8 Ridiculous Things Said by Tony Robbins Which Don’t Stand Up to Scrutiny
Tony Robbins’ philosophy is high in belief and low in science. That’s typical wishful thinking for you.
If you succeed, it’s proof it works. If you don’t, it’s proof you didn’t try or believe hard enough. In any case, it’s your fault.
To copy Tony’s style of absolute truths that are, in fact, not-so-true, here are eight examples that will change your mind about him forever.
“It is in your moments of decision that your destiny is shaped.”
Habits are what shape us. Moments of decision are overrated and come from the succession of events we call past.
Tony even agrees, “it’s not what we do once in a while that shapes our lives, but what we do consistently.”
And that’s classic. Listen to Tony long enough, and you’ll realize he says everything and the contrary. It’s the best way to be right. Or, to copy his style, “the best way to be right is to be wrong at times.”
“We can change our lives. We can do, have, and be exactly what we wish.”
I see the motivating side of this kind of sentence. But what’s its overall impact? I think it’s toxic. We can NOT do, have, and be exactly what we wish.
I wish I were able to fly.
I wish I were selling dreams to thousands and making millions of dollars from their credulity.
I wish I were a ballet dancer.
To change our lives, we need to acknowledge our limitations. We all have them. Some we share, like the law of physics, and some are individual, like our abilities to dance, sing, write, or recognize patterns and become chess grandmasters.
It’s OK. Limits are inherent to our human condition. Embracing them and finding freedom through these limits is one of the keys to a satisfying life.
“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.”
On the BS scale, this rates higher than my 2020 vintage toilet paper roll business.
While the first part of the advice is good, there are zero guarantees it will bring you to the same place.
I’d like to repeat that.
NO GUARANTEE.
Saying the contrary is a toxic lie.
It’s toxic because of the logical consequences of this affirmation. If one doesn’t achieve the same results, then what? Does it mean they did something wrong and are a failure?
Or could it be they were not as lucky as their model?
“It’s what you practice in private that you will be rewarded for in public.”
It’s a typical example of empty sentences that self-help hustlers continuously churn out.
To have your skills recognized in public by strangers, you first need to practice them alone in private. Mind-blown. What a surprise.
As usual, it also forgets to mention the luck component of every successful path. Practicing in private is a necessary condition. It’s NOT sufficient. It will NEVER be.
And let’s not forget you need to practice something for which there IS a public.
Practicing drinking water while scratching my butt and looking at my cat isn’t going to attract crowds.
“When you are grateful fear disappears and abundance appears.”
NO.
“Success is doing what you want to do, when you want, where you want, with whom you want, as much as you want.”
This definition of success denies the fact we live in a society.
It forgets that other people also have desires. According to this definition, being successful is being an all-powerful tyrant.
I don’t like the way it sounds.
I don’t want my children to live according to this idea. I would rather see them respect others and get respected in return.
And Tony agrees with me: “Don’t try to be Perfect! Just be an excellent example of a Human Being.”
“Hunger is the only differentiation in people; it’s not talent.”
Absolute sentences make for better tweets but are generally false. This one is no exception. Of course, if you’re selling dreams to people, it’s better to make them think they can achieve them.
The reality is different. I’m 5 feet 3 and never had a chance to become the world champion in the high jump. No matter how hungry I was.
It’s the same with chess. I enjoy it very much. But I’m not a hot orphaned chess prodigy and will never beat Magnus.
Let’s do an experiment
“Whatever you hold in your mind on a consistent basis is exactly what you will experience in your life.” — Tony
For the next ten days, I will constantly think of this article getting a boost, 100,000 views, and 500 comments. Let’s see if I will experience it as promised.
More ridiculous life advice:
Sources for the quotes are source 1, source 2, and source 3.
