Over the past few decades, life and business strategist Tony Robbins has become a household name. His boundless energy, determination and philanthropic nature has made him one of the go-to experts on how to have a fulfilling life and career.
He started from humble beginnings — growing up in a
low-income, broken household — but today his net worth is estimated at over
$480 million. In his recent book, “MONEY Master the Game: 7 Simple Steps to
Financial Freedom,” he interviewed more than 50 major financial experts,
including Warren Buffett, Ray Dalio and Steve Forbes, to create a
wealth-building blueprint.
The best-selling author’s advice has been featured
prominently in magazines, digital media and in national televised media. He
travels all over the country every month for events to inspire people in their
lives and in business. Below are some of his top pieces of advice on how to
change your mindset in ways that can have a positive impact on your life and
your finances.
1. Have a Mission
For people who find themselves in a rut, or who are
unsure of which steps to take to improve their lives, finding a focus is
important. However, it’s equally important to find the right focus for your
life.
“Energy comes from having a mission; it comes from something
that you’re being pulled by, not something you’re pushing on,” Robbins told
well-known business expert Marie Forleo in a one-on-one interview. “If there’s
something that you’re made for, then there’s a level of energy that most people
would never dream of… We all have that, but most of us don’t connect to it and
unleash it.”
Robbins said he lives in this mindset each and every
day. In order to apply this to your own life, it’s important to spend time
thinking about what you’re really passionate about, whether it’s big or small.
The more excited and the more passionate you are about your goals in life, the
more powerful you can be.
2. Stop Trading Time for Money
When it comes to walking the path to financial freedom, Robbins frequently
talks about the issue of trading time for money. “If you work for a living,
you’re trading your time for money,” he wrote in an article for Entrepreneur
magazine.
“Frankly, it’s just about the worst trade you’ll ever
make in life: You can always get more money, but you can’t get more time,” he
wrote. “In the end, it doesn’t matter how much money you earn. If you don’t set
aside some, you could lose it all…This is the first and most important step in
putting yourself on the road to financial freedom. Take that step today.”
In essence, you can’t quit your job today, but you can
start saving today. If there is a business you want to start or something you
want to spend all your time doing, he advised to start saving now. The more
money you save, the faster you can focus on the things you want to spend your
time doing.
3. Practice Gratitude
This is sometimes an easily overlooked step,
especially in difficult times. However, it can have a great positive impact on
your life when you follow it.
In his book, “MONEY Master the Game,” Robbins quoted
Sir John Templeton, whom he called one of “the greatest investors in history.”
In an interview with marketing expert Lewis Howes, Robbins said Templeton told
him: “If you have nothing, but you’re euphorically grateful for whatever you
have, you’re the richest person you’re ever going to know.”
Robbins said he makes gratitude a part of his morning routine.
Every morning, he spends some time thinking of the things in his life that he
is grateful for, which helps him start his day. Anyone can start this practice,
and the great thing is that it’s simple. To keep things consistent and make
this a habit, you can even start a gratitude journal.
4. Be a Disciplined Investor
Robbins revealed his best piece of financial advice in
an interview for Money. “Don’t think in terms of taking huge risks to get huge
rewards,” he said. “Think about the least amount of risk for the greatest
reward, and be disciplined about that.”
He cited Richard Branson as a great example of someone
who takes great risks in life, but not in his finances. Instead, he said it’s
very important to know what the downside is to an investment, and to have a
plan to protect yourself from the potential downside. This is a great lesson
for anyone to bewise with their investments,
including taking note of any excessive fees that might be eating away at their
investment returns.
5. Don’t Be Afraid to Fail
Although it’s not uncommon to fear failure, Robbins
has a different take on it. “Unfortunately, we’re programmed to fear this thing
called ‘failure,’ so we try everything we can to avoid it, which is pointless,”
he told Success magazine. “Failure is often necessary for real learning to
occur.”
This is a mindset that can absolutely be applied to
both life and finances. No one is perfect when it comes to money, and sometimes
making money mistakes allows us to learn and progress. The same is true when it
comes to life and happiness. You’re not going to have a perfect day every day,
but life’s failures can sometimes lead to life’s greatest successes.
So, welcome failure. Otherwise, getting lost in it and
feeling sorry for yourself could prevent you from succeeding in the future.
6. Work Harder On Yourself Than Anything Else
Robbins told Bloomberg Business that the best piece of
advice he ever got came from his mentor, Jim Rohn. “Find a way to add more
value than anybody else does, and you’ll never have to worry about anything,”
Rohn told him. “Every day, work harder on yourself than anything else, because
if you become more intelligent, more valuable, more skilled — you can add more
value to other people.”
The same lesson can be applied to your life and
finances. Essentially, by becoming more knowledgeable and savvy with your
expertise or your money, the more people you can help, as long as you have a
giving spirit.
7. Save Automatically
Growing your savings is a very important part of
living rich. “The majority of us have this thought process… that today is more
important than tomorrow,” he told the OWN Network. However, it’s that mindset
that can lead you not to save enough, or at all.
Therefore, in order to “trick yourself” into saving
for tomorrow, Robbins said it’s important to save automatically. Talk to your
employer about putting a certain percentage of every raise into your retirement
account. If it happens automatically without you thinking about it, the money
will just start to accumulate and hopefully grow due to the power of compound
interest.
8. Give What You Don’t Think You Can Give
Being generous is another big key
to living rich, no matter what your income. “If you
don’t give a dime out of a dollar, you’re not going to give a million out of 10
million…[Generosity] teaches your brain there’s more than enough when you’ll
give what you don’t think you can give,” he said in an interview with Brendon
Burchard, an author on motivation and online marketing.
One way this can have a positive impact on your
finances is that it can show you how to live on a lesser amount of money, and
make you more astute when it comes to managing your finances. In addition to
that, giving back to your community and helping those in need can give you a
greater sense of connection with people, and help you cultivate gratitude in
your own life and on a bigger scale.
9. Be Psychologically Strong
Many of the roadblocks people encounter could be due
to their mindset. However, just like physical strength, you can build
psychological strength.
“If you’re psychologically strong enough, you can not
only survive, but you can thrive when tough situations occur, as opposed to
letting the environment control you and take over,” he told Success magazine.
“It’s really about mastering strength within yourself so that you can conquer
the outer world around you.”
These teachings can be applied to so many things in
life. However, surviving and thriving in tough financial times can teach you
how to be resilient and to be stronger and better with money in the future.
10. Progress Equals Happiness
It’s natural to go through periods of feeling stuck in
life. However, that could be a great sign that it’s time for you to break out
of your comfort zone and try new things. “What makes us feel alive is growing,
and when we grow, we have something to give,” he told The New York Times.
If you want to be happy, but you’re having a tough
time in life due to personal or financial issues, it’s important to take
whatever steps possible — even small ones — to progress and grow. Take a small
step to make things better. Save a little bit of money. Put your first dollar
into investments. Use any windfall or extra money to do something nice for
somebody else. If you feel stuck and unhappy, remember what Robbins said:
“Progress equals happiness.”
This article originally appeared on GoBankingRates.
