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Tony Robbins sells out; reveals his Paradox of Practice, cringeworthy.

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MJ DeMarco

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I will always have a strong fondness for Tony's old book, Awaken The Giant Within. I learned a lot from it and it is transcendent.

But in today's culture, he's just another duplicitous hypocrite preaching to the plebs how to get rich when none of BS he's spewing is behind his fortune. He made money while he slept because of his business, not because of his Wall Street investments. He sold seminars and books, he didn't buy stocks and wait.

GMA FN BREAK.

Puke-worthy. And yet people will eat it up in droves never spotting the hypocrisy...

Kinda like me writing a book on how to become a wealthy doctor running a medical practice.

Oh really MJ? Did you get rich running a medical practice?

Uh, no.

I like Tony Robbins. I believe that he's a good person with good intentions and that we can learn a lot from him. I learned a lot from him, too.

Having said that, it's funny how much he talks about the limiting beliefs of other people, yet here we have a prime example of a limiting belief coming straight from him.



Yeah, you won't earn your way into a fortune so better just accept your lot in life and save $50 a month for the next five decades of your life while you rot away in your cubicle. (coming from a guy who tells people to raise their standards and strive for more)

Yeah, the only way to make money while you sleep is to earn interest on your interest. Building a business? Nah, who would ever do that? (coming from a guy worth close to a billion owning a truckload of companies)

Wait until you're 65 to achieve what many consider one of the most important pieces of the puzzle to become successful (financial independence). Because who cares about enjoying your life while you're still young, right? (coming from one of the most intense guys in the world optimizing every single aspect of his life, stressing how important it is not to postpone your dreams)

One of the most important tenets of his school of thought is to prime yourself for the day ahead (put yourself in the right mental state to continuously grow in life). Imagine jumping up and down, telling yourself how you're going to crush the day only to go to the office and save $50 a month for the next few decades of your life. What's the point?

I understand why he's saying that. The media wouldn't accept if he gave less generic (but much more useful) advice. He probably wants to help as many people as possible and needs to provide advice—even if flawed—that an average Joe is most likely to act on. Still, he could have at the very least mentioned that there's a different way for those willing to work harder to enjoy a better life now, not when they're 65 (which I assume is his main target audience).

Very poignant. In short, he's duplicitous and hypocritical, endorsing and validating the limiting beliefs of the peasants just so he can tailor a ubiquitous lukewarm strategy that will appeal to the masses.

This is business decision based on market size, pure and simple. Most of the plebs will buy it hook line and sinker, the rest of us know better.
 

Kung Fu Steve

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Alright. I've been called out in private that I kinda posted a snarky a**hole response so allow me to give a more thoughtful response without the sarcastic attitude I normally provide.

Tony Robbins has been the number one success coach on the planet for many years. This is his 42nd year doing what he does.

When you think of the people who have shaped our world... real influencers. People who have built more, gave more, done more, or contributed the most to society -- who do you envision?

Martin Luther King, Jr.? Ghandi? Nelson Mandela? Mother Theresa? Mikhail Gorbachev? Hell, I'd agree with you. Those people shaped generations of people from all walks of life.

Today. Out of who is alive -- who are the greatest influencers? I mean people GENUINELY making an impact on our society, how we think, how we behave, and how much the contribute...

Maybe Bill and Melinda Gates? Richard Branson? Elon Musk? And, of course, Tony Robbins.

Who has had more of an impact on our world TODAY (who is alive) than these people?

Let's step back for a second for those of you who think Tony Robbins is "just some sell-out guru".

You are forgetting these last two books: Money, Master the Game and Unshakeable are side projects of his. The idea was to help the average person protect themselves from people taking advantage of financial ignorance. People who don't understand that for every 1% of fees, due to compound interest, results in almost 10 years of retirement income.

That's some pretty important F*cking information to understand. Financial literacy is everything. Tony also goes on to say that the number one way you're going to thrive (not just survive) is to learn how to build a business and provide more value than anyone else... but as I've been put on the stake for in the past here on the forum -- I have to say it again... if you actually read the book, love it or hate it... you'd know that.

Here's the thing -- headline reading doesn't educate you on the guy's 41 year career.

But let's do some headline reading for a second...

Out of the dozen books that he wrote here are the best sellers:

  • Unlimited Power
  • Notes from a Friend
  • Awaken The Giant Within
And of course, Money: Master the Game and Unshakeable.

His new book on health will more than likely come out at the end of the year.

But F*ck the books. How about audio programs? What he is ACTUALLY known for around the world for the past 40 years...
  • Personal Power
  • The Ultimate Edge
  • Mastering Influence
  • Time of your life
  • The Body you Deserve
  • Creating Lasting Change
  • The Ultimate Relationship Program

Personal Power's infomercial alone was on TV every 30 minutes somewhere in the world for 26 years straight. The greatest selling personal development program of all time. It is still by far the best program Tony has.

How about the live events?

  • Unleash the Power Within
  • Date with Destiny
  • Business Mastery
  • Life Mastery
  • Wealth Mastery

Robbins Research International has literally been the number one personal development business in the category for 40 years... nobody even touches it. Not Mark Burnett's Success Resources. Not Dale Carnegie. Not Ziggy. Denis Waitley. Brian Tracy -- and listen, I F*cking LOVE those guys. None of them have had the impact Tony has. It's not even close.

But how about we get out of the "guru" space... because he's just a guru, right? Has no idea how to run a business?

52 other companies. 6 billion dollars a year in revenue. None of them in the personal development or "guru" space. Actually there's about a 80% chance everyone on this thread is a customer of his, you just don't know he owns the company.

The guy feeds 250 million people per year by himself. He planted 15,000 trees in Africa this year... which if you don't understand the impact, it means that in certain areas that literally takes the local income from $2 per day to $12 per day (yes because of a forest that wasn't there)... He literally bought 1,200 kids to get them out of sexual slavery and started coaching them. His programs are donated to millions of mental health practitioners, doctors, schools, and prisons every single year...

He's put thousands of kids through school... he's purchased stem cell companies to build and give the average person access to health stuff they would never have.

So here's the deal:

Call me a fool if you want. Call everyone foolish.

I'm not trying to convince you by any means. All I'm saying is get your facts straight.

Maybe go out and give some kind of value to this world instead of sitting behind a keyboard and bitching.

There goes my sarcastic attitude again. Almost made it the whole post.
 

Ernman

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Tony Robbins wants you to invest: 'You are not going to earn your way into a fortune'

Michelle Fox | @MFoxCNBC

Published 3 Hours Ago

""You are not going to earn your way into a fortune. Even people that do that don't usually keep it," Robbins said on "Power Lunch." "You have to make money while you sleep."

The only way to do that is by earning compounding interest, in other words, interest on your interest, he explained.

Robbins, a special advisor to CNBC's Financial Wellness Advisory Council, pointed out the benefits in an op-ed for CNBC Invest In You. For example, if a 19-year-old invests $50 a week and averages a 10 percent annual return, he or she will have over $2.2 million at the age of 65.

But even if you are older, it's not too late to get in the game. To have $1 million for retirement, a 40-year-old needs to put away $15,000 a year and a 50-year-old needs $37,000 a year, he said."
_______________
You can't make this sh!t up! I read this interview in the news today. Thank you MJ for articulating the different perspective that so many of us just couldn't put to words. This crap from TR is what I believe for far too long.

Sure hope I didn't cross any lines here, but just about lost it when I saw this article.
 
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Vigilante

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@Kung Fu Steve

I have always had a problem with Dave Ramsey telling people to get rich by putting their money in envelopes, when he got rich selling them books.

I have always had a problem with Suz Orman telling people to delay to retirement until 70, as she wrote that from her retirement villa well below 70. You can't make this shit up.

Tony Robbins telling people to use compound interest to get rich is selling "healthy" ice cream at a beach to fatties and telling them they're making a good lifestyle choice.

F*cking gurus.
 

PureA

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He caters to an audience that isn't you, Mr CEO... He's just trying to help as many people as possible (the mainstream).

For another example check out Mark Cuban's "Guide to getting rich" on youtube.

Would you seek philosophical advice from "the hungry caterpillar"? (kids book).

1. Know where you are at, what are your current problems?
2. Seek advice for that level of problem, from the right people catering to your current level.

Teachers/mentors that served you at the beginning of your journey may well be useless at the latter stages, vice versa.

I have no doubt he is 100% well intentioned. Even bathing in the most cynical of thought, what does he have to gain at this point? Dude is worth $500m+

yes, I'm bias.
 

MTF

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I like Tony Robbins. I believe that he's a good person with good intentions and that we can learn a lot from him. I learned a lot from him, too.

Having said that, it's funny how much he talks about the limiting beliefs of other people, yet here we have a prime example of a limiting belief coming straight from him.

""You are not going to earn your way into a fortune. Even people that do that don't usually keep it," Robbins said on "Power Lunch." "You have to make money while you sleep."

The only way to do that is by earning compounding interest, in other words, interest on your interest, he explained.

Yeah, you won't earn your way into a fortune so better just accept your lot in life and save $50 a month for the next five decades of your life while you rot away in your cubicle. (coming from a guy who tells people to raise their standards and strive for more)

Yeah, the only way to make money while you sleep is to earn interest on your interest. Building a business? Nah, who would ever do that? (coming from a guy worth close to a billion owning a truckload of companies)

Wait until you're 65 to achieve what many consider one of the most important pieces of the puzzle to become successful (financial independence). Because who cares about enjoying your life while you're still young, right? (coming from one of the most intense guys in the world optimizing every single aspect of his life, stressing how important it is not to postpone your dreams)

One of the most important tenets of his school of thought is to prime yourself for the day ahead (put yourself in the right mental state to continuously grow in life). Imagine jumping up and down, telling yourself how you're going to crush the day only to go to the office and save $50 a month for the next few decades of your life. What's the point?

I understand why he's saying that. The media wouldn't accept if he gave less generic (but much more useful) advice. He probably wants to help as many people as possible and needs to provide advice—even if flawed—that an average Joe is most likely to act on. Still, he could have at the very least mentioned that there's a different way for those willing to work harder to enjoy a better life now, not when they're 65 (which I assume is his main target audience).
 

JAJT

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Does anyone else think it's funny that we crap on gurus who don't practice what they preach, yet we praise entrepreneurs who solve problems for others that they don't actually use themselves?

On this forum we tend to see advice and ignore it in favor of criticizing the speaker, yet we see products and services and criticize them for their own merits and quality.

If someone flew to the top of a mountain in 15 minutes, and then built a staircase that would take 10 days to climb, would you condemn the staircase because the builder didn't use it to get to the top? Or would you praise them for offering a slower, safer, easier route for those who won't/can't fly?

Knowledge is knowing that entrepreneurship is one of the fastest and best routes to achieving financial freedom. Experience is putting that into place and making it a reality for yourself. Wisdom is looking back at your journey and understanding that 95% or more of people in this world are incapable/unwilling to replicate the path you just took.

So how does a successful person who took the "hard" path help those 95% who won't follow in their footsteps? Do you ignore them to their fate or do you try to find something they CAN do and are WILLING to do?

To those criticizing Tony here, what financial advice would YOU give to someone who clearly doesn't have what it takes to become an entrepreneur yet also doesn't want to fail miserably in the financial landscape? Would it look something like Tony / Ramsay / Chilton / Orman / Buffet tells those people? Or would it be wildly different?

Don't get me wrong - authors need to be honest about where their wealth came from. If you say that your method is how you got rich, and it isn't - that's 100% wrong. But if you got rich through some other method, and now have the time and insight and connections to help those who can't/won't follow in your footsteps - what's wrong in offering that path, provided you are honest about the time-frames, risk, rewards, etc?

I think we all just need to see the advice that these folks give for what it is - a way to help "average" people go from "nothing" to "something". Maybe these books lay it on a little thick with the upside and don't dive deep enough into the downside, but I don't think we should throw the baby out with the bathwater here. All I'm saying is that if you want to shit on these folks trying to help the average person out there - maybe ask yourself how YOU would offer better financial literacy value to the kinds of people who need this information?
 

MJ DeMarco

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Funny how Tony forgot to mention that his beautiful compound interest strategy can ALSO lose money in your sleep.

When the market is going down, you lose money in your sleep.
When inflation is gnawing at your savings, you lose money in your sleep.


When you own a business, you aren't subject to such whims because you retain control.

The best way to make money while you sleep is to sell dreams and pseudo-science to desperate people in airport hotel ballrooms.

bahahahahaha

All that said, I'm gonna stick around and wait for the Kung Fu Steve lecture in 3... 2.... 1..... I figured a good TR rant would draw him back to the forum like flies to sh*t.
 
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ZCP

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@404profound your mindset is closed. open it. has nothing to do with TR.
Look for help from ALL sources. There is something you can take from everything.
Dude owns 30+ companies and helps millions. Surely there is something you can sift through and find that will help you on your journey......

It would be like me never reading another thing you wrote and thinking everyone that did is a fool......
No. At some point you are going to say something that helps me! Open mindset! :)
 

Not Most People

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Please read this whole thing before/if you respond...

So first off I'll admit that I'm a big Tony guy. Been to a couple of his Unleash the Power Within a couple times even. Like MJ said, Awaken the Giant Within is an incredible book that had a huge impact on me.

However, I don't necessarily have to agree with everything he says and does. I haven't read his most recent books 'Money' and 'Unshakeable' and I don't plan to.

The interesting thing for me is that when it comes to business/finance, Tony on one hand advocates slowlane principles and in the other hand entrepreneurship.

At his events, for example, he talks much more about how he has gained his wealth from owning businesses and that he owns/partially owns 30+ businesses currently. He mentions safeguarding/growing his money through investing, but he never claims that that's where his wealth came from.

He also has 2 business/wealth events/seminars that go into more depth.
They are Business Mastery and Wealth Mastery. (I have not been to either but know many who have)

Wealth Mastery is more in line with his recent books and slowlane investing principles. He brings in big time wall street guys as speakers. He doesn't talk about this program much. Hardly mentions it.

Business Mastery, on the other hand, is made strictly for business owners/entrepreneurs looking to grow/scale/create systems. This is the one he promotes harder. From what I hear, it's a lot of solid principles more in line with fastlane ideologies. He talks constantly about providing massive value. I personally know several entrepreneurs who grew their businesses dramatically after attending business mastery.

As to why he promotes investing so much recently I have a couple theories:
  1. This is the more likely one: He is trying to help people that will never be entrepreneurs - aka the majority of the population - grow their money in some capacity. Investing smartly will still help you grow your money more than saving it. When he says:
    "You are not going to earn your way into a fortune.
    I'm pretty sure he is referring to "earning" as in earning a salary.
  2. He may genuinely believe in parts of it since he has strong connections with both billionaire entrepreneurs and people in finance such as Ray Dalio. He strongly believes in taking advice from people who are the top of their field, so he might be blindly buying in to what the top finance guys are telling him.
I just have a hard time understanding why he would purposely try to dupe people into the slowlane. He doesn't need the money. His most recent investing book, Unshakeable, 100% of the profits go to Feeding America. Also, having been around him (and I know this sounds like crazy blind follower talk), he is one of the best-intentioned people I've come across and wants nothing but good for people. I understand from the outside looking in it sounds like a bunch of b.s., but that's my honest take.

I personally follow him because of his work in relation to practical psychology and will continue to do so. Almost every influencer/author/guru/whatever-you-want-to-call-it has some viewpoint I don't agree with. That doesn't mean everything else they say/do loses validity.
 
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MJ DeMarco

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that would take 10 days to climb, would you condemn the staircase because the builder didn't use it to get to the top?

I see your perspective but I think you're comparing apples to oranges, and on multiple fronts.

First, Tony's audience are not lazy plebs sitting on the couch all day. They are people who want MORE out of life, they want to live dreams, excel, and live financially free. No one listens to Tony because they want to work 50 years and put their entire life savings into the stock market, or with the firms Tony "recommends."

In my case, I was drawn to Tony at a very young age (when most of ya'll where still in grade school) because I felt he could help me live my dream beyond the Scripted BS of work to earn a weekend, invest, repeat.

I wonder...

If I was 20 years old and struggling to find my way, what would I think if I heard Tony spew this crap? Would I be mentally disciplined enough to critically think about it? Considering I held Tony on a pedestal, I might have accepted it as gospel, and that it was the ONLY way to be financially free.

Keep in mind, I listened to Tony (and read his books) because I didn't want to be normal. I wanted MORE than the "work M-F for a weekend and a stable retirement at 65" routine.

I viewed Tony as a medium, an advisor, and a mentor to get out of this trap.

Now he's teaching people how to be normal, ordinary, and no different than the other 1 billion people who think indexed funds are the bees knees. In other words, he's not teaching people to escape the trap, he's leading them into it.

I expected more from someone who is about getting people to live to their MAXIMUM POTENTIAL. Now he's shilling for the LIVE POOR, DIE RICH model, no different than Ramsey or Orman (both, who we can agree, target a mainstream "sit on the couch" audience.)

Now he's preaching standard dogma for people who will live and die a standard life.

It's disingenuous to his audience.

And it would have been disingenuous to a 20-year old me who demanded more out of life.

And I'm damn glad I didn't hear this back then because it probably would have confused me, and perhaps weakened my thoughts on entrepreneurship.

Perhaps Tony's target audience has changed from "live extraordinarily" to "live average" -- if it has, then it all makes sense.

.
.
.

Additionally, I have no problem someone offering a product that they'd never use -- but I would be damn sure it WORKED beyond theories and napkin mathematics, it must work in real life application. But that's not how it's sold. It's sold as foolproof and simplistic when in reality, it's as tough as what we're trying to do here as entrepreneurs. It's as much as a lottery ticket as our entrepreneurial aspirations to be the next Elon Musk.

According to The Boston College Center for Retirement Research, nearly HALF of retirement age people won't be able to maintain their standard of living in retirement. Most of the other half will struggle to get by, leaving, what, 1% who "live the dream?"

Real life has a way of mucking with napkin mathematics calculated in a vacuum. Especially when those napkin mathematics are calculated using variable (and bubble-prone) asset classes like stocks, bonds, or currencies.

For the gurus who preach this stuff, you can bet they're damn happy that the truth needs 3 or 4 decades to reveal itself. By then it won't matter-- they still will be living large at their Hampton summer home or on their private island in Fiji. (Not because of an indexed-fund, but because they sold the *idea* of an indexed-fund.)
 

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@Kung Fu Steve

I have always had a problem with Dave Ramsey telling people to get rich by putting their money in envelopes, when he got rich selling them books.

I have always had a problem with Suz Orman telling people to delay to retirement until 70, as she wrote that from her retirement villa well below 70. You can't make this shit up.

Tony Robbins telling people to use compound interest to get rich is selling "healthy" ice cream at a beach to fatties and telling them they're making a good lifestyle choice.

F*cking gurus.

Retirement? What even is retirement? They tell you to save up for it! Why? So I can be like other miserable retirees? A family member told me I should look at getting an IRA or a 401k... Yeah right.

It is like "the only possible option" for everyone is to one day quit everything and live off savings until they die. Not true.

Building something that exists without your direct effort is always the best answer here.

Every ultra rich individual I know that is either at or past traditional slow lane retirement age is still making millions. Some have passed the direct input on to their children. Others have just kept the system in place that got them there.

Retirement is a joke.
 
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Kung Fu Steve

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@Kung Fu Steve

I have always had a problem with Dave Ramsey telling people to get rich by putting their money in envelopes, when he got rich selling them books.

I have always had a problem with Suz Orman telling people to delay to retirement until 70, as she wrote that from her retirement villa well below 70. You can't make this shit up.

Tony Robbins telling people to use compound interest to get rich is selling "healthy" ice cream at a beach to fatties and telling them they're making a good lifestyle choice.

F*cking gurus.

Yeah, F*ck that guy!
 

MJ DeMarco

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Up to 63 million now

I wonder what number in that 63,000,000 was me? It was probably 1994 ... so maybe 24,254,955th. My feet are still burnt. FN gurus!

63 million fools, impressive

just that they're fools.

C'mon now, even I would disagree with this. And I'm sure most of the forum would too. Despite his recent dive into Slowlane drivel, he has unequivocally helped millions. I was one of them many moons ago...
 
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MJ DeMarco

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does that make him a bad guy?

J-FN-C, In light of the responses here, it's clear I can't disagree with someone's actions or advice (especially the Cult of Robbins) without being lumped in with a whole slew of other strawman arguments that I never made.
  • I never said he hasn't helped millions (hell, I was one of them.)
  • I never said he was a scammer or a bad guy.
  • I never "called anyone out"
  • I never said his exhaustive resume of accomplishments/businesses/book sales was somehow unimpressive, or something to be ignored
  • I never said that "saving money" is ridiculous -- I purport the same thing, just for different purposes.
  • I never said that investing is ridiculous.
  • I never said his body of work, programs, businesses had no merit.
  • I never said his charity work had no merit.
  • I never said Tony Robbins' (and by association, Kung Fu Steve) followers where fools. (I believe someone else said that)
I view his recent lane-change and sell-out into mainstream financial dogma hypocritical and duplicitous.

Simple statement, simple opinion.

Not everyone will agree with it, just like not everyone agrees with what I wrote in my own work.

Clearly the market for average advice targeted to an average audience is much larger than people open to entrepreneurship. So I understand the move; why target an audience that might represent 7% of the population when you can target 100% of it?

Noah Kagan walked out on Tony Robbins:

Why I Walked Out on Tony Robbins
(I didn't read the comments there but I wonder if he was crucified for it?)

I'm walking out on Tony's financial advice, so I'm a bit confused on the reaction here.

Obviously the comment on his follower's being fools doesn't deserve any play, but that seems to be what folks are gravitating to as the central theme of this thread. Some took it personally. Others used it to extrapolate that opinion to the forum itself. Clearly that isn't so.

That said, will I buy anything Tony Robbins related to financial matters? No.

Will I buy something from him related to business building, motivational psychology, breaking mental barriers, etc.? Maybe.

Three weeks ago I did a podcast (before this thread) and was asked to recommend a book for people struggling. I recommended Awaken The Giant Within. If I thought he was a scammer or a "bad guy" (or had no value) why on earth would I do that?

I'm tired of having one statement of opinion...

I view his recent lane-change and sell-out into mainstream financial dogma hypocritical and duplicitous.

raked over the coals as if I'm calling his followers idiots, fools, or whatever. Or as if that opinion represents the entirety of the forum. It's my opinion, and mine only. Some agree, some don't, some are in between.

But Tony helped me!!!! Yea? He helped me too!!!! We can scream and do a power slap together!

Thread closed for I fear by next week someone will imply that the forum has video of TR with underage girls, causing more pearl clutching, more finger-pointing, and more resume reiteration.

I read Money: Master the Game by tony robbins. After I read, i was so motivated to invest into the wall street. And, I opened a brokerage account and invested $$.

That still isn't a bad idea. TR and I just disagree on its purposes. But for life long Slowlaners, there's nothing else unless they win the lottery or get paid a CEO salary.
 

million$$$smile

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One of my top favorite books that resonated with me years ago was "Unleash the Power Within"

I've never been able to finish any of his other books, but that one volume more than made up many, many other publications I've wasted time reading.

I've never (yet) been to a seminar, or really spent time listening to him online,

But,

For that one book, I'm grateful to TR.

It opened my mind a bit more.

And, I'll probably keep an open mind to possibly learn something more from the man.
 
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MrChill

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I have mixed opinions about this. Having not read his books about money (but I can vouch for the quality of Awaken the Giant Within, and Tony's generally excellent insight into human motivation and potential), I'm not a fan of compounding interest when taken strictly at face value.

Maybe Tony even believes that encouraging most Scripted people to save a few bucks and hope for some compounding is the best that they can garner, assuming that most people don't have the guts to be a true wealth (value) generator on the scale that he himself has become.

Considering most people over-extend themselves, Tony's advice, in a vacuum, is certainly better than frittering away your money on meaningless consumerism. Still, investing solely in the stock market isn't a path to true wealth, as was illustrated in Unscripted .
 

G-Man

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The people that go for gurus are indeed fools. But that's only half the story. We're all fools. We all share the same fundamentally flawed mental machinery. If the conditions are right.... If what we're promised is enticing enough... or if what we're trying to avoid is scary enough, we'll believe anything. We'll DO anything.

The reason I'm aggravated at the scene of people fleecing desperate people in airport hotel ballrooms is because I WAS one of those desperate people. I went to the seminars. I even went for religious gurus. I know that I have the same disease as everyone else and, given the right conditions, I would go for it again.
 

Xeon

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The guru network that we see today, spans centuries, perhaps millenniums, even going as far back to the time of the Sumerians, or even earlier. This is TR's lineage:

xxx ---> James Breckenridge Jones (founder of Abundavita, a MLM company) ---> John Earl Shoaff ---> Jim Rohn ---> Tony Robbins

Both John and Jim worked in MLM and have their roots in them.
 
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G-Man

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The best way to make money while you sleep is to sell dreams and pseudo-science to desperate people in airport hotel ballrooms.
 

Joe Cassandra

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I get everyone's frustration with Tony here...but he's doing what any salesman does...

He gives the customer what they want.

MJ's book is better and will make you richer...however...

(and this isn't a knock on MJ)...

Tony's way in his books is much, much easier. Meditate. Passively invest. Etc.

Even more importantly...

(and this is one of the most relevant things to remember if you ever write sales copy or sell something)

People only buy stuff to validate their beliefs. Most people don't believe they can start a business. They've heard all the failure stats and know some pothead kid who's living with their parents after 'starting' a biz.

So, maybe Tony here is simply throwing a 'monkey paw.'

Basically, he's giving them something they're most likely to buy...to then get them in the door and help them with what they really need.

BOTTOM LINE: I follow Tai Lopez, Dan Lok and all of them not because I don't think they aren't a little slimey, but I do get motivated to work harder. That's what I did when I was making 36,000/year. I still do it making multiple 6-figures/year.
 

MJ DeMarco

I followed the science; all I found was money.
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It is always good to see that here at the Fastlane forums, we are so superior to everyone else.

One outlier opinion does not represent the whole.

Could you explain that statement?

Let's hope there isn't an explanation, absolute statements like that ("63 million fools") don't need to be argued because they're ridiculous.
 

Ernman

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After some of the positive things folks said in this thread, I decided to open my mind and read one of his books, Awaken the Giant Within. I can't argue with his motivational message and can see where it would help many. So in fairness to Tony, and as someone stated in this thread, I'll take the good with the bad.

Besides, as I swallow this big helping of humble pie, I was among the slow lane believers most of my life. Were it not for MJ's books, I'd still be stumbling down that road not understanding the mix of emotions an entrepreneur in the slow lanes deals with.
 

Siddhartha

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He sold out since he did money: master the game did he not?
I still remember the promo-blitz he did for the more-recent book unshakeable, with an investment guide he put together "with some of the industry greats" that could beat recessions, allegedly.
 

Vigilante

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Yeah, F*ck that guy!

I thought perhaps my friend could add a little color. I guess there’s nothing to add.

Take the good with the bad. He has impacted positively hundreds of thousands of lives.
 

Kung Fu Steve

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I thought perhaps my friend could add a little color. I guess there’s nothing to add.

Take the good with the bad. He has impacted positively hundreds of thousands of lives.

Up to 63 million now... that's just who has attended events.
 

ZCP

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Don't put words in my mouth. Not saying I'm superior, just that they're fools. If you have a thorn in your a$$, send me a DM.
So you are saying I am a fool? You are saying MJ is a fool? You are saying KungfuSteve is a fool? You are saying all of the 63 million are fools?

Could you explain that statement? How does finding help in something or someone make one a fool?
 

GoGetter24

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Who gives a shit? All the time people waste talking about "dem guruz is bad uh huh!", why? Just ignore them, work like a mule, and focus on getting rich.

As an aside, compound interest does work.
Ingredients:
  • You have a company and you reinvest the profits. For instance, at an average internal rate of return of 20%
  • That company isn't incorporated in some bloodsucking western shitdump taxing you 1/3 corporate, and 1/2 anything you take out
Easy when you know how (and work like a mule)
 
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