Motivational Monday with Tony Robbins

Tony Robbins is known for motivational speaking but he actually prefers to not be called that. He doesn't want to fix you but show that you're not broken. He gives perspective that life is about choices and being resourceful.

A few years ago I watched his TED talk "Why we do what we do" and it's been my staple go-to if I need a bit of inspiration or motivation. Since we were on the topic of the TEDxZumbroRiver, I thought I would share more about what TED talks are. The mission of TED talks is to spread engaging ideas to spark conversations. The TEDx's are the smaller independent versions of that run by local people in a city it's approved for.

So, back to Robbin's "Why we do what we do". In his talk he shares that there are six human needs of fulfillment that make us do what we do. I'll list them out, but you have to promise to watch the video because it is so good.

Six human needs of fulfillment

1. Certainty: "Everyone needs certainty they can avoid pain and at least be comfortable."
2. Uncertainty: "We need variety. We need surprise."
3. Significance: "We all need to feel important, special, unique."
4. Love and Connection: "We all want it; most settle for connection, love's too scary."
5. Growth: "I believe the reason we grow is so we have something to give of value."
6. Contribution: "contribute beyond ourselves. Because we all know, corny as that sounds,the secret to living is giving. We all know life is not about me, it's about we."

My favorite part of the video is when he talks about how his dad walks out when someone came over to donate a Christmas meal to his family. His dad was upset and felt worthless that he couldn't provide for his family, so he abandoned his family. Robbins decided to interpret it differently. He said "...and now somebody I don't know, they're not asking for anything, just giving us food, looking out for us. It made me believe this: that strangers care. And that made me decide, if strangers care about me and my family, I care about them. I'm going to do something to make a difference. So when I was 17, I went out on Thanksgiving, it was my target for years to have enough money to feed two families. The most fun and moving thing I ever did in my life. Next year, I did four, then eight. I didn't tell anybody what I was doing, I wasn't doing it for brownie points. But after eight, I thought I could use some help."

Here's the entire video for your viewing enjoyment and inspiration.