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Summary: Helped me overcome my limiting beliefs
Review: Tony Robbins has certaintly written an outstanding albeit controversial book in this great work-Awaken The Giant Within. This is a huge book and I can certaintly understand the difficulty that some people may have in accepting why Tony teaches. In particular, changing your belief systems.Tony talks about w. Mitchel in Unlimited Power (his first book) and on some of his tapes. Mr. Mitchel (for those of you who don't know the story) was scarred and nearly killed in an accident. While recovering in the hospital he became attracted to a beautiful nurse. Everyone told him he wasn't being realistic. He was scarred and ugly. She was beautiful. NO WAY it could happen. No way? That is why the couple married a few years later. Oh, Mitchel was also crippled and confined to a wheel chair. How would he find find and support himself? While people concieved W. Mitchel as a crippled (and so did Mitchel initially) W. Mitchel changed his beliefs about himself and went on to become a millionaire. Teachers told Beethoven that he was hopeless as a composer. Thomas Edisons teachers told him he was too stupid to learn anything. Leo Tolstoy, author of War and Peace was told he couldn't learn. Albert Einstein didn't speak untill he was four and didn't read untill he was 7. His teachers called him mentally slow. Enrico Caruses teachers told him he had no voice at all and could not sing. Michael Jordans basketball coach told him he had no talent to play basketball. Was too clumsy. Arnold Schwarzeneggar was told by his first bodybuilding coach that he didn't have the genetics to be a competitive bodybulder. Many years later talent scouts told Arnold that he would never make it in the movies. And that told that to Clint Eastwood and Burt Reynolds too. The point is that all of these people changed their belief system and went after what they wanted. Had they listened to the "experts", where would they be today? And what about the author himself Tony Robbins who created a personal development and nutirtional empire and saw it come crashing down. Achieved financial success and was later living in a small 400 square foot apartment washing dishes in his bathtub. Of course we now know that he turned that all around and now lives in a castle. Perhaps the best reference of all is from the bible Mark 9:23
"If thou canst believe all things are possible to him that believeth." It doesn't say talk to a psychologist and get tested
first. It doesn't say that if your name is W. Mitchel and get scarred and crippled you can't make it. It doesn't say if your teachers tell you that you can't make it. It says "all things are possible to him that believeth." So if you don't want to believe Robbins, then at least believe The Bible-The Word of God. Helen Keller says; "better to be blind than to be able to see and not have vision." Too many people are thinking of ways it won't work. And while they are doing that, guess what? People are making it work! Awaken The Giant is not just a "feel good" punp you up program. You hear about "stinkin thinkin", "hardening of the attitudes", " a check up from the neck up" or other ridiculous maxims that make you feel good but do you no good. Instead you will learn real life changing strategies. You'll learn how to develop a new set of beliefs that will guide your emotions and behaviors in the direction of your dreams so that the changes you make are lasting. That said, there is no reason to make Tony Robbins your only source of education. putting FIRST THINGS FIRST I recommend that you read The Bible daily. Expecially the book of proverbs.
Then I would also recommend 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Dr. Covey. And I also recommend Million Dollar Habits by Brian Tracy. These books will help you acquire the tools to create the success you so richly deserve. Good luck in pursuing your dreams.
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Summary: First Things First : know yourself well before proceeding !!
Review: Here is a book that is predicated on a somewhat Aristotelian concept of the Potential Self. Robbins posits that there is a Potential Self for each of us that is far greater than our presently experienced Actual Self. What he doesn't say, nor does he appear inclined to say, is that this could be true, however the Potential-Actual Self gap varies dramatically from person to person. This poses difficulties for those who are feeling around for the outlines of their true Potential Selves from the relative smallness of their Actual Selves. Robbins' suggestions in this book will probably be most effective for those who have a firm, realistic grasp on who they actually are, what their limitations consist of, and what the opportunity costs of transcending said limitations will likely be. Try as most of us might, and believe with all our hearts, it is most doubtful that we will morph into a Richard Branson, a Mohammed Ali, a Barry Diller, a Sean John Combs, a Bill Clinton,
a Bono, or a Brittney Spears.... nor, once we fully understood the costs that these luminaries had to pay for their greatness, would we necessarily want to. The question hinges then on how well we do know ourselves, and perhaps more challenging to our self fantasies, how willing we would be to see ourselves as others see us, to have a significantly objective evaluation of our strengths and weaknesses put before us in an undeniable way?? Such is the hard path that a minority is inclined to follow. For whatever it is worth, the genetic lottery is still the number one game in town. Some of us will have more grace, some will be beautiful, some mediocre, some seriously flawed. Life will be easier for one person than it is for another. Those who have first come to terms with those limits may be in the best position to transcend them as they may make the best evaluation of how much effort, how much time, how great a portion of their mental life will be consumed in the quest. What percentage of the readers of Awaken The Giant have contacted a first rate testing service and had psychological and aptitude profiles run on them, spoken with a qualified psychologist or counsellor about their strengths and weaknesses,
compared their temperaments to their goals to see if they are suitably matched ? 1% maybe ? .1% more likely.... All that said, if you have done the prerequisite groundwork, you have a realistic assessment of who you are and how great the Potential-Actual Self gap is in your specific case, you could possibly derive great value from this book by Mr.Anthony Robbins. Tony might come back and say that this personal realism is nothing more than a self limiting belief that you must get out of your head at once if you are to awaken the giant within. I would say in reply that Tony couldn't be more wrong. One of the most liberating pieces of self knowledge one can have is to know one's natural limits and do one's best being what one can be, instead of burning endless hours, hopes, and dollars trying to be what one cannot possibly be. As samuel Johnson said, no man is so ridiculous as when he attempts to be what he cannot possibly be. Of course, there is always the other side of the argument. One could also be saddled with falsely limiting beliefs as to who one is, how far one might go, what the world has to offer, how one can maximize ones gifts and minimize one's weaknesses. To add to the frustration, but hey, this is life we're talking about, many of us overestimate ouselves in some areas and underestimate ourselves in others. Massive egotists are stuck with a heavy dose of overestimation, depressives with a massive dose of underestimation. For the majority of us, we're like wheels that are out of balance, a little too much here, not quite enough there. I would definitely consider Tony's thoughts, techniques, and so on, useful steps in direct proportion to one's self knowledge. With the lack of self knowledge, they may lead to a state of dissatisfaction. Why isn't this working for me ??? If it is working for you, congratualtions, you've done your homework and you can put the tools to good use. If it isn't working for you, move back a step, get to know yourself and where your head is at for real, then try again.
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Summary: Groundbreaking material
Review: If you have read any of the other PMA books or purchased other tape programs, they all more or less say the same thing. Zig is very entertaining with his "stinkin thinkin" and "a check up from the neck up" dogma. But let me ask you a question: after listening to his tapes or going to his seminars, did anything really happen? I find many people come out of a rousing motivational seminar only to say; "Now what the heck am I supposed to do." This is were Anthony Robbins is different. Mr. Robbins has taken the best of the motivational programs and combined it with the science of NLP to create NAC (Neuro Associative Conditioning) and then there is Robbins powerful presence. I have cracked open one of his tapes at a time when I didn't feel much like doing anything and within minutes felt like I needed to run around the block. The man is motivating to say the least. The key though is his NAC system which conditions you for success. Like physical training you add resistance and increase the intensity to achieve your goals. The first thing I did was flatten my flabby decision making muscles, learned how to make decisions, quickly and effectively. I learned the pleasure/pain principle and why I wasn't getting results because I associated more pleasure to other things that were interfering with my success and pain to actually doing it. Case in point was speaking in front of a group. This always terrified me. But after taking Robbin's training I overcame this fear by associating more pleasure to doing it than to not doing it. I looked at all that I would gain and all that I was losing by not speaking. I also used the scramble technique, anchors and swish patterns. As I said in the heading, ATG is groundbreaking work. Many of the other programs are merely "feel good" type programs that have an effect similiar to a hot shower--it doesn't last. Robbins NAC program does last. I highly endorse and recommend ATG and any other book or tape program by Robbins that you can get your hands on. Tony is the best.
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Summary: Awaken the Giant YOU within YOU
Review: Yes---there is a sleeping giant inside each of us. We all have untapped potential. According to research people we condier successful are only using 10% or less of their potential. Whatif you could tap into the other 90%? And wht of people who haven't even touched that first 10%? Awaken the Giant has many of the same exercises and techniques that Tony teaches at his $650 seminars and in his $209 personal power program. Awaken the Giant will show you how to tap into that inner giant that has been sleeping all this time. Awaken the Giant will help you unleash the greatness within you. For me, I found the chapter on asking myself questions particularly helpful and a great way to start and finish my day.
MANAGING my state instead of letting it be managed by cirumstances was a tremendous help. I use to get bothered by those people that cut me off in traffic then I realized that they are supposed to do that--they're called highway cutter offers. I used to think that liars shouldn't lie. Of course they should--that is why they are called liars. The chapter on goal setting was very helpful and a step up from other books on goal setting that I have read. Learning to use swish patterns effectively also lead to dramatic and rapid changes in behavior for me. I liked Unlimited Power and I like Awaken The Giant even better. Great book. Highly recommended for those who want to achieve the best out of life.
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Summary: while yer at it, read The Power Of Negative Thinking by....
Review: Gerald Amada.... I studied with the same guys that Tony studied with and a whole lot more to boot. Did all the Erhard based trainings. Tony doesn't necessarily have more skills or more raw I.Q. than a lot of the originators, he is a lot prettier, has more stamina, and the man knows how to work the stage with the best of them. Go for it if you think it will help you make your way through life more elegantly. It may, it may not. Be smart. Consider the other side of story. Negative thinking is a survival necessity. The more Tonified you get yourself, the more you need to balance your scales. Learn about making a useful alliance with your negative thinking. Positive needs Negative, Negative needs positive.... Like, what is the sound of one hand clapping? Nothing. Doh.
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Summary: One of the best books on self development
Review: This is the second book on self help that I had read with some interest after Nepolean Hill's "Think and Grow Rich". While I cannot claim that this book has changed my life completely, it has definitely helped me become a better person than I was by making certain small adjustments in my life, like re-analyzing my goals, values and rules; being conscious of the type of questions I tend to ask when faced with problems and adversity, or my belief system etc. The book also has a lot of quotations and anecdotes that I found very motivating. I do have reservations about certain sections of the book dealing with Neuro Associative Conditioning (NAC), but overall I found this to be a very helpful book and highly recommend it to anyone who is willing to improve the quality of his/her life.
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Summary: The Best - The King of Personal Develpment
Review: No one in America knows more about personal achievement and creating true success than Tony Robbins. Awaken The Giant Within is packed with scientificaly sound principles and techniques. This book is a blueprint on how to run your brain and achieve maximum success in every area of your life.Page after page. Chapter after chapter is packed with information that will help you create immediate and permant change.
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Summary: A great book by Robbins
Review: Awaken The Giant is a great book by Mr. Robbins. If you haven't guessed, this book is a condensed version of his popular
"Personal Power" program with transcripts of Power Talk. Robbins did not invent NLP and NAC is just another name for NLP brewed out of the legal battles Robbins had with the NLP organization. That aside, the information in this book really works. For the sake of argument, I will use NLP/NAC interchangedably be cause they really are one and the same. NLP is the new science of personal achievement and delivers results fast. For me, just using anchors and swish patterns made a tremendous difference in my sales career. As Robbins indicates, you cannot just use these techniques once and forget about them. Even after they are installed, they must be practiced, although less frequently. For me, installing anchors and using the swish patterns were very effective and realtively long lasting, but eventually the effects went away...untill I re-installed them and practiced them. No, Robbins did not invent NLP but he did the most to popularize it. Let's at least give him credit for that. And Tony has impacted the lives of a lot of people. I recommend Awaken The Giant even if you don't particularly like Robbins. Listen to the message and forget the messenger. Whatever works! NLP sure works. Give it a try. Also recommend Unlimited Power and Lessons in Mastery and SuperSelf by Charles Givens.
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Summary: Tony Robbins hungry
Review: Tony Robbins hungry!
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Summary: Reading doesn't change you -- changing changes you
Review: I think this is one of the best books written on the mechanics of personal change. I bought this in 1993 -- read the chapter on power words and then put it down. 5 years later it dropped off the bookshelf and I read it through -- energized by the concepts within. 5 years later I am again working with Tony's material. The question is "Why did I wait so long?" Perhaps one has to be ready to take advantage of the tool. Look at all the people who are still alcoholics even though AA has been in existance since the early 1930s. And AA is FREE! This goes straight to the heart of Tony's argument that we are all motivated by pain and pleasure. Alcoholics don't go to AA because in their perception IT IS MORE PAINFUL TO QUIT THAN TO KEEP ON DRINKING. Tony didn't invent the basic NLP concepts in this book -- Bandler and Grindler did in the late 70s. It was nothing short of a breakthrough in understanding how our minds work. It is interesting to me that NLP has not gotten more press because clearly it is a breakthrough in helping people change. There are perhaps smarter NLP people than Robbins. I would consider Tad James a genius in this genre as he invented some of the theory. Robbins' genuius is PACKAGING NLP in a way that the masses could quickly understand and relate to, not just "experts." The swish techniques mentioned need to be done repeatedly. They are not a quick fix. Do you learn to play the piano by playing scales once? Do you get good at a sport by doing it once or once in awhile? It is the same principle. You are "conditioning" yourself to get your outcome good or bad. The techniques used to condition new behavior need to be repeated. Sorry you people out there who don't want to work for what you get in life. In case you didn't get it yet ALL ACHIEVEMENTS IN LIFE REQUIRE REPEATED EFFORT OVER TIME. This book is chockful of useful techniques that work. The good news is that ANYONE CAN DO THEM BUT NOT EVERYONE WILL. I am neither a robbins cultist nor a skeptic. I respect hard work and perseverance. I do not respect people who are too lazy to write their own books or try to better life for others -- and trash the good works of others to make themselves feel better
(AH ANOTHER PLEASURE MOTIVATOR!)about what THEY ARE NOT ACHIEVING IN THEIR OWN LIVES. The bottom line is -- if you are interested in change, buy this book. But realize that you may have to try again and again before you get successful. Remember Edison tried 10,000 times before he found what made electricity work. Where would we be if he gave up at 9,999?
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