As a writer and speaker who specializes in personal development and health and wellness content, I’ve spent a lot of time reading the words of wisdom offered by one of the most well-known motivational speakers ever: Tony Robbins.
In fact, I just finished one of his earliest books, Awaken the Giant Within, a few months ago, which happens to be right around the same time my husband surprised me with a ticket to his 4-day event, Unleash the Power Within (UPW).
To say I was excited was an understatement. And while I expected to experience a fair amount of personal growth over the course of this weekend, I was pleasantly surprised with everything I learned about business too.
We Are Only Limited By Our Own Beliefs
I think my biggest take-away is that, if I feel like I’m not reaching my full potential in business, then that’s on me and no one else.
I’ve always been a believer in personal responsibility, but Tony and his team also helped me realize that my thoughts and beliefs play a huge role in how far I am able to go with my career.
Although it is hard for me to admit, I have often felt that I didn’t have enough education to be taken seriously as a writer or speaker. “I just have a bachelor’s degree,” I’d think to myself when considering all of my competitors who have master’s degrees if not PhDs.
I do know that this is faulty thinking because many people have amazing careers who have never seen the inside of a college classroom. Yet, for some reason, I have always held this against myself.
Not anymore.
Yes, I will still get my nutrition certification because 1) I enjoy learning about this topic and 2) I’m more than a third of the way through the course, but I have also made a vow that I will no longer let my education dictate how far I go.
Instead, I will focus on all of the experience I have to offer my client base, which is really quite a bit when I consider all that I’ve done in my 44 years on this earth.
From my 15 years as an Enforcement Officer for the local courts to my time spent as a group leader for one of the most well-known weight loss franchises, I have the knowledge necessary to help others live better and higher quality lives.
Success Isn’t Just About Money or Fame
In reality, I have never been a person who is motivated by money. Yes, I enjoy all that having money has to offer (like security and some nice vacations), but it takes more than earning a high annual income to make me happy.
And while I used to want to be famous, I’ve since changed my mind. After all, do I really want to be bombarded by people everywhere I go? I don’t think so.
What does it take for me to be happy and feel like a true success then?
I never really could answer that question, but now, after these past 4 days, I can. And the answer is fulfillment, continual growth, and feeling like I’m contributing to society.
Life has been lacking for me in these areas lately, which is partially why I was so excited to attend UPW. I wanted to figure out why I’ve felt so uninspired and, perhaps most importantly, how to change it and find my motivation again.
Tony and his team hit the nail on the head when they talked about the importance of being fulfilled. I used to get my fulfillment working in law enforcement, but that has been missing as a writer. Every so often a reader reaches out and tells me that my writings have helped them, but this type of feedback is usually few and far between.
This means that I need to get my fulfillment in other areas, which is a good reason to seek out volunteer opportunities in my area. This one action will also help me with contributing to society, which is something I miss now that I engage in rather solitary work.
Continual growth is something I’ve lacked in lately too, which I now realize is partially why I’ve felt so uninspired. It’s also why I’ve felt better about myself since starting my nutrition certification course. I’ve even started learning Spanish, so I’m growing in a couple areas at the same time.
This alone has done wonders for me, as now I feel less like I am surviving and more like I’m thriving. By constantly taking steps forward, I know that I am headed in the right direction. Speaking of going in the right direction…
Every Little Step Matters
Again, this one isn’t rocket science—keep taking steps forward and you’ll eventually get where you want to go—but it isn’t always easy to remember. There have been many times that I’ve felt like I have to take monumental steps or my effort really isn’t going to matter.
But this 4-day event is all about taking little steps forward, one at a time. This also includes stopping every now and then to consider where you are and, if you’re not where you want to be, taking a moment to think about why.
At UPW, the first step I took was to commit to moving my speaking career from a dream to a reality. It scares me to even write it because it makes it more real, but it excites me at the same time!
I’ve been on the stage many times before and love the energy that exists in a room full of people who want to live better lives. If I could do that for the rest of my career, I would be one extremely happy girl!
The next step isn’t really major either, as I just have to hone in my target audience and message, which I am close to completing now.
Since I’ve always loved learning and speaking about body image, weight loss, and health, these are definitely the routes I want to take. If I could stop people from feeling bad about themselves or hopeless about their physical shape or health, I will feel like I’ve fulfilled my purpose here on this earth.
Even the steps I have to take futuristically are relatively small—reaching out to groups I want to speak to and preparing personalized speeches—so there’s no reason I can’t have a few speaking gigs by the end of the year.
All of these things may seem relatively minor to you, they did to me too. Yet, it took going to a 4-day Tony Robbins event to remind me that my future is squarely in my hands, which, I have to admit, is a super exciting place for it to be!
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