Worth the Read: Awaken the Giant Within by Tony Robbins
Awaken the Giant Within – Reflections
It’s 2026 and we’re kicking off the year with a very, very helpful read – Tony Robbin’s Awaken the Giant Within. I started this book back in October and finished January 2nd which conveniently put a finished book on my yearly list just two days in!
This book, and others like it, would broadly fall into the “self-help” genre, one that I’ve had a hot and cold relationship with. I was all about it in my idealistic early 20s – positive thinking, affirmations, manifestation…it’s energizing to read and the fire kept growing as I fed myself a stream of inspiration. And it did a lot of good. I took chances on myself and jumped into challenges with an attitude that any obstacle could be overcome with enough diligence and desire.
That spirit created TrickTape!
But, as C.S. Lewis says, “The transition from dreaming aspiration to laborious doing” set in. The reality that building a business is still…a job…one that early on is not buoyed by much external validation and takes time to bear fruit. Life became more difficult to lift up through visualization as it lacked genuine structure and self-sufficiency.
Ironically fragile and doubtful as visions of grandeur fell short.
The solution? Pragmatism! Settle for stability and security, it’s dangerous lifting your feet too high off the ground, maybe corporate life isn’t so bad after all!
And so that served its purpose too – building structure and discipline. A methodical top-down approach to getting better everyday.
But that dulled the flame as lofty aspirations felt more dream than past.
It’s been good to come full circle 10 years later, to have a pragmatic backbone while rediscovering idealism that sets you on fire.
It’s funny because these books often state the obvious, but it’s so easily forgotten once routine sets in or I allow myself to be sucked into the next “most urgent” thing. Sometimes it's good to just be reminded.
As such, here my biggest takeaways:
1) Decisions
♣ If there was only one lesson from Awaken the Giant Within, it would be this: get absolutely clear on what I value and what is important to me.
♣ From there, prioritize what aligns to those values and structure my day with actions directed towards them.
♣ Then, make a decision. If it aligns, go for it! And go all-in. If not, stop doing it! Or find a way to ween off. Either way – GET. OFF. THE. FENCE!
o I say that with such passion because I tend to go-with-the-flow or keep the status quo because, in those scenarios, I can’t be “wrong”.
o Decision exposes. It opens criticism or failure!
o So it’s safe to keep things as they are…but it is crucial to understand that as I ignore making a decision…time is slipping away.
♣ SO – gain perspective, build a gameplan, be aware of the pitfalls and dangers, work smart.
♣ But if I am in pursuit of what I truly value and want in life, remember what can go right, what can enhance my life by clearly defining my values and making a DECISION to go for it.
2) Values
So, what are those values?
♣ Growth
o Continually moving forward and upward.
♣ Passion
o Generating and unlocking energy. Once decided – go all the way.
♣ Ability
o Health. Physical ability to be at my best and expand my capacity/capability. Grow perspective through exploration and education.
♣ Integrity
o Do what you say.
♣ Love
o To go above and beyond for others without expectation. Express love and receive with gratitude.
♣ Happiness
o Find the good in life. Joy, peace, fun, adventure.
♣ Quality
o Value creating good things for the sake of good. Be intentional and do my best.
♣ Acceptance
o Embrace all results knowing I made the effort. Be curious and patient with judgement – accept people as they are and as I would like to treated.
Making decisions based on values forms my identity and legacy. Be conscious of how my actions impact others and who I truly am.
3) Questions!
♣ You don’t need all the answers! If you’re stuck, the simplest thing to do is ask yourself, “What should I do?”
♣ I’m constantly surprised, when I sit back after asking a question, what my mind will churn up, often leading to a series of follow-up questions.
♣ Like anything it takes practice – as I’ve learned to ask better, more pointed questions, I’ve gotten better answers.
♣ Keep digging, a path forward will reveal itself!
♣ A wonderful question is, “What Could Go Right?”
Bonus learning – conflict. How it relates to the inherit rules we have for ourselves and the world around us.
What beliefs do I hold? How do they form the “rules” for how I should act, or believe others should act towards me?
Are they explicit? If I’m in conflict with someone, do they even know why? Have I communicated what rules are important to me and how I perceive them to be broken?
Most conflict and anger results from a rule being broken, but most people wouldn’t break your rule if they fully understand what it was and why it’s important to you.
There you have it! Highly recommend if you feel in a rut and need a kickstart – this book has been tremendously helpful for clarifying my values, guiding decisions with action, and asking better questions.
"Ideals are reflections of our deeply religious nature. But, as we know, ideals can be poison if we take them in large quantities or if we take them incorrectly: in other words, if we take them not as ideals, but as concrete realities. Ideals should inspire us to surpass ourselves, which we need to aspire to do if we are to be truly human, and which we can never actually do, exactly because we are truly human. Ideals are tools for inspiration, not realities in themselves. The fact that we have so often missed this point accounts for the sorry history of religion in human civilization...If rightly understood, ideals make us lighthearted and give a sense of direction."
- Zen Abbot Norman Fischer