How motivated do you need to be as a person to be a motivational speaker? Swallow that pill next time you can’t get to sleep. 
That question was just one of the copious amounts of goodness flying through my brain when I watched Tony Robbins’ speech (added below) from the TED conference. TED (Technology, Entertainment and Design) is an invitation-only event where the world’s leading thinkers and doers gather to find their muses, motivation, and inspiration.
Tony Robbins was asked to give a 20min presentation to address this audience. This is the first time I’ve actually seen Tony Robbins in action outside an infomercial. Usually Robbins enters my life by accident at 430am as I’m simultaneously trying to watch Lethal Weapon 4, an episode of Married with Children, and Night Eyes 4. But in those infomercials he’s just yelling a lot, speaking to the camera, and in my opinion, taking precious seconds away from me watching gratuitous violence or Kelly Bundy.
But this time (pre-midnight) I happened to be looking for seminars or conferences I could attend for a topic I’m currently looking to learn about; and in my web travels I came across the TED conference and this amazing Tony Robbins clip. I was personally blown away by his presentation. Not just his energy and relationship with his audience, but by his clear logic, simple reasoning and ability to communicate his vision into your personal environment.
I recommend anyone looking for inspiration or motivation for ANY aspect of your life, check out this clip. The message is easily pliable to fit into any circumstance. Its fantastic. And aside from the content itself, there’s a few minutes when Tony Robbins interacts with Al Gore that is simply brilliant and absolutely HILARIOUS.
Please, take 22min and watch this clip. Then come back here, and let me know what you thought.
AMAZING! I can’t say that I’ve ever seen Robbins outside of an infomercial myself but, after watching this I’m certainly intrigued. What I think I can relate to the most, is the focus on the emotional response that we all have. I know that the decisions I make in my life are all based on how and what I feel. Everything I say and do is an emotional repsonse to the world around me. Some may think that this is ludicrous, I think it’s honest. I react. I feel. I respond. I will tell you exactly how I feel and why I feel it. Robbins made a point that struck very close to home. He said, and I’m paraphrasing here, that we feel the most when confronted by death. I lost a friend this week; he died suddenly last Sunday. I’ve spent the last week mourning the loss of a man I loved and cherished as a true friend. But I think the point is that I felt many things and that these emotions drive me. They drive me to love more, share more, and appreciate the little time that we have together. Also, I think that the idea that what we give back fulfills us, is very true. I’m proud to say that I too have shared the experience of providing meals for families during the holidays, and have given my time to ensure that a child receives a toy at Christmas. When I give back in this way, I feel…and isn’t that the point?
Really sorry to hear you losing your friend. I hope you’re doing alright. I guess the silver lining is that at least your friend’s passing is affecting you in productive ways. It really is too bad that is takes such drastic events to change us, or even lead us towards change. Because as House says, “People don’t change”, and though I don’t see that as an absolute truth, there is a lot of sense behind it.
As for Tony Robbins, I really enjoy his view on motivation. Its not that anyone can be motivated by some cut and paste method but each of us have different motivators inside of us that dictate which directions we choose, and I think its finding those motivators and pushing those buttons more often that Robbins used to help people succeed in whatever aspect of their life that they’re lacking.
That’s great about giving to families for the holidays, I applaud you for that. Let me know if you are doing it again this year and I just may join you.
You are totally going to regret offering your time to me because I WILL hold you to it. Last Christmas I convinced Char to do the stocking stuffing night with me and my parents. It was fun, and now that she’s done it once, she’ll NEVER get out of it…plus, I know where she lives.
If you read my last line it says “I just MAY join you”, that one word is my rip chord if I decide to pull the chute on the whole thing. muhahahaha