Tony Robbins -Re-Awaken_the_Giant_Within

global beliefs about what emotions are. They are not predators, substitutes for logic, or products of other
people’s whims. They are Action Signals trying to guide you to the promise of a greater quality of life.
If you merely react to your emotions through an avoidance pattern, then you’ll miss out on the
invaluable message they have to offer you. If you continue to miss the message and fail to handle the
emotions when they first turn up, they’ll grow into full-blown crises. All our emotions are important and
valuable in the proper amounts, timing, and context.
Realize that the emotions you are feeling at this very moment are a gift, a guideline, a support system,
a call to action. If you suppress your emotions and try to drive them out of your life, or if you magnify
them and allow them to take over everything, then you’re squandering one of life’s most precious resources.
So what is the source of emotions? You are the source of all your emotions; you are the one who creates
them. So many people feel that they have to wait for certain experiences in order to feel the emotions
they desire. For instance, they don’t give themselves permission to feel loved or happy or confident
unless a particular set of expectations is met. I’m here to tell you that you can feel any way you choose
at any moment in time.
At the seminars I used to conduct near my home in Del Mar, California, we’ve created a fun anchor to
remind us who is really responsible for our emotions. These seminars are held in an exquisite, four-star
resort, the Inn L’Auberge, which sits right on the ocean, and is also near the train station. About four
times a day, you can hear the train whistle loudly as it passes through. Some seminar participants would
become irritated at the interruption, so I decided that this was the perfect opportunity to turn frustration
into fun. “From now on,” I said, “whenever we hear that train howl, we’ll celebrate. I want to see how
good you can make yourselves feel whenever you hear that train. We’re always waiting for the right
person or right situation to come along before we feel good. But who determines whether this is the
right person or situation? When you do feel good, who’s making you feel good? You are! But you simply
have a rule that says you have to wait until A, B, and C occur before you allow yourself to feel good.
Why wait? Why not set up a rule that says that whenever you hear a train whistle, you’ll automatically
feel great? The good news is that the train whistle is probably more consistent and predictable than the
people you’re hoping will show up to make you feel good!”
Now, whenever we hear the train pass, jubilation ensues. People immediately jump out of their chairs, cheer
and holler, and act like silly maniacs—including doctors, lawyers, CEOs—people who were supposedly
intelligent before they arrived! As everyone sits back down, uproarious laughter ensues. What’s the lesson?
You don’t have to wait for anything or anyone! You don’t need any special reason to feel good—you can just
decide to feel good right now, simply because you’re alive, simply because you want to.
So if you’re the source of all your emotions, why don’t you feel good all the time? Again, it’s because
your so-called negative emotions are giving you a message. What is the message of these Action
Signals? They’re telling you that what you’re currently doing is not working, that the reason you have
pain is either the way you’re perceiving things or the procedures you’re using: specifically, the way
you’re communicating your needs and desires to people, or the actions you’re taking.
©2013 Robbins Research International. www.tonyrobbins.com 36