Tony Robbins

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This post comes from my slight obsession with Tony Robbins.

If you watch his informercials you may laugh. They’re cheesy, even he admits it. Most educated people brush his ideas of as woo-woo and classify him in the same category as a televangelist. Yet, 30 years later he still relevant and has helped people who are uber-celeberties like Opera, Clinton and various other high profile people. His reputation is so mixed that sometimes he’s not even allowed to mention the high-profile people he works with. 

Is his ‘gift’ of empowerment based in actual physiology or are we indeed being wooed? 

My guess is that it’s probably a mix of both.

Tony Robbins plays on our emotional states. He fires our emotional engines and turns us from a low state of energy to a high one. And, when you’re feeling good, the world is yours! He uses extreme experiential learning to change our behaviours and patterns. Tony’s seminars involve keeping people together for 50 hours and take place with beautiful backdrops like Hawaii. It’s  a turbo charged emotional cleanse! More importantly, for most people it works. Having a overwhelming positive experience can lift even the most troubled spirits. 

The trouble is - like Fox Mulder would say - I want to believe. The people who attend his seminar believe in what he has to offer and are very open to change. In essence, skeptics need not apply. 

Most intellectuals would be able to pick apart his ideas easily. Too simple, too easy.

Here’s the weird thing: He’s still very very popular. So popular in fact that he can still sell out his seminars very quickly. One would think that 30 years later people would wise up to his ways.

Maybe he does have a gift? 

Part of the reason I’m a believer is that I kind of want to be like him. Sure, I don’t think that I’d sell out stadiums, but man I’d love to be a professional speaker like him. To be able to get up and motivate people to greatness is an amazing talent. I’d love to do it.

Is that why everyone loves him? 

No idea, but in the meantime, I’ll keep drinking the kool-aid that is Tony Robbins.