Robbins Tony Quotes

If you do what you've always done, you'll get what you've always gotten.

It is your decisions, and not your conditions, that determine your destiny.

Change happens when the pain of staying the same is greater than the pain of change.

People who fail focus on what they will have to go through; people who succeed focus on what it will feel like at the end.

You can’t have a plan for your day, ‘til you have a plan for your life.

Stay committed to your decisions, but stay flexible in your approach.

Our beliefs about what we are and what we can be precisely determine what we can be

The past does not equal the future.

Success is buried on the other side of rejection.

How am I going to live today to create the tomorrow I've committed to?

You can’t hit a target if you don’t know what it is.

You can't stop dreaming just because the night never seems to end.

Nothing tastes as good as looking good feels.

A real decision is measured by the fact that you've taken a new action. If there's no action, you haven't truly decided.

I can tell you the secret to happiness in one word: progress.

The secret of success is learning how to use pain and pleasure instead of having pain and pleasure use you. If you do that, you're in control of your life. If you don't, life controls you.

Where focus goes, energy flows.

Focus equals feeling.

It's not the events of our lives that shape us, but our beliefs as to what those events mean.

Change is inevitable. Evolution, however, is optional.

Stop being afraid of what could go wrong, and start being excited of what could go right

If you do what you've always done, you'll get what you've always gotten." -

The only reason we don’t have what we want in life is the reasons we create why we can’t have them.

The enemy of execution is complexity.

I challenge you to make your life a masterpiece. I challenge you to join the ranks of those people who live what they teach, who walk their talk.

The secret to wealth is simple: Find a way to do more for others than anyone else does. Become more valuable. Do more. Give more. Be more. Serve more.

Identify your problems but give your power and energy to solutions.

Your past does not equal your future

Change happens when the pain of staying the same is greater than the pain of change

Quality questions create a quality life.

Repetition is the mother of skill

Belief in limits creates limited people

By changing nothing, nothing changes.

People love to say that knowledge is power. But the truth is that knowledge is only potential power

Heal the boy and the man will appear.

Most people overestimate what they can do in a year and they underestimate what they can do in two or three decades.

One reason so few of us achieve what we truly want is that we never direct our focus; we never concentrate our power. Most people dabble their way through life, never deciding to master anything in particular.

You get what you tolerate.

The more rules you have about how people have to be, how life has to be for you to be happy, the less happy you're going to be.

Never give up, Never surrender!!!!! If you think you can't, then you must, if you must, then you can..Tony Robbins

The only thing that’s keeping you from getting what you want is the story you keep telling yourself.

Beliefs have the power to create and the power to destroy. Human beings have the awesome ability to take any experience of their lives and create a meaning that disempowers them or one that can literally save their lives.

Hunger is the only differentiation in people; it’s not talent.

The only person you should try to be better than is the person you were yesterday.

The three decisions that control your destiny are: 1. your decisions about what to focus on 2. your decisions about what things meant to you 3. your decisions about what to do to create the results you desire.

If I could uncover what beliefs and values control me, I can literally redesign me.

Our entire life changes in a moment.

Every day, work harder on yourself than anything else. ‘Cause if you become more intelligent, more valuable, more skilled, you can add more value to other people.

Success without fulfillment is failure

Love is the oxygen of the soul

Knowledge is not power. Knowledge is only potential power. Action is power.

It's not what we do once in a while that shapes our lives, but what we do consistently

The secret to living is giving

Excuses are the nails used to build a house of failure.

the quality of my life was the quality of my questions.

You want to change your life fast? Then trade your expectation for appreciation; you’ll have a whole new life.

Your biggest problem is you think you shouldn’t have them. ‘Cause problems are what make us grow. Problems are what sculpt our soul. Problems are what make us become more.

A real decision is measured by the fact that you've taken a new action!

Lots of people know what to do, but few people actually do what they know.

No matter how many mistakes you make or how slow you progress, you are still way ahead of everyone who isn’t trying.

The real joy in life comes from finding your true purpose and aligning it with what you do every single day.

By changing nothing, nothing changes. Tony Robbins

Before you change your thinking, you have to change what goes into your mind. Zig Ziglar

Positive thinking won’t let you do anything but it will let you do everything better than negative thinking will. Zig Ziglar

If you wanna take the fucking island burn your fucking boats; and you will take the island 'cause people when they're gonna either die or succeed, tend to succeed.

The quality of your life, is directly proportional to the amount of the unknown in your life". Tony Robbins

Success is doing what you want to do, when you want, where you want, with whom you want, as much as you want.

The quality of your life is the quality of your relationships.

You see, in life, lots of people know what to do, but few people actually do what they know. Knowing is not enough! You must take action.

If you do what you have always done, you'll get what you've always gotten.

One reason so few of us achieve what we truly want is that we never direct our focus; we never concentrate our power.

Setting goals is the first step in turning the invisible into the visible.

If we can realize that life is always happening for us, not to us… game over, all the pain and suffering disappears.

You don’t have to have a reason to feel good — you’re alive; you can feel good for no reason at all!

Problems are not permanent. Only your soul is permanent.

Successful people ask better questions, and as a result, they get better answers

Whatever you hold in your mind on a consistent basis is exactly what you will experience in your life.

As Tony Robbins would say, “The quality of your questions determines the quality of your life.

People can be sincere -- and sincerely wrong.

We over estimate what we can accomplish in 2 months and underestimate what we can accomplish in 5 years

what matters is that you master money and it doesn’t master you. Then you are free to live life on your own terms.

To those souls who will never settle for less than they can be, do, share, and give

Lack of direction, not lack of time, is the problem. We all have twenty-four hour days. Zig Ziglar

I've got to say no to the good so I can say yes to the best. Zig Ziglar

It’s not what you know, it’s what you use that makes a difference. Zig Ziglar

If you can’t, you must. If you must, you can.

It is in your moments of decision that your destiny is shaped.

When you are grateful fear disappears and abundance appears.

Begin to live as though your prayers are already answered.

Every day wake up happy to be alive and happy to be you. Be the best version of yourself and fall in love with who you are.

If you do what you’ve always done, you’ll get what you’ve always gotten.” - Tony Robbins

the word "decision" comes from the latin roots de, which means "from", and caedere, which means "to cut"... cutting yourself from any other possibility.

Don’t try to be Perfect! Just be an excellent example of a Human Being,

Breakthrough depends on your state, the story you tell yourself, and your strategies.

Self-control is a better predictor of academic success than intelligence (take that, SATs), a stronger determinant of effective leadership than charisma (sorry, Tony Robbins), and more important for marital bliss than empathy (yes, the secret to lasting marriage may be learning how to keep your mouth shut). If

Persevering through something that is drudgery to you in the name of perseverance alone isn’t commendable; it’s senseless stubbornness. Even if you stick with it long enough to make good money, you won’t be truly happy.

The only way to achieve success is by believing you can achieve your goals, no matter what. The story you tell yourself has the power to transform your life or destroy it. When you change your story, you can change your life.

Push will wear you out. When you’re pushing to do something, you only got so much willpower. But when you’re pulled, when there’s something larger than yourself that you’re here to serve and that you believe you’re made for, that brings energy.

You are now at a crossroads. This is your opportunity to make the most important decision you will ever make. Forget your past. Who are you now? Who have you decided you really are now? Don’t think about who you have been. Who are you right now? Who have you decided to become? Make this decision consciously. Make it carefully. Make it powerfully.

Disappointment can drive us, or it can defeat us.

Dream it. Believe it. Achieve it.

wealth creation is not an end in and of itself but is a crucial aspect of achieving a purposeful life,

Leadership is producing a standard in someone that they will live by to produce higher level results consistently.

un·shake·able An unwavering and undisputed confidence; a steadfast commitment to the truth; presence, peace of mind, and a calm amidst the storm

the best way to change your life is to find people who’ve already achieved what you want and then model their behavior.

When we do more than we are paid to do, eventually we will be paid more for what we do. Zig Ziglar

A wise man should have money in his head, but not in his heart.“ Jonathan Swift

Failure is an event, not a person. Yesterday ended last night. Zig Ziglar

You cannot solve a problem until you acknowledge that you have one and accept responsibility for solving it. Zig Ziglar

It’s not the situation, but whether we react (negative) or respond (positive) to the situation that’s important. Zig Ziglar

Other people and things can stop you temporarily. You’re the only one who can do it permanently. Zig Ziglar

Of all the “attitudes” we can acquire, surely the attitude of gratitude is the most important and by far the most life changing. Zig Ziglar

Motivation is the fuel necessary to keep the human engine running. Zig Ziglar

If we don't start, it's certain we can't arrive. Zig Ziglar

If you want to be rich, you need to develop your vision. You must be standing on the edge of time gazing into the future.” - Robert Kiyosaki

You’ll often find that it’s not mom or dad, husband or wife, or the kids that’s stopping you. It’s you. Get out of your own way.” - Robert Kiyosaki

It’s not what happens to you that determines how far you will go in life; it is how you handle what happens to you. Zig Ziglar

The fear of being different prevents most people from seeking new ways to solve their problems.” - Robert Kiyosaki

If you can't write at least a paragraph on your goal then it is clearly not compelling enough.  You need to either find the right reason or find the right goal. 

Change happens when the pain of staying the same is greater than the pain of change.” ~Tony Robbins

Successful people ask better questions, and as a result, they get better answers.

Knowing is important, but doing is even more so.

different actions produce different results

If you can’t measure it, you can’t improve it.” —PETER DRUCKER

You’re going to anyway, so you might as well enjoy the process. Take the opportunity to learn from your mistakes: don’t try to be perfect; just be an excellent example of being human.

On the other side of it, always remember that you too can be the person of influence, so keep your communications inspiring and help create a vision for someone else’s life other than your own.

If standard of living is your major objective, quality of life almost never improves, but if quality of life is your number one objective, your standard of living almost always improves. Zig Ziglar

If you don’t like who you are and where you are, don’t worry about it because you’re not stuck either with who you are or where you are. You can grow. You can change. You can be more than you are. Zig Ziglar

The truth is that we can learn to condition our minds, bodies, and emotions to link pain or pleasure to whatever we choose. By changing what we link pain and pleasure to, we will instantly change our behaviors.

One of the most important global beliefs that you and I can adopt is a belief that in order to succeed and be happy, we’ve got to be constantly improving the quality of our lives, constantly growing and expanding.

Many people have lived with a negative self-concept so long that they can no longer feel how it affects them. Instead of feeling indignation or hurt feelings, these people have conditioned themselves to accept subjugation and disrespect. This dulls the pain of being treated badly, but it’s important to awaken to the high cost of a low self-concept. Once they finally realize how painful it is to feel so diminished by others, they can do something about it. As Tony Robbins (1992) has described, sometimes the best way to motivate yourself to change is by deliberately amplifying how painful the old way is.

We cannot stop certain things from happening like growing old and we certainly have no control over what other people do that may affect us. What we can do, however, is let the change be a positive thing by growing with it and learning from it. Always make sure that you are living life in an upwards motion, constantly moving forward and progressing.

The quality of your life is determined by the quality of the questions you ask yourself.

Man is born to live and not to prepare to live.” —BORIS PASTERNAK

you must change the beliefs that are holding you back. Beliefs have the power to create and the power to destroy. Human beings have the awesome ability to take

Goal setting is the secret to a compelling future.

Knowledge isn't power; it's potential power. Execution trumps knowledge any day of the week

No matter how many mistakes you make or how slow you progress, you are still way ahead of everyone that isn't trying.

Pain is weakness leaving the body.” —CHESTY PULLER

You won’t believe how powerful positive visualization can be.

Everybody’s got a past. The past does not equal the future unless you live there.

No matter how many mistakes you make or how slow you progress, you’re still way ahead of everyone who isn’t trying.

The only impossible journey is the one you never begin.

A lot of people are more talk than action.

Belief in limits creates limited people.

prosperity.

the business of business was not just to make a profit but also to do good—to do good while doing well.

You either master money, or, on some level, money masters you!

When you lack confidence about money, it unconsciously affects your confidence in other areas too.

Nothing has any meaning, except the meaning that you give to the meaning

Everything happens for a reason and a purpose, and it serves you.

You can finish school, and even make it easy – but you never finish your education, and it is seldom easy. Zig Ziglar

You already have every characteristic necessary for success if you recognize, claim, develop and use them. Zig Ziglar

When you choose to be pleasant and positive in the way you treat others, you have also chosen, in most cases, how you are going to be treated by others. Zig Ziglar

To respond is positive, to react is negative. Zig Ziglar

Positive thinking will let you use the abilities, training and experience you have. Zig Ziglar

The most life destroying word of all is the word tomorrow.” - Robert Kiyosaki

Success is one thing you can’t pay for. You buy it on the installment plan and make payments every day.  Zig Ziglar

The price of success is much lower than the price of failure. Zig Ziglar

Don’t be distracted by criticism. Remember, the only taste of success some people have is when they take a bite out of you. Zig Ziglar

When your image improves, your performance improves. Zig Ziglar

What comes out of your mouth is determined by what goes into your mind. Zig Ziglar

What you do off the job is the determining factor in how far you will go on the job. Zig Ziglar

You are the only one who can use your ability. It is an awesome responsibility. Zig Ziglar

The real opportunity for success lies within the person and not in the job. Zig Ziglar

Leadership is not about titles, positions or flowcharts. It is about one life influencing another.” - John Maxwell

The more seriously you take your growth, the more seriously your people will take you.” - John Maxwell

If people are prepared to be flexible, keep an open mind and learn, they will grow richer and richer through the changes.

you truly want to make some serious changes in your life then you must start by raising your standards. 

six human needs and they are:  contribution, growth, connection, significance, uncertainty, and certainty. 

Human beings have the awesome ability to take any experience of their lives and create a meaning that disempowers them or one that can literally save their lives.

If you have a smartphone, you have access to more computational power in your hand than most of the governments on the planet had just thirty years ago.

Once you have mastered time, you will understand how true it is that most people overestimate what they can accomplish in a year—and underestimate what they can achieve in a decade!

The four classes are:  1) Good for you, good for other people, 2) Good for you, bad for other people 3)  Bad for you, good for other people and 4)  Bad for you, bad for other people.

If you don’t set a baseline standard for what you’ll accept in your life, you’ll find it’s easy to slip into behaviors and attitudes or a quality of life that’s far below what you deserve.

The best way to make your spouse and children feel secure is not with big deposits in bank accounts, but with little deposits of thoughtfulness and affection in the “love account.” Zig Ziglar

Ask and you shall receive, but I'm sure it meant Ask intelligently. I'm sure that's what God meant. I'm sure he didn't mean Bitch and you will receive, Whine and you will receive. I don't think that was the instruction. To ask intelligently you'd have to ask specifically. Clarity is power. The more clear you are about exactly what it is you want, the more your brain knows how to get there.

Live life fully while you’re here. Experience everything. Take care of yourself and your friends. Have fun, be crazy, be weird. Go out and screw up! You’re going to anyway, so you might as well enjoy the process. Take the opportunity to learn from your mistakes: find the cause of your problem and eliminate it. Don’t try to be perfect; just be an excellent example of being human. —TONY ROBBINS

90% of the stuff in your head belongs to other people!" Learn how to return those thoughts and energies to their original owner in my new book, "My Haunted Reality" as we explore the energies and entities around us.

The ultimate resources are EMOTIONAL STATES: Creativity, decisiveness, passion, honesty, sincerity, love these are the ultimate human resources and when you engage these resources you can get any other resource on earth.

Jack Bogle, el fundador de Vanguard, que tiene más de $3 trillones en activos bajo administración, ha dicho, “¡Por supuesto! Sería increíble salir de la bolsa de valores en la alta y volver a la baja, pero en 65 años en este negocio, no he conocido a nadie que sepa cómo hacerlo y tampoco he conocido a alguien que me diga que algún conocido sepa hacerlo”. Y Warren Buffett ha dicho," El único valor de los pronosticadores de las acciones son hacer de buenos adivinos.

Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.” —VIKTOR FRANKL, author, neurologist, psychiatrist, philosopher, and Holocaust survivor

More importantly, maybe we should be asking ourselves, “How am I going to live the next ten years of my life? How am I going to live today in order to create the tomorrow I’m committed to? What am I going to stand for from now on? What’s

Goals: Setting and Achieving Them on Schedule, How to Stay Motivated, and Secrets of Closing the Sale by Zig Ziglar: “Zig is your grandfather and my grandfather. He’s Tony Robbins’s grandfather. None of us would be here if it weren’t for Zig.

The only way you compete, the only way you succeed in competing, the only way you develop a brand, the only you can dominate in an industry is to find a way to add more value for other people’s lives than anyone else is adding. —Tony Robbins.

Meanings don't just affect the way we feel; they affect all of our relationships and interactions. Some people think the first ten years of a relationship is just the beginning; that they're just now getting to know each other, and it's really exciting. It's an opportunity to go deeper. Other people could be ten days into a relationship, and the first time they have an argument, they think it's the end. Now tell me, if you think this is the beginning of a relationship, are you going to behave the same way as if it were the end? That one slight shift in perception, in meaning, can change your whole life in a moment. In the beginning of a relationship, if you're totally in love and attracted, what will you do for the other person? The answer is: anything! If he or she asks you to take out the trash, you might leap to your feet and say, "Anything that lights you up, sweetheart!" But after seven days, seven years, or seventy years, people say things like, "What the hell do you think I am, your janitor?!" And they wonder what happened to the passion in their life. I've often shared with couples having trouble in their relationships that if you do what you did in the beginning of the relationship, there wont be an end! Because in the beginning of the relationship, you were a giver, not an accountant. You weren't weighing constantly the meaning of who was giving more. Your entire focus was just lighting up that person, and his or her happiness made you feel like your life was filled with joy.

I followed the changes I’d made to my body by working to strengthen my mind. I was devouring books. A lot of self-help, inspirational stuff. Tony Robbins. Deepak Chopra. Malcolm Gladwell. James Allen. The biographies of Pimp C. and Jimi Hendrix. Mike Tyson’s autobiography.

Always start out to give more than is expected from you, to treat the other person more fairly, and that is the secret of success. Never try to take advantage of anyone or to hold anyone back in their own progress. The more you help others, the more prosperous you will be personally. p542

As a student of Tony Robbins, Matt had been using affirmations and incantations for years to create extraordinary levels of success. Owning five homes and one of the top network engineers in the country (all by age 25), I should have figured Matt knew what he was doing. After all, I was the one renting a room in his house.

Structured Notes. These are perhaps one of the more exciting tools available today, but, unfortunately, they are rarely offered to the general public because the high-net-worth investors gobble them up like pigeon seed in Central Park. Luckily, the right fiduciary is able to grant access for individuals even without large sums of investment capital. p176

So tell me, Ray, what are the percentages you would put in stocks? What percentage in gold? and so on."... "First, he said, we need 30% in stocks (for instance, the S&P 500 or other indexes for further diversification in this basket)... "Then you need long-term government bonds. Fifteen percent in intermediate term [seven- to ten-year Treasuries] and forty percent in long-term bonds [20- to 25-year Treasuries]."... He rounded out the portfolio with 7.5% in gold and 7.5% in commodities... Lastly, the portfolio must be rebalanced. Meaning, when one segment does well, you must sell a portion and reallocate back to the original allocation. This should be done at least annually, and, if done properly, can actually increase tax efficiency. p390

El primer principio: tienes que seguir evolucionando. En la vida, si no evolucionas, mueres. Esto es válido para las relaciones, para los negocios y para todo lo demás. Si no evolucionas, te sentirás frustrado y miserable, y te dará igual la cantidad de millones que tengas en el banco. De hecho, te voy a revelar cuál es el secreto de la felicidad con una sola palabra: progreso.

From an asset-allocation perspective, when we talk about diversification, we're talking about investing in multiple asset classes. There are six that I think are really important and they are US stocks, US Treasury bonds, US Treasure inflation-protected securities [TIPS], foreign developed equities, foreign emerging-market equities and real estate investment trusts [REITS]. p473

Do not give up because if you truly are persistent, you will succeed. Two things that helped me through those difficult times were positive books filled with quotes and videos that inspired me to persevere. I listened to people like Tony Robbins, Marci Shimoff, Deepak Chopra, and Joel Osteen, and they made a positive impact on my overall outlook. You have to admit that other people’s wisdom can move you in some way. You can use these tools anytime you need an emotionally positive boost. For

As Anthony Robbins says, “For changes to be of any true value, they’ve got to be lasting and consistent. Any time you sincerely want to make a change, the first thing you must do is to raise your standards. When people ask me what really changed my life eight years ago, I tell them that absolutely the most important thing was changing what I demanded of myself. I wrote down all the things I would no longer accept in my life, all the things I would no longer tolerate, and all the things that I aspired to becoming.”   What

I want to use this book as a vehicle to help you develop enough wealth- both physical and emotional- so that you can be a force for good through your economic contributions as well as your time. I will tell you, though, if you wont give a dime out of a dollar, you wont give $1 million out of $10 million. The time to give is now! When I had nothing, I began this process. The reward is that if you give, even at the times when you think you have very little, you'll teach your brain that there is more than enough. You can leave scarcity behind and move toward a world of abundance.

I Am Not Your Guru Inspirational Quotes 1. “Most people overestimate what they can do in a year and they underestimate what they can do in two or three decades.” 2. “Every day, work harder on yourself than anything else. ‘Cause if you become more intelligent, more valuable, more skilled, you can add more value to other people.” 3. “If I could uncover what beliefs and values control me, I can literally redesign me.” 4. “Our entire life changes in a moment.” 5. “Your biggest problem is you think you shouldn’t have them. ‘Cause problems are what make us grow. Problems are what sculpt our soul. Problems are what make us become more.” 6. “If we can realize that life is always happening for us, not to us… game over, all the pain and suffering disappears.” 7. “Push will wear you out. When you’re pushing to do something, you only got so much willpower. But when you’re pulled, when there’s something larger than yourself that you’re here to serve and that you believe you’re made for, that brings energy.” 8. “Heal the boy and the man will appear.” 9. “You get what you tolerate.” 10. “Questions control what you focus on. What you focus on is what you feel. What you feel is your experience of life.” 11. “If you sit at the table of success too long, you’re going to get bored. Progress equals happiness. If you’re growing in anything, financially, spiritually, emotionally, in your relationship, in your body, you’re going to feel better in your life. That’s what we’re made for.” 12. “We’re meant to grow so we have something to give. You can’t give something you really don’t have.

All 250 + episodes to date can be found at tim.blog/ podcast and itunes.com/ timferriss Jamie Foxx on Workout Routines, Success Habits, and Untold Hollywood Stories (# 124)—tim.blog/ jamie The Scariest Navy SEAL I’ve Ever Met . . . and What He Taught Me (# 107)—tim.blog/ jocko Arnold Schwarzenegger on Psychological Warfare (and Much More) (# 60)—tim.blog/ arnold Dom D’Agostino on Fasting, Ketosis, and the End of Cancer (# 117)—tim.blog/ dom2 Tony Robbins on Morning Routines, Peak Performance, and Mastering Money (# 37)—tim.blog/ tony How to Design a Life—Debbie Millman (# 214)—tim.blog/ debbie Tony Robbins—On Achievement Versus Fulfillment (# 178)—tim.blog/ tony2 Kevin Rose (# 1)—tim.blog/ kevinrose [If you want to hear how bad a first episode can be, this delivers. Drunkenness didn’t help matters.] Charles Poliquin on Strength Training, Shredding Body Fat, and Increasing Testosterone and Sex Drive (# 91)—tim.blog/ charles Mr. Money Mustache—Living Beautifully on $ 25–27K Per Year (# 221)—tim.blog/ mustache Lessons from Warren Buffett, Bobby Fischer, and Other Outliers (# 219)—tim.blog/ buffett Exploring Smart Drugs, Fasting, and Fat Loss—Dr. Rhonda Patrick (# 237)—tim.blog/ rhonda 5 Morning Rituals That Help Me Win the Day (# 105)—tim.blog/ rituals David Heinemeier Hansson: The Power of Being Outspoken (# 195)—tim.blog/ dhh Lessons from Geniuses, Billionaires, and Tinkerers (# 173)—tim.blog/ chrisyoung The Secrets of Gymnastic Strength Training (# 158)—tim.blog/ gst Becoming the Best Version of You (# 210)—tim.blog/ best The Science of Strength and Simplicity with Pavel Tsatsouline (# 55)—tim.blog/ pavel Tony Robbins (Part 2) on Morning Routines, Peak Performance, and Mastering Money (# 38)—tim.blog/ tony How Seth Godin Manages His Life—Rules, Principles, and Obsessions (# 138)—tim.blog/ seth The Relationship Episode: Sex, Love, Polyamory, Marriage, and More (with Esther Perel) (# 241)—tim.blog/ esther The Quiet Master of Cryptocurrency—Nick Szabo (# 244)—tim.blog/ crypto Joshua Waitzkin (# 2)—tim.blog/ josh The Benevolent Dictator of the Internet, Matt Mullenweg (# 61)—tim.blog/ matt Ricardo Semler—The Seven-Day Weekend and How to Break the Rules (# 229)—tim.blog/ ricardo

I met with a group of a hundred or so fifth graders from a poor neighborhood at a school in Houston, Texas. Most of them were on a track that would never get them to college. So I decided then and there to make a contract with them. I would pay for their four-year college education if they kept a B average and stayed out of trouble. I made it clear that with focus, anyone could be above average, and I would provide mentoring support to them. I had a couple of key criteria: They had to stay out of jail. They couldn't get pregnant before graduating high school. Most importantly, they needed to contribute 20 hours of service per year to some organization in their community. Why did I add this? College is wonderful, but what was even more important to me was to teach them they had something to give, not just something to get in life. I had no idea how I was going to pay for it in the long run, but I was completely committed, and I signed a legally binding contract requiring me to deliver the funds. It's funny how motivating it can be when you have no choice but to move forward. I always say, if you want to take the island, you have to burn your boats! So I signed those contracts. Twenty-three of those kids worked with me from the fifth grade all the way to college. Several went on to graduate school, including law school! I call them my champions. Today they are social workers, business owners, and parents. Just a few years ago, we had a reunion, and I got to hear the magnificent stories of how early-in-life giving to others had become a lifelong pattern. How it caused them to believe they had real worth in life. How it gave them such joy to give, and how many of them now are teaching this to their own children.

do you think Jesus would do if he came back to earth tonight in Bremerton?” C asked, as he spooned some rice onto his plate. “I don’t know,” I said, savoring a mouthful of Mongolian beef. “Would he come in a white robe and sandals, or the dress of this time?” C pressed on. I shrugged my shoulders, forking in the fried rice. “Would he be white, black, Asian, or maybe look like Saddam Hussein instead of Kevin Costner or Tom Cruise? What if he didn’t fit our image of him? What if he was bald? Or, for God’s sake, what if he was gay? “He wouldn’t have any cash, no MasterCard, Visa, Discover Card, or portfolio of any kind. If he went to a bank and said, ‘Hello. I’m Jesus, the son of God. I need some of those green things that say “In God We Trust” on them to buy some food and get a place to stay,’ the bank manager would say, ‘I’m sorry, but I looked in my computer and without a social security number, local address, and credit history, I can’t do anything for you. Maybe if you show me a miracle or two, I might lend you fifty dollars.’ “Where would he stay? The state park charges sixteen dollars a night. Could he go to a church and ask, ‘May I stay here? I am Jesus’? Would they believe him?” As I took a sip of my drink, I wondered just who this character was sitting across from me. Was he some angel sent to save me? Or was he, as the Rolling Stones warned in their song, Satan himself here to claim me for some sin of this life or a past life of which I had no recollection? Or was he an alien? Or was he Jesus, the Christ himself, just “messing” with me? Was I in the presence of a prophet, or just some hopped-up druggie? “‘Ask, and it will be given you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.’ That’s what Jesus said. What doors would be opened to him?” he asked. “The Salvation Army—Sally’s?” I guessed. “That’s about all,” C said. “Unless he saw Tony Robbins’ TV formula to become a millionaire and started selling miracles to the rich at twenty-thousand dollars a pop. He could go on Regis, Oprah, maybe get an interview with Bill Moyers, or go on Nightline. Or joust with the nonbelievers on Jerry Springer! Think of the book deals! He