3 Takeaways from Awaken the Giant Within by Tony Robbins

Awaken the Giant Within by Tony Robbins | ProductiveandFree
 

When talking about the personal development industry, one of the names that usually pop up is of Tony Robbins. 

It's no secret that people seem to be on opposite sides of the spectrum, but there's no doubt that for more than four decades now, he's been influencing lives all across the world through his popular audio tapes, booked-out seminars, and bestselling books. 

Sometime last year, a feature documentary film was even released on Netflix entitled, "Tony Robbins: I am Not Your Guru" which showcased Date With Destiny, one of his sought-after events in Florida. This prompted me to see what he's more about and to pick up Awaken the Giant Within, a book he released in 1991 but still ranks high in lists of most recommended self-help books. 

If you're curious to know "how to take immediate control of your mental, emotional, physical and financial destiny," then this book is for you.

Here are my 3 Takeaways:

 

01. TRUE Decisions are the pathway to power

At the core of most personal development books, you'll notice that the authors always touch on the power of decision, and it's especially prevalent in ATGW.

This book emphasizes the power you and I have to choose what to focus on at any given moment, what meaning to associate to certain events, what should take up our time and eat up our energy, and even what kind of future we will create and experience.  

He even mentions his "Ultimate Success Formula" and it goes as follows:

  1. Decide what you want

  2. Take action

  3. Notice what’s working or not

  4. Change your approach until you achieve what you want

Robbins also makes a critical distinction between being interested in something and being committed to something. The latter, which he calls "true decision," means dedicating all our efforts towards achieving a result and not settling for any other possibility.

In terms of our fear of making bad decisions, Robbins simply suggests making more and more decisions. By doing this, we'll get better at decision-making since "repetition is the mother of skill."

While our decisions may be influenced by our environment, references, belief systems, and other factors, you and I ultimately have control over the words we say, the thoughts we accommodate, the questions we ask, the metaphors we use, the persons we become, and even the quality of our lives. 

 

02. We're driven to avoid pain and gain pleasure

Robbins highlights two factors that drive all our decisions, actions, and responses: pain and pleasure. 

As humans, we're deeply driven to avoid pain and to gain pleasure, but we should be wary of what we actually associate with either one and which side outweighs the other.  

For example, some people link exercise with pain (sore muscles, sweating, tiredness, discomfort, etc.) and so this is why they avoid it. But for others, exercise is associated to endorphins, energy, and focus; therefore, they consciously make it a habit. 

The author also mentions that in order to change or improve, we should constantly evaluate the activities we link to pain and to pleasure so that we could condition our thoughts and behaviors.

Unless we direct our own pain-pleasure associations, it's as if we're in the same boat as animals and machines which don't have the same faculties as we do. We might even fall prey to others looking to influence us for their own benefit.

03. Commit to constant and never-ending improvement

Based on kaizen or the Japanese philosophy of continuous improvement, Robbins come up with the acronym CANI which stands for Constant and Never Ending Improvement. 

It means exactly what it says — devoting ourselves to accomplishing our goals and working on all aspects of our lives through small but consistent action steps. 

If you want to create lasting change, you must:

  1. Raise your standards

  2. Change your limiting beliefs

  3. Change your strategy (to gain emotional mastery, physical mastery, relationship mastery, financial mastery, and time mastery)

If you want to be successful, make it a habit to set goals. He adds, "Setting goals is the first step in turning the invisible into the visible—the foundation for all success in life."

If you want to lead a life of quality, ask quality questions on a regular basis.

Lastly, Robbins introduces the "Master System" which includes the following:

  1. Your core beliefs and unconscious rules

  2. Your life values

  3. Your references

  4. The habitual questions that you ask yourself

  5. The emotional states you experience each moment

While some step-by-step solutions presented in the book seem to overlap, it's important to derive the context of those steps based on what you're working on right now. Take note that the author may have done this intentionally to reinforce the lessons and encourage us to take action immediately anyway. 

Certainly after reading the book, I realize why Awaken the Giant Within appeals to so many people even after almost three decades. It's insightful, persistent, and motivational — just how self-help books are designed to be. 

 

Share in the comments below: What did you find most useful from this article/book? If you've read this book, what are your 3 takeaways?

Want to read this book yourself?

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3 TAKEAWAYS

Since one of the best ways to improve ourselves is to commit to continuous learning, this post is part of the blog mini-series called 3 Takeaways where I share three insights from thought-provoking leaders, books, and podcasts on a monthly basis. 

My purpose initially was to simply read more books, but the learnings were too valuable to keep to myself. My goal has since been to share the vital lessons that will help you be productive and free.