Awaken the Giant Within by Tony Robbins – Book Summary

Ready to learn the most important takeaways from Awaken the Giant Within in less than two minutes? Keep reading!

Why This Book Matters:

In another life-changing masterpiece, author Tony Robbins outlines clear steps to harness the power of your emotions and build the destiny that you want.   

Key Takeaways:

1. Fully commit to each decision you make to change your life
   1. How you frame your goals has a powerful impact on your commitment to them.
   2. Example: Saying “I will stop smoking by the end of this year,” will foster more commitment than saying “I’d like to stop smoking.”
2. Use pleasure and pain influences to change your habits permanently
   1. Associate new positive habits with a pleasurable experience, and use unpleasurable experiences to deter negative habits you’re intent on removing from your life.
   2. Example: You could force yourself to sing the most annoying song out loud anytime you eat chocolate, no matter where you are, to avoid eating chocolate altogether.
3. Evaluate, and if necessary, change your belief system to change you
   1. How you view the world dictates your ability to feel satisfied with your life, so take the time to evaluate how your belief system has shaped who you are.
   2. Example: A sixty-year-old who feels that death is around the corner will be much less happy with their life than a sixty-year-old who has appreciated each day of life thus far.
4. Use transformational vocabulary to influence your outlook
   1. Strengthen positivity by using strong words to describe positive emotions and minimize negativity by selecting neutral words for negative experiences.
   2. Example: Instead of saying “I feel happy today,” say “I’m feeling totally elated.” Instead of saying “I feel horrible about last night,” try saying, “Last night was concerning.”
5. Determine the best question to ask before seeking the answer
   1. The quality of questions you ask yourself directly impacts your happiness.
   2. Example: Asking “why does this always happen to me,” at each bump in the road reinforces a negative outlook. Instead, ask, “What’s the cause and how can I avoid it next time?”
6. Live by a set of realistic life rules to achieve happiness
   1. If your rules depend on other people, you may live in constant disappointment.
   2. Example: “Having a friend who supports me by keeping in contact with me regularly will make me happy,” can only be effective if you communicate that with your friend.
7. Determine the true root of your emotions to harness them when necessary
   1. Finding the cause of your feelings instead of generalizing them into a “mood” will put you in the right mental place to use transformational vocabulary to move past it.
   2. Example: You realize you feel sad because you’ve been spending too much time working. You remedy it by calling your best friend to get together.
8. Contribute to society, even in the smallest way, to effect positivity in your life
   1. Taking small steps to make a positive change for yourself often has an echoing effect.
   2. Example: Even a small action to help someone else can have a powerful impact.

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