It’s the moment we’ve all been waiting for. The anticipation
is at an all-time high. The excitement in the room is palpable. After months of
looking forward to this, and 1 ½ days gone at the National Achievers Congress,
Tony Robbins is about to take the stage. He’s bouncing on a mini trampoline backstage
as we speak, pumping himself up and getting himself into what he calls ‘Peak Performance
mode’.
We’re encouraged often throughout the afternoon/evening by Tony to be active instead of passive. We stand, we shout, we jump, we clap, we high-five, we dance! Boy do we dance! The room is electric. It truly is something else. After a short time my hands are red from clapping, my throat hurts from screaming, my arms are shaking with adrenaline, my eyes are sparkling with wonder and excitement, and my heart is truly happy. I FEEL ALIVE!
We engage with total strangers sitting next to us as if we’ve known them our whole lives. We share with them our hopes and dreams. We talk and we listen. Life techniques are taught and thought patterns questioned. I take notes at such a rapid rate I’m surprised they’re at all legible! Answers to big life questions are answered, both by Tony and by myself. We scream, shout, jump, fist-pump and dance some more. We use more energy than I ever thought possible on an otherwise ordinary Tuesday afternoon.
By this point I’m really warming up, so I take my jacket off. In preparation for Tony’s arrival that day the air conditioning in the room was set toCOLD FREEZING (and I’m from Canberra)! Now I can see
why. I have a quick drink. I need to pee so badly I fear one more jump in the
air could cause a situation... so I rush to the toilet. No joke, people
(including myself) are RUNNING to the bathrooms. It’s the first time in my life
I’ve ever been in a line at the ladies room that moved QUICKLY! No one wants to
miss a moment of Tony Robbins LIVE. I make my way back to my seat.
Tony’s presence is that of a rockstar – everyone wants a piece of him. As he walks through the audience he high-fives some lucky audience members who unknowingly sat in just the right seats earlier this morning. As time goes on, I start to crave that connection for myself. I want to touch the hand of the big man (seriously, he’s really tall!) who has changed the lives of thousands of people and coached the likes of Oprah, Nelson Mandela, Princess Diana and Serena Williams, just to name a few. I want to high-five him or hold his hand for a moment and simply say thank you. At one point, he stands within mere metres of me. I’m so close, yet so far. I start to think maybe I will leave today feeling disappointed. The show is almost over and time is running out!
The host announces, ‘It’s the man who needs no
introduction...’ It’s happening! It’s really happening! My dream of seeing Tony
Robbins LIVE is about to become a reality. I’m so excited for what’s to come, I
can barely contain myself. There’s nowhere else in the world I’d rather be right now. I
clasp my hands together and stare intently at the stage. What was to be some of
the best five hours of my life had begun – the learnings start NOW.
Tony walks out to everyone in the crowd standing and cheering. Tony’s booming voice and seemingly endless energy commands the room (of over 8,000 people!) like nothing I’ve ever seen. Tony seldom spends time on the stage and instead walks around the room, in a somewhat unconventional yet refreshing manner. Tony says to us, the audience: ‘You know when you’re exhausted, you’ve had no sleep at all, and suddenly BOOM! You’re awake all night. How many of you can remember a night like that? You’re about to have another one right now. Let’s do it!’ The type of night he described was the exact night I’d had the night before. I feel as if he's talking directly to me.
Tony walks out to everyone in the crowd standing and cheering. Tony’s booming voice and seemingly endless energy commands the room (of over 8,000 people!) like nothing I’ve ever seen. Tony seldom spends time on the stage and instead walks around the room, in a somewhat unconventional yet refreshing manner. Tony says to us, the audience: ‘You know when you’re exhausted, you’ve had no sleep at all, and suddenly BOOM! You’re awake all night. How many of you can remember a night like that? You’re about to have another one right now. Let’s do it!’ The type of night he described was the exact night I’d had the night before. I feel as if he's talking directly to me.
We’re encouraged often throughout the afternoon/evening by Tony to be active instead of passive. We stand, we shout, we jump, we clap, we high-five, we dance! Boy do we dance! The room is electric. It truly is something else. After a short time my hands are red from clapping, my throat hurts from screaming, my arms are shaking with adrenaline, my eyes are sparkling with wonder and excitement, and my heart is truly happy. I FEEL ALIVE!
We engage with total strangers sitting next to us as if we’ve known them our whole lives. We share with them our hopes and dreams. We talk and we listen. Life techniques are taught and thought patterns questioned. I take notes at such a rapid rate I’m surprised they’re at all legible! Answers to big life questions are answered, both by Tony and by myself. We scream, shout, jump, fist-pump and dance some more. We use more energy than I ever thought possible on an otherwise ordinary Tuesday afternoon.
By this point I’m really warming up, so I take my jacket off. In preparation for Tony’s arrival that day the air conditioning in the room was set to
Tony’s presence is that of a rockstar – everyone wants a piece of him. As he walks through the audience he high-fives some lucky audience members who unknowingly sat in just the right seats earlier this morning. As time goes on, I start to crave that connection for myself. I want to touch the hand of the big man (seriously, he’s really tall!) who has changed the lives of thousands of people and coached the likes of Oprah, Nelson Mandela, Princess Diana and Serena Williams, just to name a few. I want to high-five him or hold his hand for a moment and simply say thank you. At one point, he stands within mere metres of me. I’m so close, yet so far. I start to think maybe I will leave today feeling disappointed. The show is almost over and time is running out!
Tony then tells us: ‘Close your eyes and think of something
you could feel really grateful for if you wanted to.’ The lights dim. I close
my eyes. Immediately I see the faces of the people I love most smiling back at
me - the faces of the most beautiful, kind, amazing people in this world. I
feel overwhelmingly grateful to have them in my life. I realise they are all I
need. I feel extremely comforted by this. Tears fall down my face, for I couldn’t
stop them even if I tried. Emotion flows out of me like Niagara Falls in full
swing. I let go. I feel it. I truly feel it. The lights come back on. I turn to
the lady standing next to me. It seems I’m not the only one – she too is crying
happy tears. We embrace. We connect. We exchange contact details.
Tony may not have touched my hand that day, but my god he
touched my soul. He truly showed up for us. Tony Robbins, from the bottom of my
heart, thank you.
