Tony Robbins is a name that a lot of entrepreneurs hold in high esteem. Having coached several billionaires like Oprah Winfrey and Bill Clinton, some people have even taken to calling him “the CEO whisperer”. Robbins has achieved quite a lot over the years that only a few career and life coaches in today’s world can brag about.
He is very successful and has managed to build his empire which generates about 5 billion dollars per year. According to this article, he has a net worth of about 620 million dollars. His success story motivates and encourages aspiring entrepreneurs and even other young people in different careers and fields.
However, things weren’t always rosy for Robbins. Just like every individual, he has encountered and overcome several setbacks and challenges. He wasn’t always the rich and successful person you know him as today.
While it is great to be inspired by his success, knowing that the road wasn’t always rosy can help you stay resilient. It can help you overcome some challenges along the way to your success story. Therefore, in this article, we will be looking at some of the biggest challenges Tony Robbins has faced in life and his career.
A Broken Home
Robbins’ childhood was not a pleasant one. At age 7, his parents got divorced and his mom moved between marriages afterward. Due to this, he never quite had a father figure.
Furthermore, the family did not have regular income. His mother started becoming dependent on alcohol and drugs. As a result, Robbins had to step up to care for his 2 siblings since he was the oldest child. He was just 14 years old at this time.
He would cook for his siblings and help fix things around their home. You’d think things couldn’t get any worse but then his mother used a knife to chase him out of the house one day. Tony never went back home and had to start fending for himself right from that moment. Yet, if you listen to him, you’ll surely hear him talk about how one’s past doesn’t equal their future.
A 40 Dollar Per Week Salary and A Can-Do Spirit
At 17, Tony was living by himself and surviving on a 40-dollar-per-week salary. His dream of becoming a sports journalist was dashed and he may have felt like he had nothing. But he had his can-do spirit. Even though everything that was happening at this point in his life should have made him demoralized and give up, he never did.
He worked and was able to save 35 dollars which he used to attend a Jim Rohnseminar. There he asked Rohn to employ him and seeing him beyond what he was, Rohn decided to give him an opportunity. This was how Robbins became Rohn’s mentee. Through this opportunity, he came to understand the need to have a skill set to offer value and showcase his gifts.
He was able to turn the tides around by remaining resilient even in the face of several adversities. Just like the theme of Dean Graziosi “The Underdog Advantage”, Tony Robbins was able to rewrite his future by turning his disadvantages into his superpowers. Something that anyone looking to strive in business and even any other sector must be able to do.
An Unexpected 150-Million-Dollar Bill
At some point, Robbins had a business partner who left him with a 150-million-dollar bill. It was quite the betrayal, but he had to come back from it in someway. Apart from this, he encountered several issues with hiring when he started growing his brand.
He started by hiring those close to him, people he thought were his friends. Sadly, they ended up being incompetent. He backtracked and hired people who weren’t his friends; this set lacked integrity.
But he didn’t focus on all these. During all this, he didn’t spend his time explaining to people what happened and how he was 150million dollars in debt. Instead, he worked on figuring out how to pay off the debt and continue to grow his brand.
Survived Mercury Poisoning and Pituitary Tumor
Robbins used to be just 5’7; throughout high school, he was considered short. However, today he is about 6’7. This is because he had an increase in his growth hormone because of a pituitary tumor. Thankfully, even though this is a life-threatening condition, the tumor was stabilized, and he lived fine since then.
That was until he got mercury poisoning some years later because of how much he loves seafood. Thankfully, this was also resolved. To all these, Robbins believes that life offers different opportunities for us to give back something and thus become more.
A 14-Year Unfulfilling Marriage
One of Robbins’ personal mistakes was his first marriage to Becky Jenkins; he got married to her at 24 years and stayed married to her for 14 years. According to him during an interview with Oprah, on the wedding day, he felt something wasn’t right, but he went ahead with the marriage because he couldn’t bear to disappoint Jenkins. You can visit https://www.huffpost.com/ to learn more about this interview. From this, you can tell that Robbins is sort of a people’s pleaser.
This is one of the reasons why it was quite difficult for him to leave the marriage despite feeling unfulfilled about it. But he had to let go of the habit of pleasing people at all costs and choose what was best for him. Even at that, he didn’t get a divorce until the youngest child Jenkins brought to the marriage (she had 3 kids at the time they got married and the youngest was 5 years old) got into college.
He eventually met Sage through business and got married to her. He feels fulfilled in his marriage to Sage and feels life would be dull without her. Even though he still gets criticized for divorcing Becky Jenkins, Robbins says he does not have regrets. He believes that his past failures were simply the foundations he needed to understand and create the new life he has now.
Conclusion
Robbins’ story should inspire and motivate you to stay resilient despite whatever challenges you may be encountering. Tony Robbins did not become the success he is today by throwing in the towel. Do not limit yourself, put in the work, and don’t get discouraged, and you can achieve all that you wish to achieve.
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