Tony Robbins, Unshakeable, Gratitude & Focusing on Your Steak | #AskGaryVee 242

Tony Robbins, Unshakeable, and Focusing on Gratitude

• Gary Vaynerchuk expresses gratitude for Tony Robbins’ documentary film as it has given him a sense of comfort and ease.
• The film allowed people to know that Tony Robbins swears, which helped Gary feel more comfortable around him.
• Tony Robbins’ authenticity and willingness to be raw and real resonated with Gary and made him happy.

“The film gave me comfort, and a lot of people can cuss now, right? I was like, alright, it’s a comfortable space!” – Gary Vaynerchuk

Tony Robbins’ New Book and the Importance of Protecting Your Finances

• Tony Robbins’ new book, “Unshakeable”, is a financial guide aimed at protecting people from potential economic downturns.
• Tony Robbins emphasizes that the current market is in its eighth year, and there is a high chance of an upcoming market crash.
• Despite the difficult circumstances, there are still opportunities for those who are prepared to seize them.

“If you haven’t started yet and you think you’re late, you’re not late. There’s still opportunity in this environment because reforms bring unique opportunities.” – Tony Robbins

Peter Mallouk, Tony Robbins’ Collaborator and Top Financial Advisor

• Tony Robbins partners with Peter Mallouk, a top financial advisor in America, as his expertise and insight help guide the financial strategies in “Unshakeable”.
• Peter Mallouk’s wealth management firm has been recognized by Forbes and Barron’s magazines.
• Peter Mallouk’s track record and expertise provide credibility to Tony Robbins’ message about protecting finances and seizing opportunities.

“I want the world to know that I’m partnered with him (Peter Mallouk) and that I’m on his advisory board, and he’s built this from scratch.” – Tony Robbins

Tony Robbins’ Track Record and Experience

• Tony Robbins’ financial success is evident as he transformed his personal brand and wealth by utilizing the strategies he shares in his book.
• Tony Robbins’ financial portfolio went from $2 billion to $23.5 billion in assets under his management.
• Tony Robbins draws upon his knowledge from the top investors in the world, such as Warren Buffett and Carl Icahn, to distill their insights for the average person.

“Without advertising, a billion… Now we’ve jumped from 17 to 23 billion in assets, and it’s not because I’m so great, it’s really that this man (Peter Mallouk) knows what he’s doing.” – Tony Robbins

Tony Robbins’ Approach to Overcoming Fear

• Robbins’ main focus is finding a way to break through fear and achieve effective and real results with a solid strategy.
• The goal is to create a reference point that guides people towards success.
• Robbins emphasizes the importance of not letting fear hold you back from pursuing your goals.

“My focus here is finding a way to break through the fear”

Tony Robbins and Financial Success

• Tony Robbins is a renowned motivational speaker and author.
• He has earned around $750 million, equivalent to three-quarters of a billion dollars.
• Despite his immense wealth, there are rumors that he might declare bankruptcy soon.

“The ideal way to create long-term wealth is by making money your servant, not the other way around.”

Importance of Investing for Wealth Creation

• Robbins suggests that even if someone has a successful business, they should have a machine to make money on the side.
• This machine can be in the form of investments.
• He advises people to spend 15 minutes every year to maintain their investment portfolio.

“The key is to have money work for you, without the need for employees or moving parts.”

Understanding Market Corrections

• Many people try to time the market, waiting for the perfect moment to invest.
• Robbins highlights that the market experiences a correction every year.
• These corrections involve market highs followed by declines of various percentages, often causing fear among investors.

“The market doesn’t take anybody’s rights, but you made that decision out of fear.”

Historical Patterns of Market Corrections

• On average, there has been one market correction per year since 1900.
• These corrections typically start with a market high, followed by declines of 10%, 19%, 29%, and so on.
• If the decline exceeds 20%, it can lead to an economic collapse.

“We have experienced a market correction every year, but not all end in an economic collapse.”

Being Prepared for Market Corrections

• Robbins suggests being prepared for a market correction, as they happen every five years on average.
• However, preparing for a correction can mean missing out on potential opportunities.
• After a sharp decline, the market tends to recover and experience a prolonged period of growth.

“Every sharp market decline is followed by a lasting period of growth.”

Learning from Previous Crashes

• Robbins refers to the 2008 financial crisis, where many people lost 50% of their investments.
• However, the market rebounded with a 69% increase the following year.
• Legendary investor Warren Buffett often emphasizes the importance of staying in the market for long-term success.

“You have to remember that after every economic crash, there is a sharp rise.”

Warren Buffett’s Approach to Investing

• Robbins mentions Warren Buffett as a successful investor who continually emphasizes long-term investing strategies.
• Buffett’s style is focused on value investing, seeking undervalued assets.
• He has a remarkable track record in the investment world.

“Buffett’s approach to investing is renowned and has brought him immense success.”

Tony Robbins and Investing in the US Market

• Tony Robbins suggests that since you don’t bet on the downfall of the United States, you are always a winner.
• He believes that the US market continuously shows new highs, on average, every month.
• When people think there will be a market crash after a high, there is often a new high instead.

“You’re always going to be winning if you’re betting on America. This is it, that’s the conclusion.”

Investing in S&P 500 Index Funds

• JP Morgan and Schwab conducted studies that indicate that over the past 20 years, trading the S&P 500 index funds can provide an annual return of 8.2%.
• This means your investment can double every nine years.
• However, missing out on the best ten days of trading in those 20 years would reduce your return to 4.5%, and missing out on the best twenty days would reduce it to 2%.

“And if you missed the best ten days in those 20 years, you would only get four point five percent, and if you missed the best twenty days you would only get two percent of the profit, it would be better for you to buy bonds.”

Importance of Staying in the Market

• Tony Robbins emphasizes that the hardest and dumbest thing you can do is to stay out of the market for a long period.
• He mentions that he believes in being in the market himself because he has a significant amount of investments and trusts it.
• However, he acknowledges that most people in the audience might not pay much attention to the stock market due to their financial circumstances.

“The hardest and dumbest thing you can do is stay out of the market. I’m not talking about you, of course. No, I know that you can be in the market.”

Investing with Limited Funds

• GaryVee asks if there is anything that can be done for someone with $1,500 to invest.
• Tony Robbins agrees that they are heading in a very specific direction, and he wants to bring value to all the viewers.
• He mentions the importance of having a system to deposit money, regardless of the amount, into investments.

“Forget about the $10,000, it’s about the system of depositing your money.”

Bringing Value to the Masses

• GaryVee appreciates Tony Robbins’ hard work and dedication to bringing value to people.
• He acknowledges that there is a diverse audience with different financial situations and perspectives on the stock market.
• GaryVee aims to provide value to all his followers, including those with limited funds.

“I’m just like you, I am gonna bring value to as many people as I possibly can.”

“I’ve seen the way they [the audience] view the stock market, a lot of them are in a world where there are a lot of debts or no debts, and they have a little bit of money. You’re talking about people that have $10,000.”

“But is there anything for somebody who has $1,500? Is there a place for them in the market?”

The importance of being a owner rather than a consumer

• The speaker emphasizes the importance of being an owner rather than a consumer.
• It is crucial to prioritize owning products rather than just consuming them.

“If you think you have money first to make the biggest financial decision for yourself, it’s to become an owner.”

Expanding your investments

• It is important to diversify your investments.
• Facebook and Apple are always good choices.
• What about the perspective that says if you have knowledge in the field you invest in and you put $2-4,000 a year in your account?
• This is a unique perspective.

“You gotta stretch though.” “But you gotta stretch yourself too thin.” “But you gotta to stretch yourself too thin.”

Investing in the stock market

• If you’re young, you should heavily invest in the stock market because you have the time to withstand losses and learn.
• Think about compounding profits.
• For example, a 19-year-old saved and invested $300 per month, $4,000 a year, which didn’t seem like much.
• But over time, with an 8% return on investment annually for 35 years, that $50,000 became $1 million.

“It’s just maths.”

Impact of the documentary film on Netflix

• Tony Robbins’ documentary had a huge impact because it was free and easily accessible to everyone on Netflix.
• It reached 172 countries and was translated into multiple languages.

“A lot of people in my community know Netflix and it’s five stars, and it blew up.”

Tony Robbins’ philanthropic work

• Tony Robbins donates all the profits from his books, including “Unshakeable” and his previous book, totaling $5 million so far.
• He has provided food for over 100 million people through various campaigns and partnerships with organizations like Feeding America.
• He aims to reach a billion people in the next seven years.

“That’s where it’s coming from, this book.”

Importance of Gratitude and Focusing on Your Steak

• Gratitude and focusing on your own unique strengths are essential for personal and career growth.
• Being grateful and content with what you have can bring you a sense of continuity, enthusiasm, and energy.
• Maintaining a sense of gratitude helps in building and nurturing relationships with others, especially in the online world.
• Social media platforms provide opportunities to connect with people and express gratitude.
• Being grateful and sharing appreciation can positively impact your own motivation and the motivation of others.

Gratitude and focusing on your strengths have an amazing power to change your life.

Focusing on Gratitude

• Participants were given iced and hot coffee, and asked to share their impressions of a character in a story.
• 81% of those who held the iced coffee described the character as cold and indifferent.
• 80% of those who held the hot coffee described the character as warm and intimate.
• This experiment shows that our perception of others can be influenced by our physical experiences .

“What you do is not just thoughts, but the biochemical of your mind.”

• Tony Robbins shares his morning routine for personal growth:
  • 10 minutes of meditation.
  • 3 minutes of deep breathing exercises.
  • 3 minutes of focusing on three things he is grateful for.
  • 3 minutes of envisioning three important outcomes he desires.
  • Expressing gratitude through prayers for 3 minutes .

“In the time you think you don’t have 10 minutes, you actually don’t have a life” – Tony Robbins

• Developing a gratitude practice can positively impact one’s mindset and well-being.
• John Hamilton, an accomplished investor, believes that gratitude is the secret to wealth.
• He states that many wealthy individuals with miserable lives are poor in gratitude .

“Tony, what do you teach?”, “Gratitude.”

Focusing on Your Steak

• Tony Robbins suggests that many people are constantly angry, frustrated, and depressed in their lives.
• He points out that there are people who have very little but are still content and happy with their families and good health.
• This mindset is a game-changer and has a powerful impact on one’s perspective.

“How odd is it that I feel so blessed for having absolutely nothing, and yet somebody like you feels such anger?”

Embracing Gratitude

• Tony Robbins shares a personal morning routine in which he visualizes the loss of his loved ones to remind himself of their importance in his life.
• While this may seem unusual, he explains that it quickly shifts his mindset to one of deep gratitude.
• Tony Robbins acknowledges that it may be a strange concept, but it truly works for him.

“But trust me, I didn’t expect this, did you?”

Recognizing Contradictions

• Tony Robbins and Gary Vaynerchuk discuss the power of contrasting perspectives.
• They highlight how gratitude can make everything bad appear insignificant, even though it may seem counterintuitive.
• Tony Robbins shares his own experience of seeing seven fires on his phone after an interview, which reminds him of the problems he needs to solve.
• Despite the challenges, he remains grateful and believes that gratitude is a perspective that everyone should adopt.

“How odd is it that here you are, in the poorest country, one of the poorest people, and you have nothing, and you feel like you have steak, and here you are in this country—one of the top 1% in the world—and you feel like you’re starving?”

How to know if you are stretching yourself too thin?

• The question asked is about how to know if you are doing too much or not.
• Tony Robbins mentions that it is important to understand if you are pushing yourself beyond your limits and trying to do everything.
• Tony advises to always have a clear goal and commitment, as without it, challenges become inevitable, and you might end up moving on to something more enjoyable without reaching your desired results.

“What’s beautiful about trying different things is, but you gotta always have an anchor, what’s your outcome?”

Challenges faced by most entrepreneurs

• Gary Vaynerchuk comments that most people who start a business usually start with two, three, four or even more projects.
• One reason for this is because their first project doesn’t succeed or they lose interest in it.
• Patience is crucial, and you need to have perseverance and focus on the next stage.

“So many people have the first thing they go through don’t win and they don’t have the patience”

The importance of self-control in entrepreneurship

• Tony Robbins emphasizes that being an entrepreneur requires not only providing value to others but also taking care of your own psychological and emotional well-being.
• He mentions that it is essential to push yourself to the maximum limits of self-control in order to succeed.
• Tony reminisces about times when he had to make tough decisions, like spending $5 million on a lawsuit or accepting a $120 million debt.

“Entrepreneurship is about, not only giving a ton of value, more value than anybody else, but caring about your own mental, emotional state of being. That means driving your own self to the highest level of self-control.”

Importance of Belief

• When embarking on a business venture, it is crucial to believe in the project.
• This belief is built on three pillars:
  1. Believing that the treasure exists.
  2. Believing that it can be found.
  3. Believing that the treasure is worth the effort.
• Without this belief, success will likely remain elusive.

“If you don’t believe that there is treasure in your project, you will never find it.”

Tony Robbins’ Experience

• Tony Robbins has been working in his profession for over twenty years.
• He manages multiple companies, sometimes even two at once, like Wine Library and VaynerMedia.

“This is what I do 80% of the time” – Tony Robbins

Focusing on Your Main Priorities

• Tony refers to the main priority as “the steak” or the main course.
• Side dishes are the additional tasks or projects that are not the main focus.
• If the main task is excellent, it can absorb any losses from the side dishes.

“You can always absorb the losses because they’re always small” – Tony Robbins

Turning Side Dishes into Main Courses

• As something on the side grows and becomes more significant, it can be transformed into a main course.
• Most people have multiple side dishes but lack the main course.

“Most people have a lot of side dishes and don’t have a steak” – Tony Robbins

Patience and Impatience

• Many people have big expectations of what they will achieve in a year but underestimate what they can do in a decade.
• Impatience often leads to disappointment and quitting.

“It’s called a lack of patience” – Tony Robbins

The Importance of Patience

• Tony admits that he used to struggle with patience himself.
• He considers himself a patient person.
• He likens himself to a turtle dressed in a rabbit’s costume.

“I genuinely believe I may be one of the most patient people” – Tony Robbins

Managing Two Projects Simultaneously

• Tony suggests that everyone should manage two projects at the same time.
• This includes the project you are currently working on and the one you aspire to own in the future.
• Focusing solely on the future project can lead to financial loss in the present.

“If you just focus on what you’re doing today, you can’t watch and take out the competitors.” – Tony Robbins

The Power of Intention

• Tony Robbins’ company, VaynerMedia, represents Vayner Media.
• Tony Robbins is projected to earn $125 million in profits this year.
• VaynerMedia represents mostly the top 500 companies in America.
• The audience of this video may not necessarily be followers of Tony Robbins’ daily videos.

“The power of intention is so important.”

Building a Business Brand

• Tony Robbins discusses his understanding of entrepreneurship today, which he believes is influenced by modern technology.
• Robbins highlights that technology is pulling people down.
• The traditional stereotype of a 53-year-old executive is being disrupted by platforms like YouTube and Instagram.
• Tony Robbins advises that having a good intention is crucial.

“Your intentions matter, so I’m telling you if you ‘ask’ instead of ‘force,’ you will win.”

Providing Value and Asking in Return

• Tony Robbins suggests that it is possible to acquire customers through one’s personal brand.
• However, it’s important to ask for support intermittently from your audience.
• Tony recommends that the percentage of asking should be around 3, 4, 6, or 7% of the content.
• It is crucial for your audience to feel that the ask is genuine and aligned with your intention.

“Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook means Give, Give, Give, and then Ask.”

Genuine Intent and Authenticity

• Authenticity, good intentions, and hard work are key factors in achieving success.
• Building a personal brand in your twenties is recommended by Tony Robbins.
• Documenting your life on platforms like YouTube and Instagram can contribute to your success.
• It is important to stay true to yourself and rely on your intuition.

“Keep the good intentions, the hard work, and a lot of beautiful things will happen.”

Tony Robbins and SXSW

• Tony Robbins recalls coming to SXSW in 2008, ’09, and ’10.
• He received an email from Anthony Robbins in audio form, which surprised him.
• Tony listened to the audio message from Gary and was curious about why he wrote it.

“I received an audio message from (Anthony Robbins)”

Tony’s preference for audio messages

• Tony explains that he prefers using audio clips because he believes they are more effective than regular messages.
• Audio messages provide context that cannot be conveyed through regular text messages.
• Tony also mentions that if the message is short, he will write it, but if it carries a lot of emotions, he wants the recipient to hear it.

“I use audio clips because I think they’re better than regular messages”

Gratitude towards Gary and the impact of his work

• Tony expresses his gratitude towards Gary for his work and for pushing him towards action.
• He mentions that he has been watching Gary since 2007 and appreciates his struggle and how he shows how things work.

“How can I thank (Gary) for pushing me all these years towards action?”

Meeting Tony Robbins

• If you were stuck in an elevator with Tony Robbins, your life would change.
• Gary had a conversation with Tony Robbins and they didn’t use a script.
• Tony told Gary the story as it was, which was fantastic.

“If you were stuck in an elevator with Tony Robbins, your life would change.”

Focusing on your strengths

• Tony Robbins mentioned that he doesn’t have a script because he’s not an actor.
• Tony was surprised by Gary’s words and it wasn’t acting.
• They had repeated and successful events together.

“We did it over and over and over again, and it was a fantastic event.”

Utilizing social media platforms

• Gary asked Tony about his involvement with social media.
• Tony mentioned that Tyler, the person on his team, handles everything related to social media management.
• Tyler expands his reach and brings all the content, photos, and visuals for Tony.
• Tony mentioned that his favorite tool is Facebook Live because it allows him to connect with three-quarters of a million people.

“We get three-quarters of a million people watching and you’re really in your own show.”

The power of Instagram

• Gary asked Tony where he likes to focus and what platform he prefers.
• Tony mentioned that if he was asked six months ago, he would have mentioned Snapchat, but now he prefers using Instagram Stories.
• Gary agreed and mentioned that they test platforms daily and he loves Instagram as it displays his personal life in a broader way.

“The Instagram shows a personal side of you.”

Success without fulfillment is failure

• Gary thanked Tony for joining the show and mentioned that both of them have achieved a lot.
• They emphasized the importance of not just focusing on success, but also on finding inner happiness and fulfillment.
• Tony stated that success without inner fulfillment is the biggest failure.

“Success without fulfillment and inner happiness is the biggest failure.”

Tony Robbins and his Happiness

• Tony Robbins is a very happy and grateful person, which is why he works around the clock, 24 hours a day.
• His hard work brings him happiness, and the same goes for me.

“If you don’t have something that makes you happy and fulfilled, all your achievements are worthless.”

Money Doesn’t Bring Happiness

• Tony Robbins had a real nice conversation about this, and he talked about it at the end of the book.
• Money doesn’t bring happiness, it brings resources and tools.
• To truly dominate your mind, you need to figure out what makes you happier than anything else.
• Once you discover it, and you put all your chips in that, forget about the money, money will be fine, but what you truly want is an exceptional and magnificent life.

“Money can make you a billionaire and miserable at the same time. That’s the game. That’s the operating system.”

Taking Control of Your Mind

• Tony Robbins suggests asking yourself a question every day.
• This is what every guest does on the show.
• Ask a question that will get you what you truly want.
• The other thing is, I’m going to take a picture with you, and I’ll give away a copy of this book on Instagram for the next 24 hours.

“What is your definition of the ideal life?”

Defining the Ideal Life

• Gary asks Tony Robbins to define the ideal life.
• He’s curious about Tony’s criteria for an ideal life.
• Tony believes an ideal life is living life on your own terms.
• This will differ for everyone, and he wants to see different perspectives.

“For me, it’s a life well-lived on my own terms. I really want to know your criteria.”

Conclusion

• The conversation ends with a friendly exchange of gratitude between Gary and Tony.
• They express their pleasure in meeting each other.
• Gary thanks Tony for asking his questions, and Tony assures they will be answered.

“It was an honor. Loved meeting you today, my man.”