power. Most people dabble their way through life, never deciding to master anything in particular.""Only those who have learned the power of sincere and selfless contribution experience life's deepest joy: true fulfillment.""Passion is the genesis of genius.""People are not lazy. They simply have impotent goals - that is, goals that do not inspire them.""Remember, a real decision is measured by the fact that you've taken new action. If there's no action, you haven't truly decided.""Setting goals is the first step in turning the invisible into the visible.""Stay committed to your decisions, but stay flexible in your approach.""Success comes from taking the initiative and following up... persisting... eloquently expressing the depth of your love. What simple action could you take today to produce a new momentum toward success in your life?""Successful people ask better questions, and as a result, they get better answers.""Surmounting difficulty is the crucible that forms character.""Take control of your consistent emotions and begin to consciously and deliberately reshape your daily experience of life.""The higher your energy level, the more efficient your body The more efficient your body, the better you feel and the more you will use your talent to produce outstanding results.""The meeting of preparation with opportunity generates the offspring we call luck.""The only limit to your impact is your imagination and commitment.""The path to success is to take massive, determined action.""The secret of success is learning how to use pain and pleasure instead of having pain and pleasure use you. If you do that, you're in control of your life. If you don't, life controls you.""The truth is that we can learn to condition our minds, bodies, and emotions to link pain or pleasure to whatever we choose. By changing what we link pain and pleasure to, we will instantly change our behaviors.""The way we communicate with others and with ourselves ultimately determines the quality of our lives.""There is no such thing as failure. There are only results.""There's always a way - if you're committed.""There's no abiding success without commitment.""To effectively communicate, we must realize that we are all different in the way we perceive the world and use this understanding as a guide to our communication with others.""Using the power of decision gives you the capacity to get past any excuse to change any and every part of your life in an instant.""Want to learn to eat a lot? Here it is: Eat a little. That way, you will be around long enough to eat a lot.""We are the only beings on the planet who lead such rich internal lives that it's not the events that matter most to us, but rather, it's how we interpret those events that will determine how we think about ourselves and how we will act in the future.""We aren't in an information age, we are in an entertainment age.""We can change our lives. We can do, have, and be exactly what we wish.""We will act consistently with our view of who we truly are, whether that view is accurate or not.""What we can or cannot do, what we consider possible or impossible, is rarely a function of our true capability. It is more likely a function of our beliefs about who we are.""Whatever happens, take responsibility.""When people are like each other they tend to like each other.""You always succeed in producing a result.""You see, in life, lots of people know what to do, but few people actually do what they know. Knowing is not enough! You must take action.""You see, it's never the environment; it's never the events of our lives, but the meaning we attach to the events - how we interpret them - that shapes who we are today and who we'll become tomorrow."
Robbins was born in North Hollywood, California in the United States. He later moved to Azusa, California and attended Glendora High School. His height measures at 6'7".
Robbins started his career promoting seminars for Jim Rohn. Robbins says: "My first mentor was a man named Jim Rohn. He taught me that happiness and success in life are not the result of what we have, but rather of how we live. What we do with the things we have makes the biggest difference in the quality of life." Robbins worked for Rohn from the age of 18 to 22 years old and modelled Jimmy Petruzzi NLP Sports Philosophy.
Later Robbins began teaching neuro-linguistic programming (NLP) which he had learned from NLP co-founder John Grinder. In 1983, Robbins learned how to firewalk from Tolly Burkan and he began to incorporate firewalking into his seminars and later began to develop and teach Neuro-Associative Conditioning (NAC).
Robbins has used infomercials to promote his products, seminars and programs. His audio programs, seminars and self-help products feature Neuro-linguistic programming and Ericksonian hypnosis.
Robbins calls himself a peak performance coach rather than a motivational speaker because he believes that peak performance coaching is more effective than temporary motivation.
Despite all his popularity as a speaker and peak performance coach, Tony Robbins is not licensed or certified in any psychological sciences.
Robbins published Unlimited Power with Simon and Schuster in 1987. Robbins books discuss the topics of health and energy, overcoming fears, persuasive communication, and enhancing relationships. One reviewer called the book "uplifting and idealistic."
A critic of his book said it "is too wordy" and "reads like a transcript of a series of talks." Other reviewers dispute the book's originality, pointing to ideological similarities with Maxwell Maltz, Norman Vincent Peale, Napoleon Hill, and Dale Carnegie. Throughout his book, Robbins freely acknowledges his indebtedness to these and other thinkers.
Others have criticized Chapter Ten of the book, "Energy: The Fuel of Excellence." In the chapter, Robbins promotes such ideas as food combining, lymphology, and deep breathing to promote healthy physiology. Robbins also introduces many of the ideas of food combining espoused by Harvey and Marilyn Diamond in their book, Fit for Life. He refers to them as his "former partners". The National Council for Reliable Health Information wrote a critical review of the chapter, stating that his sources were unreliable.
In the book, Robbins shares the story of W. Mitchell, a successful motivational speaker who had undergone serious physical setbacks.
Awaken the Giant Within
In his book Awaken the Giant Within, Robbins says that the difference between NAC and NLP lies in the use of the word "conditioning" instead of the word "programming." The word "conditioning" implies that the subject has greater responsibility for his or her own change, as opposed to being programmed by someone else.
Robbins also conducts seminars, including four-day events such as Unleash the Power Within (UPW), Mastery University,Date With Destiny, and Business Mastery.
During the UPW seminar participants walk barefoot on hot coals at the end of the first evening session. The main point of the seminar is that achieving greatness requires the ability to unleash one's personal power and take action.
The Life Mastery, seminar emphasizes a healthy lifestyle, and has featured guest lecturers such as Deepak Chopra and John Gray.
Date With Destiny, the only Mastery event at which Robbins is present for the entire event, is said to be designed to help participants align their values with their individual goals.
In 1997, Robbins began the Leadership Academy seminar, in which participants learn to "[c]reate an identity for them self as someone who can help 'anyone', no matter what his/her challenge may be."
Robbins has been a featured speaker at several Real Estate Wealth Expos sponsored by the Learning Annex and at the 2007 Technology, Entertainment and Design (TED) conference. Robbins presentation has been ranked as one of the Top 10 TED Talks.
In May 1995, Robbins Research International (RRI) responded to Federal Trade Commission charges of misrepresentation of potential earnings to franchise investors, by agreeing to pay $221,260 (USD) in consumer redress.
Financial seminar guru Wade Cook also sued Robbins for copyright infringement, alleging that Robbins used proprietary terms in his seminars and in his book, Wall Street Money Machine. In 1998, a Tacoma, Washington jury ordered Robbins to pay Cook $650,900 in damages. The order to pay damages was later withdrawn, but the allegations remained.
In his book, Awaken the Giant Within, Robbins recounts meetings with Nelson Mandela, Mikhail Gorbachev, Bill Clinton, Margaret Thatcher, François Mitterrand, and Princess Diana.
In the audio programs Personal Power and Get the Edge Robbins says that celebrities who appeared in his infomercials, did so without compensation. These include Fran Tarkenton, Pamela Anderson, Quincy Jones, Erin Brockovich and Anthony Hopkins.
According to a 1994 article in the New York Times President Bill Clinton invited Robbins, Marianne Williamson and Dr. Steven R. Covey to a meeting at Camp David. However, all parties "refuse to divulge the substance of their meeting with the Clintons".
Robbins has counseled sports professionals such as Greg Norman, Serena Williams, Mike Tyson, Chuck Liddell, Diego Sanchez and Andre Agassi, and sports teams such as the Los Angeles Kings.
Robbins is a member of the Advisory Board of HealthCorps.
In Shallow Hal Robbins appears in a scene with Jack Black in an elevator and Robbins hypnotizes Black in order to change his mental state. Black then sees people's outward appearance based on their inner personality. During the scene, Black refers to Robbins' hands as "banana hands". Robbins' wife Sage, also has a cameo appearance in the movie.
In Men in Black (1997), an image of Robbins and a Robbins infomercial is seen in the background during a tour of the control room used to track aliens living on earth.
In Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 4, Episode 20 "The Yoko Factor", Spike compares The Initiative's creature Adam to Tony Robbins.
Robbins has also appeared on the TV show, The Sopranos.
Robbins is scheduled to appear in an upcoming movie The Singularity Is Near: A True Story About The Future, which is based on the book When Humans Transcend Biology by Ray Kurzweil.
Robbins also appears in a commercial playing in the background during a scene of The Cable Guy.
In the movie About Schmidt, Jack Nicholson is in bed pretending to read Unlimited Power by Tony Robbins.
In the 2004 movie, The Girl Next Door, Tony Robbins can be heard on the stereo of a truancy officer.
In the Family Guy episode, "When You Wish Upon a Weinstein", Peter goes to a Robbins book signing event. Peter introduces himself and Robbins bellows "Tony Robbins Hungry!", proceeding to swallow Peter whole in a manner resembling a snake.
The author of a video game called Shattered Glass says his video character Ratbat is based on Robbins.
In an episode of The Office, Michael Scott mentions that he attended a free event associated with a Tony Robbins course and that he has incorporated a lot of Robbins' ideas into his own motivational course.
When the main character of Up in the Air is invited to speak at a conference, he says that this one is big, "Tony Robbins big!"
Breakthrough with Tony Robbins
In February 2009 NBC announced a new reality series called Breakthrough with Tony Robbins, a reality show that followed Robbins as he helps the show's participants face their personal challenging-abilities. It debuted on July 27, 2010. NBC cancelled the show after airing two of the planned six episodes, due to low viewership.
Robbins is the founder of the Anthony Robbins Foundation, whose self-proclaimed mission is to empower students and prisoners, organize food drives, and fund Robbins'"Discovery Camp." According to the official website, the foundation has "products and programs in more than 2,000 schools, 700 prisons, and 100,000 health and human service organizations." The foundation is said to have inspired groups around the world, who provide baskets of food to two million needy people each year, on Thanksgiving Day.Charity Navigator gives the foundation a rating of three out of four stars.
