Self-help, personal development, call it what you will – it has a bad rap. Cheesy guys running around on stage in 2-star hotel lounges with audiences of hundreds of guys who have lame lives. These are the pictures that come to mind when someone says “self-help”. That, or those Chicken Soup for the Soul books…

If people were to get around the stereotypes and open their minds, they would find that there are some fantastic, potentially life-changing products out there.

For instance, anything that Anthony Robbins ever wrote. You know the guy. Big chin, intense smile, the combined energy of more than 100 people… I thought the guy was a complete wacko when I first came across him. But the fact is, he is a brilliant communicator – passionate, articulate, intelligent – and he knows his shit. He’s spent his entire life studying what makes successful people successful. What they do, what they think, how their physiology works. He has taken a complex study of Neuro Linguistic Programming and made it available and accessible to the masses. He’s used this information to become extremely successful himself, and people pay him millions of dollars a year to be privately tutored in how to achieve more and better.

The problem is, many of the proponents of personal development aren’t the best (in the words of Malcom Gladwell) mavens to spread the message. Many people who buy self-help tapes and books will simply read through, hoping to somehow absorb success, without really putting in any of the work. Or they’ll read a few pages or chapters and then set the book neatly in their library for display. 95% of people who buy self-help programs never finish them.

That’s why Anthony Robbins’ Personal Power II is so breakthrough. One tape a day for 30 days. Do the exercise at the end of the tape – take an action you’ve been putting off; write in your success journal –  or face the wrath of Tony when you listen to the next tape. Theory is, it takes 21 days to build a habit – and that’s what the purpose of the program is: exercise your taking action muscles. The exercises build on each other. You learn about what goes on inside your head when you choose to procrastinate or not follow your dreams. And more importantly, you learn how to change those thoughts.

I first did Personal Power II when I was on my motorcycle trip around Southeast Asia almost two years ago. For the month that I did it, I was bursting with enthusiasm, passion for life and was confident to face any challenge head on. It genuinely helped me to face the uncomfortable realities and challenges of traveling in remote places where I didn’t speak the language — where even ordering a meal or finding a bathroom was sometimes an ordeal. It also helped me refocus my energy to get ready for when I finished traveling. What was I going to do when the money ran out and I had to stop traveling? What are my goals in the next five years? These are obvious questions that maybe we ask ourselves once in a while. With a program like Personal Power, however, we’re forced to contemplate our goals in all aspects of our lives (financial, relationships, material, spiritual) and write them out on paper, with descriptions of our feelings and why we want to achieve them. It really makes you think about what you want in your life and where you’re going.

I still, to this day, ask myself a modified version of his morning “power questions” when I wake up (from one of the exercises in Personal Power II). I can’t remember which ones I’ve kept and which I’ve changed, but mine are:

What am I thankful for in my life right now?
What am I exited about in my life right now?
What are some things I’ve done in the past that I should be proud of (challenges I’ve overcome, etc)?
What is my major definite purpose (my goals)?
What are two specific actions I can take today to bring me measurably closer to my goals?

These are questions that I think about every morning, first thing when I get up. It doesn’t take more than five minutes, but it creates a noticeable, positive impact on my day. When I forget to do it for a day, or when I take a break for a week or two (being lazy), I can feel it: I have trouble facing new challenges with a positive attitude; I take out frustrations on the people I love and care about…

I started the program again six months after the trip, but I lost my momentum after day 10. It is not an easy program to complete. It takes time, and it will push you out of your comfort zone. But I guarantee the results are worthwhile. The section on changing your limited beliefs alone is worth the price of the tapes. That said, if you can’t afford the program now, download it online and send a check to Tony when you become hugely successful.

The reason I’m writing this is I’ve started the program again. I’m now on day 4 of Personal Power II and I want to be held accountable. When I did the No Complaint Challenge I found it really difficult and posting about it here helped me to (eventually) complete it.

So, I invite everyone out there who needs to be held accountable to post what you’re attempting to accomplish in the comments section and then post again on your results.

In the words of Tony Robbins, “Live with Passion!”