“Awaken The Giant Within” claims that we have control over our lives. It suggests that by changing our habits, managing our emotions, and having faith in our beliefs, we can turn our dream life into a reality.
You may still be wondering if you should read the book. This book review will tell you everything about this book so you can decide if it is worth your time.
Without further ado, let’s get started.
Table of Contents
Key Insights
Lesson 1: Changing a habit requires linking it with discomfort and replacing it with a positive habit.
We all have bad habits we would like to get rid of, but it can be challenging to change them. Tony Robbins suggests that we can overcome our bad habits by associating them with negative emotions. Our brains are wired to seek pleasure and avoid pain, so by linking a negative emotion with a bad habit, we can effectively overcome it.
For example, let’s say you want to cut down on your chocolate consumption. You can try linking chocolate to an activity that causes you discomfort, such as singing a song that you dislike. Every time you eat chocolate, you can remind yourself of the unpleasant feeling you experience while singing the song. This can help you avoid chocolate in the future.
It’s essential to consistently follow this strategy, even in social situations, to effectively change your behavior. It takes effort and commitment to make meaningful changes in our lives. But by becoming aware of this dynamic, we can use it to our advantage and make positive changes.
Another crucial aspect of breaking bad habits is finding a new, more desirable habit to replace the old one. If you want to quit chocolate, develop a replacement routine that you look forward to as much as your Snickers binge. It can be anything from trying a new sport to eating your favorite fruit. By finding a new habit that brings you joy, you’re more likely to stick with it in the long run.
You can also increase your motivation to quit by imagining all the wonderful things that will happen to you once you have managed to kick the habit. For example, you can slip back into your old jeans when you give up chocolate.
This method has been successful in helping people give up even the most challenging habits. A study looked at how successful it is in helping drug addicts replace destructive habits with more positive ones. Addicts who replaced their old drug use with a new relationship or hobby were much less likely to relapse.
Lesson 2: Changing limiting beliefs is necessary to reach your full potential.
Have you ever felt stuck in life, unable to move forward no matter how hard you try? Perhaps you feel like you’re not good enough, or that success is something reserved for other people. If so, you may be held back by limiting beliefs – deeply ingrained convictions that hold you back from achieving your full potential.
In Awaken the Giant Within, Tony Robbins emphasises the importance of modifying these limiting beliefs to make meaningful changes in your life. He notes that our beliefs shape our identity and perception of the world, and that they are often based on past experiences.
Negative events, such as the loss of a loved one, can lead to negative beliefs about life. However, Robbins encourages us to find a more optimistic perspective. Grief can be a source of strength, driving us to become better people and comfort others going through similar experiences.
To change limiting beliefs, Robbins suggests associating positive experiences with the new belief and modeling our change on someone who has already been successful in this area.
For example, if you believe that you’re not good enough to start your own business, try associating positive experiences with taking small steps towards your goal. Model your change on someone who has successfully started their own business, and focus on the positive aspects of the process.
Lesson 3: Improving your vocabulary can have a significant impact on your perspective and mindset.
The words we use to describe our emotions have a powerful impact on how we think and feel. In English, there are about 3,000 words that express feelings, with twice as many for negative emotions compared to positive ones. Changing the way we describe a situation can influence our interpretation of it.
For example, if your car breaks down on the road, you might feel angry and frustrated, but simply saying “this is annoying” instead of expressing those negative emotions can help prevent you from becoming more emotionally upset.
This demonstrates the idea of “transformational vocabulary,” where the language we use shapes our perception of the world.
To better control your emotions through the use of vocabulary, you can use more expressive language to describe positive feelings and more measured language to describe negative ones.
Instead of saying “I am extremely happy,” try saying “I am totally blissful.” For negative emotions, try using phrases like “I am a little worried” rather than “I am extremely anxious.” To express anger, consider using less common words, like “I am pretty annoyed,” which can bring a touch of levity to the situation and potentially improve your mood.
Remember, the words you choose can influence your thoughts and feelings, so choose them carefully.
Lesson 4: Asking the right questions can help you find the optimal solution to any problem.
To change your life for the better, you must first change your mindset. Our next tidbit will take a deeper look at thoughts and ask, “What exactly are they?”
Our thinking is structured around questions and solutions. Since our thoughts are shaped by the questions we ask ourselves, they are important to how we experience life.
In other words, the quality of our questions has a significant impact on the quality of our lives. When you ask good questions, you are forced to think critically about what you are trying to learn. If you ask a question in a negative tone, you’ll get an equally negative response, while if you ask it in a positive tone, you’ll get a positive response.
If you ask yourself, “Why does this always happen to me?” you will immediately recall all the times when you failed. What does that mean? The mood will deteriorate and you will begin to see everything through those negative lenses.
When a problem arises, ask yourself the right questions.
It is much harder than it sounds to put this into practice. Whenever we face adversity, we naturally ask ourselves “why me?” and other self-pitying questions, only to be discouraged by the bleak answers we receive.
To answer this question, you should think of them in advance. Ask yourself, “What is good about this situation?” and how can I make solving problems fun?
While you are experiencing a difficult situation, ask yourself such questions, and you’re more likely to find a solution or at least deal with its aftermath.
In order to promote an optimistic outlook on life, ask yourself encouraging questions first thing in the morning. If you ask yourself, “What have I accomplished that is most proud of?” or “What is the best thing about my life?” you may find an answer that inspires you.
Positive attitudes are easier to maintain throughout the day, leading to a better and more successful day overall.
Lesson 5: Discover if you’re living your best life by taking a look at your personal values.
Have you ever felt lost, unsure of what you want in life? Maybe you’re working towards a goal, but it doesn’t feel quite right. Perhaps you’re not happy with your current situation, but you don’t know what to change.
In Awaken The Giant Within, Tony Robbins stresses the importance of defining your values. Your values are the principles and beliefs that guide your daily decisions and actions. When you’re clear about your values, you can make decisions that align with what’s truly important to you, leading to a more fulfilling life.
So, how can you define your values? Start by taking some time to reflect on what matters most to you. What are the principles and beliefs that guide your life? Write them down, and then prioritize them in order of importance. If possible, provide a reason for each value on your list.
This exercise can be eye-opening. You may discover that some of your values are conflicting with your goals. For example, if you value having fun and enjoying life, but your goal is to lose weight and get in shape, you may need to prioritize your health above having fun.
Once you’ve defined your values, use them to guide your decisions and actions. If you’re faced with a choice, ask yourself which option aligns with your values. This can help you avoid decisions that may bring short-term pleasure but don’t align with your long-term goals.
Praise
1. Effective questioning
One of the techniques emphasized in the book is the importance of asking oneself quality questions. Robbins highlights that the questions we ask ourselves determine the quality of the answers we receive. By asking lousy questions, we will get lousy answers. However, by asking quality questions, we can shift our focus and perspective, and ultimately achieve better outcomes.
2. Language and metaphors
Robbins emphasizes the importance of the language and metaphors we use, as they can affect our emotions and behaviors. By changing our language and metaphors, we can shift our mindset and improve our daily lives. For example, instead of saying “I hit a brick wall,” which implies feeling stuck, we can respond by saying “Then climb over the wall” or “Then go around it.” These small changes in language and metaphor can create a significant impact on our thoughts and actions.
3. Identity and CANI attitude
Robbins highlights that our identity is what we make it to be, and by creating a new experience and reference points, we can create a beneficial belief system. The book encourages readers to adopt the “CANI” attitude, which stands for “Constant and Never Ending Improvement.” By pushing ourselves beyond our limits, we can achieve success and accomplish tasks that we thought were impossible.
Criticism
1. Excessive personal anecdotes
Robbins relies heavily on personal anecdotes that can come off as self-congratulatory. This can be a distraction for readers who are looking for practical techniques and exercises to improve their lives. However, some readers may find that they can skip over these anecdotes to get to the core message of the book.
2. Length of the book
Some readers feel that the book could have been condensed and still provided the same value. The book contains a lot of information, which can be overwhelming and difficult to remember. Some readers may find that the amount of information presented in the book is too much to digest and implement in their everyday lives.
3. Practicality of the book
While the book presents practical techniques and exercises that can be applied to everyday life, some readers may find that the practicality is questionable. The book contains a lot of steps and processes that can be difficult to remember and apply consistently. Some readers may prefer self-help books that provide simple and easy-to-remember techniques that can be applied immediately.
Conclusion
Awaken The Giant Within is a great book I’d like to recommend to anyone who is interested in personal development. It’s packed with ideas that can have a positive impact on your life, but you’ll need to take some time to absorb them.
Tony Robbins is a successful businessman and an expert in the psychology of transformation and peak performance. Despite a difficult upbringing with an alcoholic mother and an absent father, he has become a self-help coach without any formal training in psychology.
The book focuses on the impact of your beliefs, values, and rules on your behavior, and how the two motivators for human action, pain and pleasure, are connected. For example, if you want to lose weight but associate more pleasure with eating unhealthy foods and more pain with exercise, you won’t change your behavior. Tony Robbins provides practical advice on how to connect pain to bad habits, which can help you make better choices.
Another key point in the book is the importance of asking yourself quality questions. Tony explains that your mind will find whatever you’re looking for if you ask the right questions. On the other hand, asking bad questions leads to bad answers.
Overall, Awaken The Giant Within is an excellent book for personal growth. It provides practical advice and insights to help you change your behavior and achieve your goals.
Tony Robbins is a motivational speaker who is dedicated to helping people improve their lives. He has advised top executives at companies like IBM and AT&T, as well as professional sports teams, on how to achieve peak performance.
Buy The Book: Awaken The Giant Within
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