PDF Summary:Unlimited Power, by Tony Robbins

Unlimited Power is a classic self-help book that teaches you how to take control of your life. Tony Robbins claims that the key to this is ensuring that your actions, beliefs, and goals all work together and complement each other. He believes that doing so will allow you to harness a level of energy and conviction that would normally be impossible to access, and he says you can use that energy to achieve all of your goals in life.

Robbins is a world-famous life coach, motivational speaker, and business strategist. Our commentary will explore how some of Robbins’s theories have changed since this book’s 1986 publication. We’ll also draw connections to other prominent self-help books like Flow and Extreme Ownership, offering clear and actionable advice on achieving your goals and living a happy, productive life.

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How do I begin making this change? Imagine that you’ve already decided to go through with it; what are your first steps? What will your life look like once you take those steps? Note that this step is the same as Robbins’s suggestion to visualize how you’ll behave in the future.

When will I begin making this change? Once you know how to get started, the only question remaining is when you’ll do so. Setting a deadline can help encourage you to get started.

Determine What You Value Most

Robbins adds that values are a particularly important subset of beliefs: They’re beliefs about what’s right and wrong, or what’s good and bad. Values are important because while other beliefs determine what you can do, your values determine what you will do. For example, someone who values wealth will work hard at a profitable career, while someone who values friendship will work hard at relationships instead. Someone who values joy will seek it out; someone who values health might forgo momentary joys like junk food and alcohol to stay fit.

Just as people have numerous beliefs, they have numerous different values. Furthermore, sometimes those values can oppose each other—for instance, someone who values both honesty and self-esteem might experience some confusing feelings if someone else’s honesty damages his self-esteem.

That’s why Robbins suggests creating a list of values and then ranking them by importance. Doing so serves two purposes: First, it allows you to see what’s important to you and decide what’s most important. Second, if you find yourself caught between conflicting values, you’ll know which one should take precedence.

Finally, remember that it’s possible to pick and choose values just like any other beliefs, so make sure that your personal values are beneficial and empowering.

(Shortform note: Since the point of choosing values is to make sure that all of your energy and intentions are pushing you in the same direction, it’s important to limit how many values you commit to—having too many values will inevitably pull you in different directions, causing confusion and wasting energy. In her book Dare to Lead, Brenè Brown suggests choosing just two key values to practice. Much like Robbins, Brown suggests starting by writing a list of your values and then choosing the two that are most important to you. Since in Brown’s framework you’re only pursuing two values, it’s especially important to make sure they’re beneficial and empowering—limiting yourself to just two values that don’t fulfill these criteria won’t support your growth.)

Align Your Beliefs, Values, and Actions

Robbins concludes by saying that you can achieve incredible energy and focus by aligning your beliefs and values with bold, confident action. He calls this congruence: a state in which you’re able to bring all of your mental and physical abilities to bear on whatever task is at hand.

The trick to reaching this state is making sure that all of your thoughts, desires, and actions are working toward the same objective. That’s why it’s crucial to take control of your mind—you must make sure that you’re not obstructing yourself with disempowering beliefs or conflicting values.

For example, someone who talks about what he “wants” to do, or what “might” happen, is getting in his own way; he doesn’t fully believe that he’ll achieve his goals. Therefore, he won’t be able to fully harness his energy and his conviction.

Counterpoint: Look for Enjoyable Tasks

What Robbins calls congruence is very similar to what psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi calls flow: a state in which you’re completely focused on the task at hand and do your best possible work while feeling like you’re not putting forth any effort at all.

While Robbins says that you achieve this state by acting in line with your values and making sure your thoughts, desires, and actions align, Csikszentmihalyi believes you can only achieve flow if you’re doing something enjoyable; furthermore, that enjoyment must come from accomplishment and improvement. In Flow, he provides a list of common qualities of enjoyable tasks:

There’s a clear goal, and you have the skills to reach it. In other words, you know what you’re trying to accomplish, and you’re confident that you can accomplish it.

You’re in control. While someone else might have set the goal for this task, how you reach that goal is up to you.

You receive immediate feedback. This doesn’t necessarily mean feedback from another person—rather, you have a way to easily keep track of your progress. For example, a writer can use word count as a form of feedback; an increasing word count means that the writer is making progress.

You become completely absorbed in the task. This is the essence of flow: While working on the task, you lose track of time and may even temporarily lose your sense of self. Every bit of your attention is on completing the task, and there are no extraneous thoughts. Some people also call this hyperfocus.

Note that Csikszentmihalyi’s “flow state” doesn’t require that your values and beliefs be in line with your goal. All that’s required for flow is an enjoyable task that you can get absorbed in.

Take Power Over Your Life

Now that you know how to create energy and momentum by controlling your body and your mind, it’s time to learn how to harness that energy to achieve your goals. Based on Robbins’s ideas, we’ve created a four-step process to accomplish anything you can imagine. We’ve included some of Robbins’s essential tips to help you through the steps.

Step 1: Decide What You Want

Before you can start working, you need to know what you’re working toward. Robbins says that an effective goal must be clear, ambitious yet achievable, and most importantly, inspirational. That last point is crucial because, no matter how much energy you have, you won’t want to put any of it toward a goal that doesn’t excite you.

(Shortform note: Robbins suggests setting goals that are challenging enough to inspire you but not so hard that they become frustrating or disheartening. In The 10X Rule, Grant Cardone suggests a different approach: Think of a realistic goal, then multiply it by 10. For example, if your “reasonable goal” is to retire in 20 years, your 10X goal—doing it 10 times faster—would be to retire in two years. Cardone’s reasoning is that a 10X goal will drive you to work hard, and even if you fall short, you’ll still have achieved more than if you’d reached a mediocre goal.)

Step 2: Get Started

Once you have a goal in mind, figure out a course of action that seems likely to get you closer to that goal, then take that course. Robbins emphasizes this step very strongly; no matter how much you want something or how carefully you plan, you’ll never get closer to your goals unless you take action.

(Shortform note: In Extreme Ownership, former SEAL officers Jocko Willink and Leif Babin explain how to effectively create and carry out a plan of action. Once you’ve set your goal, take stock of your available resources (time, money, other people, and so on), and consider the best ways to use each of those resources. Brainstorm multiple different plans, then pick one and fully commit to it—once you’ve chosen a plan, the time for worrying about whether it’s the best possible plan is over.)

Step 2.5: Fearlessly Work With Others

There are few goals, if any, that you can accomplish completely on your own. Somewhere along the way, you’ll need support, advice, or approval from someone else, and any interaction with another person carries the possibility of being rejected. That’s why one of Robbins’s essential tips is: Don’t fear rejection.

Rejection can be painful, but you mustn’t let the fear of it stop you from doing whatever’s necessary to reach your goals. Remember: Some of the world’s most famous artists, actors, and musicians spent years experiencing rejection after rejection before they finally found success.

(Shortform note: Doctors say that, psychologically, people respond to rejection the same way that they respond to physical pain. Therefore, people avoid situations in which they’re likely to be rejected in the same way that they avoid situations in which they're likely to be injured. In fact, the psychological responses are so similar that Tylenol has been shown to reduce the frequency and severity of hurt feelings. With that said, doctors don’t recommend using painkillers to cope with rejection—instead, they suggest having a support network of friends or family members whom you can turn to when you’re chasing your goals and suffering from rejection.)

Step 3: Gauge Your Progress

Once you’ve started your plan of action, regularly review your progress toward your goal and consider whether each action so far has served you well. Whether it was a simple conversation, a business investment, a workout, or just a daily habit, determine whether each action got you closer to your goal or farther from it.

Robbins adds that, in many cases, other people’s responses to your actions will be the best indicator of whether or not you’re getting closer to your goals. Did people respond positively or negatively to what you did?

Plan Your Evaluation First

To effectively evaluate your results, you first need to determine what you’ll be evaluating and how. In other words, decide beforehand how you’ll know whether your actions are getting you closer to your goal or farther from it.

Robbins suggests using the reactions of people around you as your metric for success, but that isn’t always applicable. For example, if your goal is to save up enough money to retire, then you can use your savings and investments as your measure of success—anything that helps you put aside more money is getting you closer to your goal. On the other hand, if your goal is to improve your physical fitness, you could use weekly measurements like weight, waist size, and how much weight you can lift to determine your progress toward or away from that goal.

Step 4: Change What’s Not Working

If you determine that an action got you closer to your goal in some way, then continue doing it. However, if it didn’t, then you must be flexible enough to change your approach. Reexamine your actions and see if you can determine what went wrong; if necessary, recheck your mental program against the person you’re imitating to make sure it’s accurate. Keep evaluating and adjusting your actions however many times it takes to start getting the results you want.

(Shortform note: Even if you know that your plan didn’t work, it can be difficult to pinpoint what went wrong or how to fix it. In these situations, one of the most important things you can do is to stay true to your values. Since you’ve chosen values and goals that complement one another, examining how your actions might have gone against those values could provide valuable clues about why your plan didn’t work. Furthermore, adjusting that plan to bring it more in line with your values will make you more likely to achieve your goals.)

This brings us to another of Robbins’s essential tips: Learn to cope with aggravating setbacks. Nothing great was ever achieved smoothly and easily. The world’s top achievers in any field—business, sports, science, art, and so on—went from mistake to mistake and defeat to defeat on their way to success. So, no matter how many times you have to adjust your plan and try again, remember that the only true failure is giving up.

(Shortform note: Experts offer numerous different tips on how to cope with frustration, but they generally boil down to either burning off the negative energy or refocusing your mind away from the feelings of frustration. Some suggested methods are exercise, meditation, and distracting yourself with an activity you enjoy.)

Another of Robbins’s essential tips is that you mustn’t let yourself stagnate. Once you accomplish a goal, start thinking about the next one—use the momentum you’ve built to keep improving yourself, rather than resting on your laurels and losing the energy you worked so hard to create.

(Shortform note: One method for building and maintaining momentum is what Robin Sharma (The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari) calls kaizen, which is a Japanese word meaning “continuous improvement.” The idea behind kaizen is that each day, you should become a little better at something than you were the day before; as Robbins would say, each day, you should get a little closer to one of your goals. Sharma’s suggestion is to identify your greatest weaknesses—perhaps low energy, a lack of confidence, or insufficient practice with some key skill—and work on improving a little bit each day until you overcome those weaknesses.)

Other People Multiply Your Power

So far, you’ve learned how to create incredible energy by aligning your thoughts with your actions and how to use that energy to take control of your own life. However, no matter how empowered and motivated you are, there will always be limits to what a single person can achieve. That’s why Robbins says that you can only achieve the titular Unlimited Power through leadership and cooperation.

Counterpoint: Play to Your Strengths

Robbins says that the only way to achieve your full potential is to become a good leader with strong people skills. However, this is a narrow way of thinking, and not everyone is born to be a leader. As a counterpoint, in Limitless, Jim Kwik says that the key to unlocking your potential is to identify where your talents naturally lie.

Kwik says that there are four kinds of intelligence and that everyone is a natural-born genius in at least one of them:

1) What Robbins describes here is what Kwik calls a blaze genius: someone with strong people skills and leadership abilities whose ideas spread like wildfire.

2) A dynamo genius is great with ideas and concepts. Many entrepreneurs and artists are dynamo geniuses; they know how to harness the energy of an exciting idea and direct it into innovative new projects.

3) A brilliant long-term planner is a tempo genius: someone who sees the big picture and seems to think 10 steps ahead of everyone else. Strategists of any kind—whether business or military—tend to be tempo geniuses.

4) Finally, someone who enjoys working with tiny, intricate details is a steel genius. While a tempo genius sees the big picture, a steel genius sees the world through a magnifying glass; they focus intensely on one small area at a time. Many scientists are steel geniuses, dedicating their lives to uncovering the smallest details about their areas of interest.

Kwik adds that it doesn’t make sense to try to force yourself to think or act in a way that doesn’t come naturally—for example, a steel genius will never have the same level of people skills that a blaze genius does. Therefore, the way to reach your full potential is to discover what kind of genius you are and figure out how those natural abilities will help you achieve your goals.

Learn People’s Motivations

Robbins says that to effectively work with people, you need to understand their motivations. Even if you have a motivating, inspiring goal, you won’t be able to get others to cooperate in achieving it unless you can communicate it in a way that motivates them. Note that Robbins doesn’t mean that you need to find out people’s specific goals and desires—although that can help. Rather, try to understand how they interact with the world around them. You can use this understanding to find the most effective way of motivating someone.

For instance, one person might be highly motivated to get what she wants. You’re likely to convince this person with promises of what she could gain by listening to you: perhaps a new job, the chance to make a difference in the community, or the respect of her peers. However, another person might be more motivated to avoid what he doesn't want—for someone like this, you’d have to tell him what he might lose by ignoring you (like missing out on an exciting opportunity, losing money, or ending up with an inferior product from your competitor).

This is just one example—people can have countless different motivations. Robbins’s point is that getting people to work with you requires observing them, speaking with them, and finding clues about what motivates them. Whether you’re trying to resolve a problem with a loved one, make a sale, or bring in a new business partner, finding the right way to communicate with the other person is crucial.

The Three Components of Motivation

Robbins discusses numerous different motivations that people might have and recommends looking for subtle clues about each individual’s motivations so you can give them what they want. However, the truth of how to motivate others might be much simpler—recent research suggests that people are motivated by just three things:

Autonomy: People want freedom and control over their own actions. So, to motivate people, you might explain that they’ll have the freedom to tackle their work in their own way, or you might tell them how going along with your ideas will grant them greater control over their own lives.

Mastery: People want to be recognized for their skills, but they also want to learn and improve upon those skills. So, you might inspire someone by explaining how you’re offering an opportunity to learn and grow. Alternatively, you might motivate someone by explaining that you’ve approached them because you need their specific skills.

Purpose: People want to feel appreciated, and they want to know that what they do matters. Therefore, you could motivate someone by showing your gratitude for them or by explaining the impact that person’s work will have on the company, the community, or the world.

Use Your Power to Help Others

Now that you know how to create and harness unlimited energy to achieve your goals, Robbins warns that you mustn’t let your personal successes define you or control you. In other words, stay true to your own beliefs and values even after you successfully transform your life.

For example, don’t start believing that you’re better than others because of what you’ve accomplished. Similarly, don’t fall into the trap of believing that your only worth is in what you accomplish or how much money you have so that you become obsessed with working.

Others may try to define you or stereotype you based on superficial things like your job title or your income; don’t accept their judgments either. The only one who defines you is yourself.

(Shortform note: Robbins talks briefly and simply about defining yourself, but in reality, doing so is a complex and deeply personal process. Some people define themselves by their jobs (CEO, artist, scientist), others by their belief systems (Christian, atheist, humanist), and still others by their relationships (loving parent, supportive friend, and so on). The good news is that you’ve already taken some important steps toward defining yourself by choosing your core beliefs, values, and goals. However, if you're still struggling to land on a definition, it might help to create an “elevator pitch” for yourself: something you can say in 30 seconds or less that explains who you are and why you matter. Even if nobody else ever hears your elevator pitch, it will help you to develop your own sense of identity.)

This brings us to Robbins’s last essential tip: Be generous—since only you can decide who you are, make sure to be a good person.

Robbins recommends taking 10% of your income and donating it to good causes. Furthermore, he suggests starting this practice today, rather than waiting until some undefined point in the future when you’re “successful.” However, Robbins adds that generosity isn’t just about money; you can be generous with your time, with your skills, with your love, or with anything you have that others need.

Finally, give more than you think you’ll ever get back—the happiness and fulfillment you’ll get from doing so are worth more than anything you could possibly give away.

In short, Robbins believes that true success in life doesn’t come simply from creating unlimited power or even from achieving your personal goals. Rather, success comes from using your unlimited power to help others.

Why Is Generosity So Fulfilling?

People are hardwired, biologically and psychologically, to be generous. In The Selfish Gene, evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins explains that altruism (helping each other) was a necessary part of survival for our distant ancestors—one person would help another and trust that he or she would get help in return when needed. Even to the present day, people are genetically predisposed to help each other and to feel a rewarding sense of fulfillment when they do so.

Furthermore, generous acts can spread far beyond the people directly affected by them; witnessing a generous act makes people want to be generous themselves. In other words, by being generous, you’re not just helping yourself or the people around you. Your actions could positively impact your entire community, or even the entire world—for example, when the #TrashTag trend encouraged people all over the world to clean up litter.