Strategy
Written by Libby Kane, CFEI
2017-07-31T14:09:00Z
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If you ask Tony Robbins, money won't make you happy.
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Even if you have billions.
In a video published on Inc, Robbins explained why you can seem to have everything in the world and still be miserable.
"We have a two-million-year-old brain," he told the crowd at the Inc. 5000 conference in October 2016. "And that two-million-year-old brain is not designed to make you happy. It's designed to make you survive. So no matter how much money you get, how much success, there's this part of your brain still that will see, that's always looking for what's wrong."
What's wrong, he continued, is easy to find.
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"What's wrong is always available," he said. "So is what's right."
Robbins explained that finding the latter is more difficult. He has personally trained his brain to find it by using what he's called the 90-second rule — enabling him to "blow through" negative emotions like frustration and anger in a matter of seconds.
And it started, he said, with a decision. "I made the most important decision of my life. You can choose to do this if you want today," he said. "I'm suggesting to you that this decision, if you made it, could be the most important one of all."
That decision, Robbins explained, was to remain in what he called "a beautiful state."
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"This beautiful state's not limited — it could be happy, it could be playful, it could be bold, it can be creative," he said."But those make you feel alive, and you do the right thing for other people, and for yourself, and your family, and your clients when you're in a beautiful state."
He does himself by choosing to be fascinated by things that would otherwise be frustrating. "What are the chances somebody's messing up?" he asked. "One hundred percent. So now I'm not surprised. I'm fascinated."
Robbins said:
"The most valuable decision of all is to make a decision that will free you. The decision that I'm going to be in a beautiful state every day no matter what, even if it craps on my parade, even if everybody does something wrong, even if they destroy the economy, I'm still gonna be that.
"Because I would love to make you happy for the rest of your life, but I can't do that. Only you can."
Watch the full video on Inc »
Libby Kane, CFEI
Executive Editor, Personal Finance Insider
Libby Kane, CFEI, is the Executive Editor for Personal Finance Insider, Business Insider's personal finance section that incorporates affiliate and commerce partnerships into the news, insights, and advice about money Insider readers already know and love. She holds the Certified Financial Education Instructor (CFEI) certification issued by the National Financial Educators Council. Previously at Business Insider, she oversaw teams including Strategy, Careers, and Executive Life.Her team at Insider has tackled projects including:• Women of Means, a series about women taking control of their finances• Inside the Racial Wealth Gap, an exploration of the causes, effects, and potential solutions of the racial wealth gap in the US (finalist, Drum Award, "Editorial Campaign of the Year," 2021)• Strings Attached, a series of essays from people who have left insulated communities and how that journey affected their relationship with money• Master Your Money, a year-long guide for millennials on how to take control of their finances (first runner up, Drum Award, "Best Use of Social Media," 2022)• The Road to Home, a comprehensive guide to buying your first house (silver award winner, National Association of Real Estate Editors, "Best Multi-Platform Package or Series – Real Estate," 2022)Personal Finance Insider also rates, explains, and recommends financial products and services.Outside of personal finance, she's written about everything from why Chinese children are so good at math to the business of dogs to hard truths about adulthood.In September 2016, she helped launch Business Insider Netherlands in Amsterdam.She also spent three years as a member of the Insider Committee, a cross-team focus group working on making Business Insider an even better place to work.She's always interested in research, charts, and people: new and interesting research, compelling charts and other visuals, and people who are willing to share the details of their impressive financial accomplishments and strategies.Before joining the company in March 2014, she was the associate editor at LearnVest, covering personal and behavioral finance.If you have something to share, please reach out to lkane@businessinsider.com.
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Watch: TONY ROBBINS: Your happiness depends on mastering these 2 skills
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