I remember exactly where I was when it happened.
On my way to Las Vegas, I popped in a Tony Robbins tape from his Personal Power series.
Tony Robbins is a hugely successful motivational speaker, trainer and writer. If you have a million dollars, he’ll give you his private number and you may call him 365 days a year for a private coaching session.
People either love him or hate him. Those who hate him are usually put off by his hyped up, in your face presentation style. Those who love him are pumped up by his towering presence and contagious enthusiasm, whether it’s on CD, during a live seminar or on TV.
Robbins built his career on the study of success. Following in the footsteps of NLP-creators Bandler and Grinder, he developed a toolbox based on what he called Neuro Associative Conditioning (NAC). It’s a mix of positive attitudes, beliefs and strategies that help people design and live the life they’ve always dreamt of.
MODELING THE MIND
At the basis of NLP and NAC is the process of modeling. I’m not talking about the catwalk in Milan, but about the study of exceptional people: business tycoons, sports icons, therapists, artists etcetera.
The idea is that these people -in order to achieve something extraordinary- have set themselves up for success. They have carefully (and often unconsciously) conditioned themselves to accomplish astonishing things. Modeling is all about uncovering and learning from what goes on behind the scenes: what instructions do these people give their brains and bodies?
Take Steve Jobs, Richard Branson or Oprah Winfrey. None of them seemed to be destined for greatness. Jobs was given up for adoption by a Syrian Muslim. Branson suffers from dyslexia and was academically challenged. Winfrey was born into poverty to a teenage single mother and raised in an inner-city neighborhood.
Look at what they have accomplished!
What is the secret to their success? Is there a recipe? Can it be broken down into bits and pieces and taught to mere mortals such as you and me? Robbins believes it can be done, and one of the key ingredients of this recipe for success can be captured in a single word:
M I N D S E T
You might not be able to choose the cards life has dealt you, but at least you control how you approach and play the game. Your mindset is the filter through which you look at reality and interpret what it means to you and which actions to take.
A mindset is not something you were born with that operates outside of your awareness. A mindset is a choice. You determine whether the glass is half empty or half full. Not your mother or father or teacher or upbringing or education or race or any set of circumstances.
What separates Winfrey, Branson and Jobs from the rest, is a foundation of empowering beliefs.
An empowering belief is the difference between looking at the world in terms of problems or in terms of opportunities.
An empowering belief is the difference between looking at obstacles as roadblocks or as stepping-stones.
An empowering belief is the difference between “I’ll never be able to do it” and “Yes I can!”
WHAT DRIVES YOU
As I was cruising through the dry Nevada desert, Robbins talked about another powerful principle he had modeled. Whether in sports, politics, business or in the entertainment industry, all leaders had this in common: they knew the difference between being interested and being committed.
The interested person is merely exploring options.
The committed person is going for it.
The interested person says: “I’d like to,” “I’m thinking of,” “It would be nice…”
The committed person says: “This is my path,” “This is my passion,” “Nothing can stop me.”
The interested person reactively responds to opportunities.
The committed person pro-actively creates opportunities.
The interested person is not invested in the outcome.
The committed person does whatever it takes to achieve the outcome.
The interested person is conditioned to “trying”.
The committed person is conditioned to “doing”.
The interested person always has reasons.
The committed person has results.
STOP WHINING
When I look at my own voiceover community, I hear a lot of whining and complaining about how hard it is to break into the business and earn a living. Reading between the lines, I notice an undeserved sense of entitlement and lack of respect for what it takes to make it. Sorry folks…
There are no silver platters, silver bullets
or golden shortcuts to the top
It comes down to this: what are YOU willing to DO to build a solid career and live a meaningful life?
Are you merely interested or are you truly committed?
Of course you’re entitled to your hopes, your dreams and aspirations. Don’t let me take them away from you. But it’s up to you to make them a reality.
It’s nice to be ‘interested’ in something and fantasize about your future. I’m all for creative visualization. But without ACTION a dream will always be a dream; something you intend to do… one day. And you know what they say about the road that’s paved with good intentions.
According to Robbins, successful role models know how to turn those intentions into a ‘magnificent obsession’. They channel their energy and focus it like a laser beam. To the rest of the world, it looks like these people are working their butts off, but to them it doesn’t even feel like work. They’re having the best time of their life!
Committed people don’t let things happen. They make things happen.
Committed people don’t complain about something. They do something about it.
Committed people don’t quit. They learn from experience and move on.
Commitment is a solemn agreement you make with yourself to do everything it takes to achieve a goal, and then some.
STARTING OVER
If you’re sick and tired of all the excuses and rationalizations, the if’s, the but’s and the maybe’s… perhaps you are ready to commit yourself and decide that your time has come.
If that’s the case, I have a question for you. Don’t answer it until you have fully considered it.
What’s the one thing you can do today, to show the world (and yourself) that you’re truly, madly and deeply committed?
Use the Power of Now and DO IT.
For losers, there’s always “tomorrow”.
This moment is yours, today.
Embrace it and hold on to it, for the rest of your life!
Paul Strikwerda ©2011
www.nethervoice.com
PS Be sweet, please retweet!
About the author
“Those things you dwell upon the most will surely come upon you.” That quote is often attributed to Buddha.
It’s not quite true.
“Positive thinking without positive action ain’t nuttin’ but happy horse manure.” That quote is often attributed to me.
BTW – What’s this commentluv thing? Are you trying to steal our identities or something?
Thanks Paul. A very interesting article to read and one with which I am in total agreement. It’s how I focus and handle my life and encourage others to, as well.
This is great Paul, I’m a great fan of Tony Robbins, Morning Coach and other positive-thinking, inspirational people and books. I found your blog today via a friend on FBook, and I’m glad I did. I shall re-read it and take the contents to heart and put them into action.
Can I reprint this blog on my blog, with credit to you and your URL of course! Thanks.
Cheers!
Hi Paul,
Kudos! Another great and timely post. I was just reading posts on a forum from voice talents who were complaining that they “hadn’t landed any jobs in the first month of auditioning…” and “how can I afford to get training when they are living paycheck to paycheck.”
Can you think of any other business endeavor that requires no training, no effort nor investment? Me neither. And VO is no exception.
“Excuses Be Gone!” (a terrific book by Dr. Wayne Dyer) is also an inspiration and is now my personal mantra!
Thanks, Lori
http://www.lorifurth.com
Hello my friends, I just came back from Faffcon in Harrisburg, Pa. That’s the voiceover unconference you might have heard of.
Thank you for your overwhelming response. I promise to get back to you as soon as the new week has started.
Paul,
Thank you so much for sharing these thoughts. It appears that many, including me, really needed this motivation. I will happily tweet this post and I look forward to future words of wisdom that inspire action.
Best,
Tonya
http://www.WorldFootprints.com
I am in awe that you would mention my name together with these great thought-leaders of today, Debbie. It’s a huge compliment! Thank you for that gift!
Hey Julie, thanks for visiting Double Dutch! True commitment results in a tremendous drive to get things done and continued growth. A purposeful life is also a balanced life, and it’s good to pay attention to outside signals. Ultimately, work -no matter how great- is just a means to an end.
Thank you so much for sharing that inspirational story, Cliff. Sometimes you just know where you are meant to be and you’re willing to do everything it takes to turn a dream into reality.
No job is ever a small job and everyone is important. By cleaning toilets, your career effectively started in a Hollywood bowl
It has been said that if you can conceive it and believe it, you can achieve it. That might be true to some extent, but we cannot accomplish things on our own. We need to be plugged in to a network of friends, colleagues and family, and do a lot of soul searching to find what we are destined to do.
Some prefer prayer; others meditation. Some use both. Whatever inspires and guides us, we are never alone on this journey. Thanks for reminding us of that, Bob!
Hello Bill, I think I understand your concern about my line:
“For losers, there’s always “tomorrow”.
Dividing the world into black and white and into winners and losers, must come across as harsh and insensitive. There always is a grey area that is so easily overlooked.
I chose the word “losers” on purpose because I was talking about people who have lost opportunities and lost momentum. It doesn’t mean that I am writing these people off. It takes time to find a purpose and a strategy to be on target. At times, the mountains seem too high and the seas seem too deep. Especially under these circumstances, it is important to commit to a life-changing decision.
Steve Jobs, Richard Branson and Oprah Winfrey didn’t become successful because they tried to do something. They DID it! Of course not everything they did always worked out, but living is learning. They never lost site of their dreams and they were able to live up to their personal definition of success.
I encourage and challenge each and every reader of my blog to define what success means in the context of their life. Don’t let others impose limitations on your dreams. As they say, the best way to predict the future, is to create it yourself!
Once you make a strong commitment, it can almost become a self-fulfilling prophecy. What we focus on most, is most likely to materialize. It’s not some cheap magic trick. It requires intelligent and purposeful action. You are living proof that you can ride the wave of momentum and reap the rewards of strong commitment.
That’s precisely why I wrote:
Commentluv is a WordPress plugin that rewards readers by automatically placing a link to their last blog post at the end of their comment. According to the developer, it encourages community and it helps people discover new posts.
If I comment on one of my colleagues and they have Commentluv too, I will get a link to my last post. I’ll keep it active for a couple of months and see where it will take my blog. Thanks for noticing!
Thank you so much, Heather. Every day is filled with golden opportunities to reaffirm our commitment and share with others.
You may always reprint my articles as long as you mention the source. I’m glad this article hit home with you, but knowing you, this comes as no surprise!
Dr. Dyer is one of my role models. Every now and then, he’s raising funds for public radio and television and I had heard about his latest book.
At Faffcon I talked a lot about today’s “microwave philosophy” of “I want it ALL and I want it NOW.”
I suggest a return to the “crockpot philosophy” of carefully choosing the right ingredients and temperature, and letting it simmer for hours. It’s not instant gratification, but the result is so much better and much more nutritious.
I’m so glad our paths crossed, Tonya! Thank you for spreading the word and stay in touch.
Wow, wow, wow. What a wonderful piece, and I am so pleased to hear myself agreeing to all the “committed” things–I am doing all I can do, and it feels great! It does not feel like work at all because I love it. Here’s what I have to say:
When a road block’s in your way, remember that some use those as hurtles. And when life presents you an obstacle, remember when you used to *build* obstacles (courses) as a kid.
Thank you for that terrific quote, Morgan. We seem to forget how much fun we had running these obstacle courses. When did we lose our sense of play?
Paul, you have been an inspiration to me before I knew your writings would become so well read. Sometimes I am in awe of your sense of humor in a language that is not your mother tongue but over the last several months additionally it’s your ability to articulate what many people are feeling in a way that resonates. I am in awe how you manage to balance all the things you do so well and with such heartfelt enthusiasm.
Perhaps as we both live with woodwind players some of that music feeds our souls….I know for sure that if you change the way you think about things the things you think about change. I am struggling with one of those right now……but I know the answer has to be worked through and the question should not be buried if it relates to moving forward a love for something that we want to remain part of us even if our business is not perfect. Thanks for doing what you do and keeping us diehards on track.
I gladly provide some fresh ingredients, but my readers have to do their own cooking!
It’s amazing how this blog has taken off in only a few short years. Thanks to people like you, Juliette, the word about Double Dutch spread throughout the US, Europe and beyond.
At Faffcon, I ran into so many dedicated readers and I felt very humbled by their enthusiastic response.
I know you will sort out what needs to be sorted out. Sometimes solutions are right in front of us. It only takes a clear mind and a leap of faith to take our life into a new and exciting direction.
Whoa, that was good and clear. I condensed this down to key phrases on the back of 1 of my old business cards for quick reminders. It’ll be wedged in the sound proofing where I spend my days.
That’s a great idea, Jack. Since most of my stories are “notes to self,” I should do that too!
Nicely written. I couldn’t agree more. I found the book “Think or Sink” by Gina Mollicone-Long a helpful resource. It’s a simpler, laymen terms type of read to the concepts in Power of Now and NLP practices. And it is just that. It’s a daily practice to condition your mind, but with the right tools and exercises, it gets easier and more habit like everyday. It’s really neat to observe the results! I like your “crockpot” analogy, too. I recently picked up a nice reminder while watching “The Quantum Activist.” In finding the balance in efforts and rewards, remember to do, then be. Hence do-be-do-be-do….. It’s fun!
Hi Joell, thanks for chiming in! The same principles have been formulated by many writers in many ways. The question is: do we allow ourselves to be conditioned by outside forces, or do we take charge of our own lives?
For some, it seems easier to sit in the back of the bus and let the driver determine the destination. I prefer to drive my own bus and choose where I’m going.
Hey there Paul!
Thank you for this. I hope to read more of your blog posts. I found this via Link’d & the voice over group. I barely do voice-over stuff, but really liked your blog. I’ve just had both my hips replaced (before the age of 40!) and have had a hard time, grieving it all… coming to grips with who I had planned to be and who I had wanted to be, physically, versus what I will have to be. In essence, I have to create a new plan, and it really ticks me off. Granted, I am thrilled but afraid to hope that indeed this double THR will mean a life of pain will be gone soon, but I had so much more planned for my husband and kids. Now I know it will have to be different, which doesn’t have to mean worse. I’m going to re-read your post again more slowly this time, but thank you again in advance.
Frannie aka Frances Scott on FB
Hello Frannie:
Your story really moved me. It must not have been easy to accept that sometimes our trusted body can no longer give the support we take for granted. It literally destabilizes us and forces us to make adjustments.
Life after the operation must be a new reality to you. A new beginning. I hope it will be pain-free, even though life is hardly ever painless.
Your new hips will give you strength to overcome the hurdles that lie ahead of you. And if -at times-the future seems to be overwhelming, I know the support of your husband, your kids and the rest of your family and friends will carry you through.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts and feelings, Frannie.
Paul,
If “Dear Abby” ever needs a rest, I think you would be the perfect sub. Your compassion seems tempered with wisdom in a way that is quite admirable. Kudos.
Writing is very much like sowing seeds. One never knows where words will land and when spring comes, it’s always a pleasant surprise to see where flowers start to bloom. Thank you for inviting me into your garden!