Tony Robbins’ hardships: proof that with adversity, you are on the right path to incredible success and transformation

By Jean Baptiste Ndabananiye

Hardships appear insurmountable obstacles, but in fact they constitute the gateway to profound transformation. Various successful figures recommend that you embrace adversity, using it as fuel to achieve your dreams, regardless of the obstacles that stand in your way. Tony Robbins’ life represents a testament to this principle. From being a broke janitor with only $35 to his name, Robbins revolutionized his life through grit, determination, and a relentless pursuit of self-improvement as demonstrated by this article. Now worth $600 million, he has not only achieved personal success but also helped millions of others to unlock their potential around the world.

This article delves into Robbins’ seemingly insuperable challenges that fueled his path to success, illustrating that hardships, when faced with courage and resolve, form the stepping stones to greatness beyond imagination. As Robbins himself puts it, “Success is buried on the other side of frustration.” “Within every adversity is an equal or greater benefit,” once said Oliver Napoleon Hill who was an American self-help author best known for his book “Think and Grow Rich”, which features among the best-selling self-help books of all time. Just like several other prominent figures, Robbins teaches us that adversity is not the end—it merely represents the beginning of something colossally greater. Through his story, we understand that embracing struggle paved the way for incredible success, both for him and over 50 millions of others whom he has inspired. This supports that courageously confronting your struggle will certainly lead you to unimaginable achievements too.

Introduction

The saying “The greater the adversity, the greater the opportunity” is universally agreed upon. It is corroborated by the late Hill’s words “Within every problem is an opportunity. Even in the knocks of life, we can find great gifts. Every adversity, every failure, every heartbreak, carries with it the seed of an equal or greater benefit.” Hills works emphasized that ardent expectations are vital, to improve one’s life. He was born on October 26, 1883 in the United States of America and deceased on November 8, 1970 at the age of 87.

Late Robert Collier was a self-help and New Thought metaphysical books writer who lived and wrote during the first half of the 20th century. He is best known for his book ‘The Secret of the Ages’ which sold hundreds of thousands of copies during his lifetime. He once said “In every adversity there lies the seed of an equivalent advantage. In every defeat is a lesson showing you how to win the victory next time.”

Dr. Sherrie Campbell [PhD] is a psychologist in Yorba Linda, California, with two decades of clinical training and experience in providing counseling and psychotherapy services. She is author of the books ‘Loving Yourself: The Mastery of Being your Own Person’, and ‘Success Equations: A Path to an Emotionally Wealthy Life.’

She includes suffering trials and errors of life among primary factors enabling a person to develop an exceptional character which engenders happiness and success. She underscores it in her 24th May 2018 article titled ‘8 Traits of Exceptional Character that Lead to Happiness and Success’ published by the website-Entrepreneur.

“Character is largely developed from suffering trials and errors of life.  Survivors [of these hardships] stick, they don’t quit. People of exceptional character don’t quit when times get tough, nor do they treat others terribly when things don’t go their way.”

The Cambridge Dictionary defines “character” as the quality of being determined and able to deal with difficult situations. This definition tallies with the context in which Dr. Campbell has used the term, saying that trials and errors of life happen to you, to maximally bolster your character. This means that these adversities arise to optimally reinforce your capabilities and train you to successfully handle any intense life problems. This article about Elon Musk’s hardships also echoes it.

The late Nelson Madiba Mandela was the first Black president of South Africa (1994–99). Before this top position in every nation, Madiba encountered extreme hurdles, combatting the country’s apartheid rule; which fulfilled a major role in ending this system of racial segregation in South Africa. Mandela is recognized among the most suffering and hardworking people, having left to the world a legacy which will never sink into oblivion, that this planet has ever known.

One of hardships justifying his suffering is the imprisonment of 27 years that he has endured. He once declared “Do not judge me by my successes, judge me by how many times I fell down and got back up again. The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall. It always seems impossible until it’s done.”

The website, Tony Robbins, reads “Anyone who has ever achieved something worthwhile has had challenges and setbacks – because anything that is worth doing is going to be difficult. Overcoming adversity is a necessary step on the road to greatness.” It adds that Philosopher Edmund Burke said “He that wrestles with us strengthens our nerves and sharpens our skill. Our antagonist is our helper. Life is the worthy opponent – the antagonist – we all need to grow. When you have the right tools to overcome adversity, you embrace the situation as a helper, rather than letting it stop you from achieving your goals and reaching your dreams.”

Robbins possesses great lessons from seemingly insuperable adversities through which he has first gone, before reaching the success. “I’ve come to believe that all my past failure and frustration were actually laying the foundation for the understandings that have created the new level of living I now enjoy. The past does not equal the future.” 

Life In Humanity employs the term “seemingly”, to mean that adversities usually seem impossible to surmount while this isn’t the case, since they are eventually defeated and life runs smoothly. Robbins, who finally defeated the following adversities which seemed to block his way to success, suffices to inspire others sustaining the same or similar hardships. He was guided by his principle of insatiable hunger for success which was ignited by the hardships that taught him an invincible lesson which lies in this quote. “One belief that I’ve developed to carry me through extremely tough times is simply this: God’s delays are not God’s denials. Often, what seems impossible in the short term becomes very possible in the long term, if you persist. In order to succeed, we need to discipline ourselves to consistently think long term.

A metaphor that I use to remind myself of this is comparing life’s ups and downs to the changing of the seasons. No season lasts forever because all of life is a cycle of planting, reaping, resting, and renewal. Winter is not infinite: even if you’re having challenges today, you can never give up on the coming of spring. For some people, winter means hibernation; for others, it means bobsledding and downhill skiing! You can always just wait out the season, but why not make it into a time to remember?”

Robbin’s Poverty

Before addressing this point, Life In Humanity first grabs an opportunity to tell you that Robbins—byname of Anthony Robbins-original name Anthony J. Mahavorick, was born on February 29, 1960 in the USA—features among the world’s most popular and well-known public speakers. He remains a highly successful author, business strategist, and philanthropist. He is known for his infomercials, seminars, and self-help books including the books “Unlimited Power” and “Awaken the Giant Within”.

He has coached some of the most prominent people such as Oprah Winfrey now possessing a gigantic net worth of around $3.5 billion, four US Presidents such as Bill Clinton, top entertainers – from Aerosmith to Green Day, Usher and Pitbull, athletes and sports teams including tennis great Serena Williams, UFC champion Conor McGregor and the NBA’s Golden State Warriors.  

As for his poverty background, an article by CNN highlights that Robbins didn’t enjoy prosperous childhood. Robbins lived with his mother, various stepfathers, and siblings in a poor and often tumultuous home. “The holidays were not dazzled with gifts and feasts. It was quite the opposite, as his family got by with very little of anything.”

This giant media organization says that it is a stranger’s knock on the door of Robbins’ family which created an immense and everlasting impact on Robbins when he was only aged 11. “I went to go get my dad because this man had two giant bags of groceries and an uncooked Turkey in a pan on the ground” Robbins recalled to CNN. “My dad came out and he did not have a positive reaction, he went to slam the door.” CNN further says that Robbins’ father abandoned his family a short time later. “But it was the stranger’s kind gesture that made the biggest impact on young Tony that night. The idea that strangers cared about my family just completely changed my experience of life,” he said.

This generosity from the stranger transformed him so deeply that it is this gesture that finally inspired him to nourish the hungry, as you can read it in this article. This generous act also forced him to pay it forward when he was only 17. According to CNN, he asked his local church for the names of two needy families. Just before Thanksgiving, he delivered baskets of food to both households, each with a simple note in English and Spanish: “This is a gift from a friend.

Everybody has tough times so please accept this gift and if you can, someday do something like this for someone else to pay it forward. I show up on Thanksgiving at this one woman’s house,” Robbins recalled, “and I knock on the door and she sees the groceries and she screams and starts to kiss me and I was like ‘no, no, no delivery boy!’ I wasn’t looking for the acknowledgment, I just wanted to see the impact.”

“All the sudden the kids came and they were going crazy. When it was time to leave, I got in the van and I looked in the rear view mirror and the four kids were on the porch and there’s the mom crying and smiling from ear to ear simultaneously. I broke down crying uncontrollably and it’s the day I realized that my worst day was my best day. The day my dad left, as horrible as that was- I wouldn’t be out here feeding people if I hadn’t been through that pain myself.”

Robbins’ other adversities, according to Entrepreneur on 20 June 2017:

1. Fended for himself after his mom chased him out with a knife. “The oldest of three children, Robbins’ parents divorced when he was seven. His mother married several more times, but there was never a stable father figure or regular income.”

His family often skipped holidays like Thanksgiving or Christmas to save money. “Things got worse. His mother became dependent on drugs and alcohol. At the age of 14, Robbins had become the man of the house. He took care of his siblings, cooking meals and acting as a handyman around the home. It still wasn’t enough. One day, his mother chased him out with a knife, and Robbins never returned”. That is why Robbins will be the first to tell anyone “Your past does not equal your future.”

2. He was paid $40 per week, but never lost hope

By the time Robbins was aged 17, he dropped out of high school, living on his own, his dreams of a degree in sports journalism were smashed. “He had to survive on a janitor’s salary of $40 per week. But Robbins wasn’t demoralized. He saved up $35 to attend one Jim Rohn’s motivational seminars, and then asked him for a job. Rohn saw the promise in Robbins and gave him a chance.

With Rohn as a mentor, Robbins worked 12-14 hours per day, but kept running into a wall. He wasn’t seeing results, and he wasn’t sure how to move forward. Rohn gave him some of the best advice he’s ever gotten — he needed to build a skill set. Only then would he be able to offer more value than anyone else and really show off his gifts. That advice seriously paid off. By 2007, Robbins had gone from making $40 per week to $30 million per year.”

3. Lived through pituitary tumor and mercury poisoning. Although it can be hard to believe, Robbins -who, at 6’7″ looks like he could have been a former professional athlete- was once nothing to look at. “In fact, he was just 5’1″ when he entered high school. At age 16, he was still 5’7″.

But his short stature only added to his incredible drive. It instilled in him a ferocious intensity to be the best at what he did. As a senior, he managed to become student body president.” Robbins is more than 10 inches taller than his school self, but it was not because of regular growth spurt. Entrepreneur says “Robbins was diagnosed with a pituitary tumor in his brain that upped his levels of human growth hormone. Fortunately, the life-threatening tumor has since stabilized. Years later, his love of seafood resulted in extreme mercury poisoning.” Seafood comprises edible sea animals such as fishes. Fish and shellfish concentrate mercury in their bodies, often in the form of methylmercury, a highly toxic organomercury compound. This element is known to bio-accumulate in humans and it can result in mercury poisoning.

According to Cleveland Clinic, mercury poisoning occurs when your body is exposed to too much mercury. Mercury is a type of elemental metal found in the Earth’s crust that’s toxic to humans. “Mercury poisoning most often happens by eating too much seafood that contains mercury”. The University of Florida Health states “Very large exposures will likely cause death. A large overdose of inorganic mercury may cause massive blood and fluid loss, kidney failure, and likely death. Chronic brain damage from organic mercury poisoning is difficult to treat.” Meanwhile Robbins said “Life is a gift, and it offers us the privilege, opportunity and responsibility to give something back by becoming more,” Robbins said.

As already said, Robbins is  6’7 tall, signifying that he is 6 feet 7 inches tall, being approximately 201 centimeters or two meters and one centimeter. His height is often noted because it contributes to his commanding presence during his motivational speaking events. He has even confirmed it, underlining that this feature is “what allows me to go in a room of 5 000 people and take it.” The tumor is said to have contributed to Robbins’ exceptional height. The tumor possesses the capacity to elevate a person’s height. But this typically happens, if the tumor causes excessive production of human growth hormone.

4. Stayed in an unfulfilling marriage for 14 years. Robbins’ biggest personal mistake may have been marrying ex-wife Becky Jenkins at the age of 24, for all the wrong reasons. “He once admitted to Oprah [Winfrey] that ‘Even on the day I was married, I knew it wasn’t right. But I didn’t want to disappoint her. It sounds stupid, but it’s the truth’.” Marrying Robbins, Jenkins had three children namely a 17-year-old son, an 11-year-old daughter and a 5-year-old son. Robbins lived with her until the youngest kid had “gone off to college before finally making the painful decision to part ways. He eventually married his current wife, Sage [Robbins], who he met through a business relationship. To this day, Robbins receives criticism for divorcing Jenkins but he has no regrets.”

5. Paid an unexpected $150 million bill and experienced hiring difficulties. Robbins told Entrepreneur that his former business partner left him high and dry with a $150 million bill to pay, while his business and brand were considerably smaller. But Entrepreneur adds that Robbins doesn’t focus on that at all. “He doesn’t explain what happened the way most people would, trying to find validation. Instead, he goes on to say that he figured out how to pay it off and that it ultimately helped him grow tremendously. The path to success is to take massive, determined action.” In a Behind the Brand interview, Robbins told the host Bryan Elliot that he faced hiring problems, when his brand was growing. “First I recruited people that I thought were my friends, but they were incompetent. Then I recruited people who weren’t my friends, but they had no integrity.”

Entrepreneur underlines that Robbins’ incredible rags-to-riches story, outrageous confidence and unshakeable optimism are driven by his almost complete mastery over his own thoughts. He thinks that the biggest thing preventing most people from moving forward is their own self-limiting beliefs. “People are not lazy,” he said. “They simply have impotent goals, goals that do not inspire them.” Your goals will inspire you, especially if they are situated in a field that you truly love and that perfectly matches your innate capabilities. Additionally, working in inspiring conditions will further enhance your motivation and drive to accomplish your goals.

Mastery over one’s own thoughts is what Robbins calls ‘positivity/positive thinking.’ This aspect figures among very powerful techniques which have permitted him to move past his adversities. Under positivity, you ensure that negative and limiting thoughts like thinking that you are unable don’t penetrate your mind.

When these ideas invade your mind, you need to replace them with positive and non-limiting ones such as substituting “you are unable” with “you are able.” If you are beginning to think that you are unable, suddenly start thinking “you are able.” Desired results might not happen immediately, but always attempting to do so, you will eventually manage to control your mind. Mind control, in its broadest sense, refers to the ability to influence or direct one’s own thoughts, emotions, or behaviors.

Positivity also involves only reflecting about solutions to your difficulties and then taking action to implement these solutions, instead of spending your time ruminating your difficulties. Merely pondering over your difficulties will only feed and then aggravate your situation. Meditate on your hardships, only if this lies in the process of solving them. That’s why you are recommended to possess a journal/notebook where you write your difficulties and then allocate specific time to think about them so as to seek ways to handle them. It will thus permit you to focus your current time on other important issues.

Here, don’t say that you are in unemployment and then you bear no occupation on which to focus your time. You need to procure an occupation on your own; otherwise, you are wasting your second greatest resource: time. For instance, you could spend your time on maximally honing your knowledge and skills. Seek a book and read it. Listen to or watch educational materials. Approach extremely knowledgeable people, to learn from them. There are different ways to accomplish this. Remember that it is only $35 which have profoundly changed Robbins’ life. In fact, you will rarely identify any successful personalities who question that adversities toughen you. Even the following ones insist on it.

“We don’t develop courage by being happy every day. We develop it by surviving difficult times and challenging adversity,”– Dr. Barbara De Angelis who is one of the most influential teachers today in the field of personal and spiritual development. For the past thirty-five years, she has reached tens of millions of people across the world with her inspirational messages about how to create a life of true freedom, mastery and awakening. As a best-selling author, popular television personality and sought after motivational speaker, Dr. Barbara is legendary in the field of personal transformation as one of the first people to popularize the idea of self-help in the 1980’s, and as one of the first nationally recognized female motivational teachers on television.

“Fire is the test of gold; adversity, of strong men,”– Martha Graham having arrived on the Earth born May 11, 1894 in the U.S. and died April 1, 1991. She was an influential American dancer, teacher, and choreographer of modern dance whose ballets and other works were intended to “reveal the inner man.”

“There is no education like adversity,”– Benjamin Disraeli from December 21, 1804, to April 19, 1881. Disraeli, a British statesman and novelist, served twice as a prime minister.

“Growing isn’t easy. At times, it can even be painful. But, through the pain, through the stress, you are still growing. You are growing from your setbacks and hardships. Each time you allow strength to flow in, you defeat pain. Just because you feel lost doesn’t mean that you are. Sometimes you just have to relax, breathe deep, and trust the path you’re on,” Lalah Delia, a bestselling writer, spiritual writer, certified spiritual practitioner, wellness educator, and the author of “Vibrate Higher Daily” as well as founder of Vibrate Higher Daily, a vibrational based–living online community and mentoring program.

Conclusion

Adversity constitutes a powerful catalyst for incredible success and transformation, when you become aware that this is the role of adversities. Tony Robbins is a prime example of this principle. Adversity can lead to profound personal growth, increased motivation, and the development of valuable skills and perspectives, all of which contribute to remarkable success and transformation. Tony Robbins’ journey illustrates how facing and overcoming difficulties can set the stage for achieving extraordinary accomplishments.

For instance, Tony Robbins’s personal hardships from difficult childhood to  health issues have assisted him to develop a strong sense of resilience and determination, essential qualities for achieving success. Adversity forces individuals to grow and adapt. Robbins’ struggles have pushed him to build strategies—for personal development and success— of which he then availed himself to help others. His experiences has led him to understand and teach principles of growth and transformation.