Read The Company Man by Ellen Goodman
IN YOUR NOTEBOOK:
What is this essay about?
How does this essay relate to the theme of identity?
In what ways do we as a society view work in this country?
Is work important to you?
How did the company man see himself? How did others see him?
Create a two sentence argument (thesis) statement based on reading this essay.
Create a two sentence counter - argument.
PART II- WATCH THE VIDEO AND RESPOND ON THE BLOG
Just click on " Due on 11/10" and post your response as a comment. Be sure to write your response in WORD first. PROOFREAD for GRAMMAR AND SPELLING!!!! Once you are happy with your response, copy and paste it on the BLOG - REMEMBER YOU are publishing your work for people to see!
Watch the Tony Robbins Video Why We Do What We Do provided by TED Video - Ideas Worth Spreading. Respond to the following prompts in 3-4 paragraphs. Once you have responded, evaluate a classmate's response and provide feedback in one paragraph. Make sure you point out who you are referring to. For example, Alice mentioned " Identity is related to family and the external world", I agree with this .. ... etc...... (TOTAL 4 Paragraphs) 2 comments.
______________________________________________________________________________
- What is the lecture about? (provide background and thesis)
- Choose one significant point that you find to be interesting and why. Provide Quotes
- Connect one point to identity and something you learned in this class ( notes, an essay we read about love, friendships, work, language etc., my lectures, a point a student made, a quote I used in class etc.)
- Take one thing from the lecture and relate it to your own life. (Think about destiny, emotion, internal drive and/or invisible force)
Food for Thought - If you had the chance to interview Robbins and ask him one question, what would it be?
Have a Wonderful Weekend! See you on Thursday!
* I will try to go over these responses on Thursday. If we do not get to it, ( I am introducing the Research Paper) I will go over them the following class day. This will count as a participation grade. I will make note of it in my GRADE BOOK
Taylor Sherman
ReplyDeleteProfessor Brady
Egl 101-Fall 2011
November 4, 2011
There are a few things that the lecture about. Robbins says the focus is,” decisions shape destiny.” He mentions that the three decisions of destiny are, “What am I going to focus on? What does it mean? What are you going to do?” Robbins talks about how the last of the three takes action. I agree with that. To complete anything successfully in life, you can’t just think about it. You must take action to complete a task. There are idea people and action people. I choose to be an action person. The lecturer also states that there are six human needs. These needs are certainty, uncertainty, significance, connection/love, growth, and giving. He says that certainty, uncertainty, significance, and connection/love are needs of the personality. According to him, growth and giving are needs of the spirit, and the vital ones for living happily and successfully.
One significant thing that Robbins stated in his lecture is that the ones who suffer are often the ones who give the most to society when they prevail. He remarks, “And then you meet people who have been through ultimate pain; psychologically, sexually, spiritually, emotionally abused, and not always, but often they become some of the people who contribute the most to society.” This is interesting and powerful to me because I can relate to it. Some of the best people I know have escaped tragedy and anguish and have come out on top, with a lust for life and helping others. I’ve learnt from personal experience that pain is the great motivator. Pain brings desperation. And this gift of desperation leads to willingness. But followed by this willingness must always be action. Action breeds success!
Robbins brushed upon the topic of love and connection. I relate this to the class discussions on love, and friendship as they relate to identity. He mentions how we need connection and love. He elaborates by saying that people often find connection through intimacy, friendship and prayer. This can be related to the essays by Viorst and Sharples. I identify the most with finding intimacy through prayer. The best form of being connected is being connected to your Maker. I strive every day to initiate conscious contact with God as I understand Him. This gives me the power to face the world fearlessly and live to my fullest potential. I am constantly uncovering more about myself and transforming as I stay connected to my Creator.
The lecturer claims, “You can know something intellectually, you can know what to do and not use it, not apply it.” I relate this to my own life. I’ve tried to think, analyze ponder my way out of many situations in life. I thought my way into more trouble every time. I’ve learned that action is the magic word! Intellect can be my greatest enemy, if I don’t have the perseverance to implement my ideas.
Taylor - Your response is truly fantastic. You not only understand the material presented in Robbin's lecture, you synthesize and contextualize the information by shedding light on the concept of identity as it relates to the external world that shapes us. I especially find the comment you made about people who suffer and tragedy very insightful. It is amazing how the ones who suffer the most prevail.
ReplyDeleteGreat Job!
The lecture is an explanation of how choices provide the make up of our lives. The way we perceive things and the way we take the negative and make it a positive outlook and outlet for others. Robbins explains how if something doesn't go write or the way it is expected, it can't be accepted as a defeat. The choice of whether or not to take action and give it 100% is what shapes a person's destiny. He further explains that people need things to go wrong so that they can strive to make it better and not repeat the same mistake.
ReplyDeleteRobbins' lecture previous to the 9/11 attacks had a participant that explains this better than most. The woman had a relationship where the person she loved was kidnapped and killed, she felt defeated even into her next relationship with a man who wanted to be with her and marry her. The woman didn't want that feeling of being hurt and never took the chance, the man lost his life in the attacks. However, the woman with the help of Robbins and his inspiration she realized her mistake and told the man how she felt but it was too late. The choice of complete determination in every relationship from there on is the best thing she can do to correct her mistakes.
Mistakes and the road to redemption to correct these haven't yet altered my life to a point where Robbins is lecturing about. I haven't been at a crossroad to where my mistake dramatically changed my life but I am at a better understanding of what to do from the experiences of my father. My father is his old age has went through many changes that I have seen and that he reminds me of. He always gives me advice on certain situations that challenge me intellectually and let me asses my goal and make the change before I make the mistake. I am not saying that in wont happen in the future as Robbins explains but he has been my adviser and my mentor to make my life better.
The lecture relates to what we've learned through multiple outlets in class, in general our talks in class and the lecture as a whole feel very similar. He touches on multiple points like in class such as love and perspective. On the other hand, rather than explain it in detail on specific topics, I'd rather explains how both challenge our thinking and outlooks on life. Our classes and Robbins lecture dare us to think from multiple perspectives and challenge us to do better.
The main idea of the video is ultimately how we shape our destiny. This process is done by making thoughtful decisions. Robbins states that you have to focus, find meaning, and figure out what you are going to do with it. According to Robbins, we as humans have six basic needs. These include certainty, uncertainty, connection, growth, giving, and significance. Although not all humans rank these necessities in the same order, some of each is required. According to Robbins lecture, happiness comes from the six factors of human need, especially growth and giving.
ReplyDeleteOne significant point made by Robbins is that there are six thousand different emotions and over the period of one week, people feel less than twelve. I’ve never thought about this argument, but thinking about my own life I realize it’s nothing but the truth. I always find myself connecting back to the same few emotions as new events occur in my life. According to Robbins, “Half of the emotions make you feel terrible.” It’s hard to realize how much time we waste regretting our mistakes, rather than correcting them for our future.
Robbins briefly speaks about how important friendship is and how it relates to identity. In class, we discussed how we as humans need friendship to survive. He speaks about this in one of the six human needs, connection. The Aristotle quote discussed in class shows that we can have everything else in the world but if we don’t have a friend, it means nothing. We need to feel connected to someone, and know that someone will always be there for us in whatever way we desire support.
I can relate my own life to the part when Robbins speaks about certainty. In order for my mind to be at ease, I need to be certain of what I have done, or have to do. If I am not, my mind races in every different direction possible, leaving me nothing but stressed. Certainty is my key to relaxation.
As Taylor mentioned, to complete anything successfully in life, you can’t just think about it. You must take action. I agree with that because you need to be passionate about whatever you are doing for it to be your best. It is impossible to just throw a paper together the night before it is due and get an A. An A will only come out of passionate work.
Tony Robbins’ shows the interest in the “invisible” force which motivates people to achieve their goals. Robbins believes the force of internal drive shapes how we act and who we are. I found this to be the thesis of the lecture for he shows different examples of situations that helped him get an understanding of people and their journey to seek fulfillment in life.
ReplyDeleteRobbins makes a lot of interesting points but the point that interested me the most was his point in people not being resourceful. He explains how people complain that they don’t have the resources to fulfill their goal, instead of not making the best in what they already have. This is why I agree with Taylor in “Action breeds success”. Standing around and complaining won’t help you in the long run, action will help you in the long run.
I would relate this lecture to the lectures we have in class on the theme of love, which also ties in with friendship. These are related for the reason that love and friendship could heavily factor in our desired goals. In class, we also talked about how love transforms us, helps us grow, and provide a discovery in us that could have not been found if it were not for love. Also, love and friendship, as Danielle states, helps us to achieve our goals. They are the motivation that keeps us going, especially through the struggles our struggles.
One way this lecture relates to my life is that I take what I have and make use of it, without complaint. I’m not growing up in the best circumstances, but am very grateful in where I am today, and have no reason not to be. I try to learn as I get older, from going to college, to receiving advice and information from different people’s point of views. “We grow, to have something to give”, as said in the lecture. As I learn from experience of trying to fulfill my goals, that is what I plan on doing.
In Tony Robbin's lecture, he talks about decisions we make in life and what motivate people to make these decisions. He mentions if decisions determines destiny, what kind of decisions do you have to make. These decisions are, "What are you going to focus on? What does it mean? and What are you going to do?" These decisions can be what makes a difference in the quality of peoples lives. There are also "invisible forces" that help shape the decisions that we make. The ones that Robbins talks about are certainty, uncertainty, significance, and connection of love. Of these "personality needs," we feel secure, have variety, feel valued, and have the need to give and feel love. The last two "needs of the spirit" he mentions are growth and contribute. We need to learn and develop ourselves, and also give back beyond ourselves to others. With all these needs, you need to find motivation to fulfill them.
ReplyDeleteOne point that I found interesting was the art of fulfillment that Tony Robbin mentions, which is about appreciation and contribution. He mentions that people who have been through ultimate pain, psychologically, sexual, and spiritually abused not always, but often contribute the most to society, while people who grew up with expensive things, love, comfort, and joy, may spend their time in rehab. But he also mentions, "decision is the ultimate power." How much you give in society is ultimately how much you decide to give.
Of the six human needs, Robbin mentions connection and love. Tony Robbins and Tiffany Sharples have the same idea about love, and that you need it to survive. The essay "Young Love" by Tiffany Sharples shows this need of love all throughout your life. Robbins also shows it by telling the audience that you need someone or something in your life. This can be done through intimacy, friendship, prayer, walking in nature, or getting a dog. This shows how love and connection are significant in the quality of people's lives. I agree with what Danielle mentioned about how we need to know that someone will always be there for us. If no one was there for us, then we wouldn't have the feeling of attachment.
I can relate to when Robbin's said, "The reason we grow is so we have something to give." Robbins fed many families during the holiday seasons. Every year my family gives too. Through the church, we give children who are less fortunate, toys for Christmas that they would not normally receive. This made me more grateful in life because I know that there are people in the world who not have much in life. As Robbin stated, "The secret to living is giving."
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ReplyDeleteTony Robbins’ lecture is about motive for action. Instead of motivating people to do things, Tim instead opens up with a question to the audience and wants to know what motivates them. He explores the “invisible force of internal drive” and strives to help people understand each other and appreciate each other more. Through the evaluation of human needs and how their performance can affect change, Robbins examines what exactly shapes the humans’ ability to contribute in life and stop the challenges in today’s society. Tim points out that in order to explore where you are today, you must understand human needs and be able to identify exactly what makes the difference in quality of people’s lives. The two invisible forces that shape a human is their “state” whether it is regret or fulfillment. The second force is the model of the world shapes you long term; which leads into the six human needs. There are two categories of human needs: needs of the personality and needs of the spirit. Certainty, uncertainty, significance, and connection are all needs of the personality. Meanwhile the last two needs growth and contribution are the needs of the spirit. When speaking of the contribution portion of the needs to fulfill the human soul, Robbins says that the “secret to living is giving” and I believe this is true because there’s nothing like the feeling you get when you give money in the basket at church, or when you donate your food and clothing to those who need it most.
ReplyDeleteOne significant subject that Robbins discusses is that “emotion is the force of life…people do not work in self-interest all the time…once emotion comes in, our wiring changes …what’s driving you”. This is an interesting quote because through self-experience I have learned that the outcome of a situation all depends on your attitude and emotion you have from the very beginning. If you show up to a game against a tough team and you expect to lose, the negative emotions are reflected on the field and you play a bad/unsuccessful game. However, if you show up and go onto the field with full confidence and positive feelings all around, you get the drive to play a great game and try your hardest regardless. Proving his fact that the “claim of missing resources is not a defining factor” because the defining factor is not having or not having the resources, “it’s resourcefulness…with the right emotion we can do anything”.
This point is similar to the story of sisters Bharati and Mira in “Two Ways to Belong in America”. Bharati’s sister Mira automatically went into America without any excitement or openness to adapt to the culture. She went in with a narrow mind and a negative attitude, which is the reasoning behind her distaste for the countries culture and ways in society. If Mira was never willing to accept the U.S., then how could she expect the U.S. to accept her? Maybe if she had a positive approach toward her residence here she would have had a positive experience in the U.S.
I agree with Sandy’s response when discussing Tim Robbins response of humans not being resourceful. It is much easier to blame what they don’t achieve on “not having the resources”, rather than taking the time to evaluate the situation themselves and FINDING a way to achieve what they want most no matter what.
Something drives us every morning to wake up and take another step. Something is always driving us to go to work, to smile at a stranger and give a helping hand. In Tony Robbins video he talks about why people do the thing that they do. He talks about the one factor that drives each and everyone one of us and that is our emotions.
ReplyDeleteOne major point that Tony Robbins talked about was getting the right type of emotion. “If we get the right emotion, we can do anything.” There are the people that always see the negative side of a situation or the positive side. That in itself can drive you to get to your end point. Are you going to sit there and complain about all the resources you don’t have, or are you going to be resourceful with what you do have?
Tony talked about six needs that an individual has and one of it was love. Love is connected to the topic of identity. “Everyone will always find a way to get this.” Love pushes us to be the best we can and do the best we can. Love is an emotion that sometimes causes us to do crazy things. In my own life love has been an emotion that has pushed me to be the best I can. The love of my family and the effort they put into my life helps me to study the hardest I can and not give up too fast. It helps me to focus on a goal and push myself till I get there.
I agree with Danielle when she spoke about how we spend so much of our time regretting what has happen to us than finding ways to fix it and move on with life. In my own personal life I used to do that a lot but I’ve learned to learn from my mistakes. I’ve learned to use those lessons to make sure that I won’t make those mistakes again.
~Iris Jacob
Tony Robbin's lecture demonstrates how “decisions shape destiny” and how the invisible force motivates people to achieve their personal goals in life. Robbin also explains how some things need to go wrong so everyone can learn from their mistakes or problems. Robbin in his lecture tells a story of a woman who lost her boyfriend who she loved. He was kidnaped and murder. Her next relationship the guy wanted to marry her and she told him she no. The woman hearing one of Robbin’s lecture realized and called him up that night and told him she loved him and wanted to marry him, but it was to late. From her experience she has learned to never take anything for granted and to learn from her mistake at letting a chance slip away.
ReplyDeleteIn his lecture one point that stood out to me was, “If we can get the right emotion we can do anything” We can experience many different emotions in life. Experiencing a positive emotion at a right moment can make you feel that you can conquer anything. Love is the one emotion that has motivated me in my life. Love has helped me achieve friendships on different levels within my family and close personal friends. Past experiences from getting hurt from love has only helped me grow. It has help me find the person I meant to be. Robbin talked about six needs in life. These needs in life help us as individuals to grow and contribute to others during our life. I agree with Danielle that the need certainty is a key to relaxation, when I am uncertain I become stressed. Throughout life we find decisions we make shaping us.
In Tony Robbins Lecture “Why we do what we do” he explains how emotion shapes us and that decision is the ultimate power that forms our destiny. The choices that we make throughout our live time shape who we are and form our identity’s.
ReplyDeleteRobbins talks about different types of people and their role in society. People who grow up with everything they ever wanted and more, are the ones who don’t know how to fight for things that they want in life, they just expect it to already be done for them. These are the people who are more likely to become unsuccessful and end up in and out of rehab. The people who don’t have much of anything are the ones who know how to fight for a better life and thus end up contributing to the world around them.
He discusses love and how we should give and receive it unconditionally because the love that we treasure may not be there forever. People that we love help shape who we are as human beings. They show us what kind of person what want to become. Love and relationships are an extremely important part of life and without them we have nothing.
I can relate to the point Robbins makes about surprises and how we like to know what is going to happen next. I like to do things that I know I am going to enjoy because I have already done them. Such as eating at a specific restaurant where I already know that the food is enjoyable or renting a movie that I’ve seen hundred times because I like the ending.
I agree with Iris when she says that love pushes us to be the best that we can be. The love of our family and the effort that they put into her helps her study the hardest she can and not give up as fast. Without the love and help from my friends and family I would never have gotten to where I am today as a person, they are the ones who shaped my identity the most.
~Steven Kwintner~
The lecture is about the way we use the " Invisible Forces" to help us make positive and negative decisions in our lives. Tony Robbins says " I believe that the Invisible Force of internal drive activate is the most important thing in the world.". The previous quote is what I believe the thesis of Tony's lecture is.
ReplyDeleteOne point I think was truly interesting was when Tony stated that "People work in their self interest, but we know this is "BS" at times, because emotion comes into it the wiring changes.". I feel this a significant point in his lecture because it made me think and realize that emotion can seriously change the outcome of the situation and send us on a completely different path on our internal map and cause a unusual destination on it.
I can relate my own life to the part in the lecture about how people fail to achieve certain things by using various excuses. Some excuses Robbins says are "Time, Money, and Technology.". When I was growing up I never had money to spend on things and to this day I still do not have a lot of money to spend. For example over the summer of 2011 all of my close friends took a road trip up to Cape Code Massachusetts for a week and I was not able to go. The reason I didn't go was not having enough money, but if I really set my mind to it I could have found a job and started saving up my money to go on the road trip. I felt that I was unable to get the money in time so I never gave any effort to try and save up six hundred dollars for the road trip.
I agree with what Kristie stated "I have learned that the outcome of a situation all depends on your attitude and emotion you have from the very beginning." I have learned the hard way that you should always go into a situation with good mind set and confidence or else you may become mentally incapable of doing the job.
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ReplyDeleteI would like to start off by stating that this is not the first time I heard Tony Robbins speak. I have been a fan of his for about two decades. I find him to be an extraordinary man with the ability to inspire people with showmanship like performances. In this short 24 minute lecture he bombards us with many ideas that would normally take hours to explain. I would like to expand on three topics he touched on during this lecture. The first is about our decisions being based on emotions. The second is about the first two human needs, certainty and uncertainty. On the third topic, I would like to expand on one of his stories and what drives him to do what he does so well.
ReplyDeleteIn a past lecture, Tony Robbins stated that "to decide is to cut off from all other possibilities". How can that not be an emotional process? Since your decisions are emotional ones, you come to the realization that they are based, not on reality, but your own perception. Simply stated, you come to your conclusions not by facts, but feelings. These emotional decisions are so powerful that Nassau County actually passed laws to protect homeowners. For example, any contract signed in your house can be nullified up to 72 hours later, for any reason. Universities teach this; my wife attended NYU where she was taught never to sign a contract on the spot, no matter how good the deal is. Next time you decided that you feel passionate about something, take a moment and see if that is the right choice.
Self-sabotage, how does it relate to certainty and uncertainty, the first two human needs? The best way I heard Tony Robbins describe it is like a home heating and cooling system. Everybody wants to be comfortable or have some certainty in their lives. This is like a thermostat being set at 70°. Every now and then the thermostat will read 60° in our lives. We will work very hard to bring it up to our comfort level. The reason I used the words “very hard” is because as human beings, we are quicker to respond to pain than to reward. Here is where self-sabotage takes place. Let us pretend that the thermostat is reading 74° and we like it, but our internal system does not, and it turns the AC on to bring it back down to 70°. We have all been there when things were going so well, and somehow we messed them up. There is not a day that goes by that the thought of quitting school does not cross my mind. The certainty that I have a good union job, a nice house, and a beautiful family, versus the uncertainty of going to school is always at odds with each other. To quit school would be an emotional decision and we have already discussed this in the second paragraph.
In a Tony Robbins story about Thanksgiving he tells us how one day, when there was not enough food, a charity came to give his family Thanksgiving dinner. One important fact that he left out was he vowed to himself that he would never be poor because he saw how much it depressed his dad to receive charity. When you look at Tony Robbins, you must always remember that he is like his dad, a salesperson at heart. He has made hundreds of millions of dollars through his work. I know that some people might take what he says with a grain of salt. I am not one of those people. His message is very clear, you make yourself a better person, and then help out the people around you. That is a message worth repeating. I hope that some of you look more into his work.
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ReplyDeleteThe lecture is about learning what drives us to do what we do. If we uncover what motivates us we will get in touch with our emotions and understand, appreciate, and connect to others. This is the only way to change the world. If we explore the needs, beliefs, and emotions that are controlling us then we can have more of our self to give, and we will understand and appreciate what drives others.
ReplyDeleteTony Robbins made a lot of excellent points. The point that I liked the most was when Tony said, “Decisions shape destiny”. The decisions we make are our ultimate power. We make both good and bad decisions in our lives. If we make one decision over another in a situation then it changes the outcome of that situation and ultimately our lives. It is what we do with the outcome of the decisions we make that shapes us as individuals. Tony took the decision his father made to leave him and his family because he couldn’t take care of them as motivation for him to feed and take care of others. Choices we make shape who we are, and this can be related to the character Phil in “The Company Man”. Phil makes the choice to work all of the time, and spend more time at work then with his family. His identity is that of a workaholic. Phil’s family and friends are hurt because he abandoned them for his status at work. If Phil made a different decision, his life and the lives of his family would have been different.
Tony stated if we are emotional enough we can achieve anything. If we put that emotion into something we want, it will be easier to achieve it. Lance Armstrong was a seven-time winner of the Tour de France because he got emotional, he didn’t win before he got cancer. What cancer meant to Lance produced strong emotions that transformed him into a winner. Emotion shapes my life. I put a lot of my emotion into the sports that I play, and it makes me a better athlete. My emotions motivate me to get through tough practices, play the best I can, and to be very competitive.
I also can relate to the point Robbins makes about surprises and how we like to know what is going to happen next. I agree with Steven when he said, “I like to do things that I know I am going to enjoy because I have already done them”. I watch movies I enjoy over again even though I know the ending. I also like to go to the same restaurants, and sometimes I order the same items because I know I will like the food.
Vin Danetti
Brando Garrick
ReplyDeleteEnglish 101
Professor Brady
November 9, 2011
Robbins is a very appealing motivating speaker and he discusses a lot about life in his lecture. Robbins expresses his curiosity in what drives people to do what they do. He also discusses ways we shape our own destinies. Robbins states in the lecture that you have to focus, find meaning and figure out what you are going to do with the meaning. In addition Robbins believes humans have six essential needs which are certainty, uncertainty, connection, growth, giving, and significance. However the arrange of the needs may fluctuate on the individual; they all seem to be a necessity of life. The needs impact the road to happiness according to Robbins.
A significant point that Robbins discussed was when he asked who in the crowd had made a decision that could of impacted your life greatly if choose another option. I always think of this and find it pretty amazing that he mentioned it. I feel like everybody must have the feeling that another decision could have changed their life enormously and that their life could be better. In addition I know I am a person who relates to this point and I do wish I could change a decision that was made in the past. However that can’t occur and in that case I am happy overall with the decisions I made.
Robbins states that’s there are six essential needs to survival in life. The need that I feel is most important is connection. Connection I relate to love and love is a very important factor of life. The discussions on love and friendship in class really informed me how important love is to our lives. According to Aristotle without friendship nobody would choose to live. I believe Aristotle have the same feeling on connection and love related to life.
Emotion is a powerful motivation and aspect of life. Emotions can be reasons for actions and decisions. I know from experience a man under emotion motivation can be hard to stop. For example any sport if a athlete has motivation and has all his emotions into it he could be a invincible. However emotions can be negative and affect the mind in a bad way. Emotions have affected everybody if they know it or not. For instance when I was feeling happy and confident I went to class and did great on a test. In addition there was a time when I went to football practice and was angry because of a fight between a girlfriend. I went to practice and tackled with a lot of emotion and had a good practice. Emotions can control actions and impact your decisions highly.
Taylor states ‘Some of the best people I know have escaped tragedy and anguish and have come out on top, with a lust for life.’ I agree to his statement and feels like it relates to a famous quote Wilt Chamberlin once said the biggest triumph never came from somebody who was handed everything.
This lecture is about understanding the ‘invisible forces” and the human emotions we encounter everyday. These forces are what shape us as human beings, and drive us to be as successful as we possibly can in life, which is all about the way you think and the emotions you take through a task or challenge. For example, lets say two college students are in the same class for becoming a surgeon, one student can look at the tasks given by the professor and use them to become more knowledgeable on operating on a patient, and be the person who, later in life, saves the patients life. While the other student may think all he or she has to do is pass the course, find a hospital to work at and make money and live a wonderful life style. It’s the positive thoughts and actions we take in life, which mold our success and give us our fulfillment that we have achieved something great in life. “Effective leaders have the ability to consistently move themselves and others to action because they understand the invisible forces that shape us (Tony Robbins).”
ReplyDeleteOur so-called “human needs,” are types of emotions, which are essential for us to grow and expand our knowledge of the world. These “human needs” which Tony Robbins describes, are needs in which we don’t always master. For example, he described how there are two master lessons. One, which is the science of achievement. This occurs when we achieve something in our life, not something necessarily big, but something which gives us the feeling of self accomplishment, such as making a business or buying the car you’ve always wanted. The second master lesson is the art of fulfillment which is rarely mastered. “This is about appreciation and contribution, you can only feel so much by your self (Tony Robbins).” What he means is the people who go through the most pain in life are the ones who contribute the most to society. For example, in the movie “The pursuit of happiness” a man named Christopher Gardner, goes though all hell when he thought he had it good to start. He had a wife and a son, and a bunch of products to sell to hospitals. When these products stopped selling he made no money, which is when his entire life turned around. He was living on his last dollar with only his, now that his wife has left him. He owned very little clothing, possibly just a suit which he wore everyday. He decided to apply for a job as a stock broker and later got the job and became extremely successful in life. This shows how no matter how unbearable a situation can become, you can always turn around and get back up on your two feet and achieve anything you set your mind too.
I can relate my own life to the part when Robbins speaks about the science of achievement. My father always told us how, as a teenager he used to rebuild cars and sell them to make a profit. Ever since than my brother and I always asked when we would build a car. It never really crossed my mind that the challenge would be so great, until my father started buying parts for the car. Although my father did help us a lot on our first build, it inspired us in a way which we new that anything could be accomplished even when there is doubt in the air.
Timothy Schmitt
ReplyDeleteRhetoric and Composition
Prof. Brady
November 9, 2011
This lecture is about taking control of your own life, and understanding why we do things that are done. Tony Robbins tells us that we are always making up excuses to things that go on in our lives. Excuses are almost like second nature ,and are ninety nine percent of the time are going to show themselves. We are in charge of our own identity ,and we shape it the ways that we see ourselves and how the world sees us.
Tony Robbins says that there are three decisions that we are always making . He says that they are “ What am I going to focus on, What does it mean, and What are you going to do?” This is directly relating to how we are going to handle our personal vendettas . Tony is asking us the question ,on how in your own unique way , handle your own live. As individuals that are all different , he wasn’t to know how will we personally in our own way take whatever in life thrown at us. I found this extremely interesting . Unknowingly , I asked myself these questions every day . I now see where they come from and what Tony is trying to get at.
When it came to friendships , I never knew there we so many categories. I listed friends no matter was age, time period they were from, or what gender they were ,as just plain regular friends. It was all the same to me . When reading the essay “ Friends , Good Friends, and Such Good Friends” , it made me think what friends I have and the kind of friend I want to be. The essay helped me to find my identity on who I wanted to me as a friend.
Tony talked about having six certain needs, and what is you priority need?
My priority need is certainty. I always feel like that if things are not for certain, things are not right . I need crutch of certainty in my life. I makes me feel comfortable , safe , and secure.
Blake mentioned that the two human needs “ the science of achievement” and “master of fulfillment “ are not always mastered. This statement I wholeheartedly agree with. There are always things that we are going to fail to accomplish, but you have to pick yourself right off the ground again . Only through this can you be finally fulfilled with your life. These two ideas go hand in hand , so I think that in order to be fulfilled with your life , you have to try to keep learning the “science of achievement”.
3: A particular part to Mr. Robbin’s lecture that can be connected to class is this theory of resources and resourcefulness as seen in the life of Shugafuh, the young Afghani girl on the PBS show. Perhaps this is just me setting my expectations too high for others, but in the first years when the show began, she was about 11 years old, and not only her dream, but her absolute love was school. Her hunger for knowledge was something so admirable in a child of her age, especially when viewed from an American that lives in a world that people seldom look forward to school. It is something we take for granted and thus don’t put forth our passion into it. What bothered me about Shugafuh is that she allowed her extreme lack of resources become her prime factor of failure. She could not succeed in school because she gave up due to other priorities. As I watched, it made me frustrated to not see her accomplish her dreams because she could not use the categories of resourcefulness listed by Mr. Robbins to achieve her dreams. Granted, she was placed in a position set to fail, but I like to believe that no matter how difficult your situation may be, when overcoming it, you are truly displaying what you are made of and your potential within. Not to make this about my life, but I know people that had extremely rough childhoods, not like Shugafuh, but as a result, they do drugs and drink excessively and barely get by in school and it’s because they were a product of their environment. I lividly ask myself, when is enough, enough? How long can you make that excuse for that “bad roll of the die” as to where you started off at, be the underlying reason as to why you couldn’t succeed? Stop dwelling on your hardships so frequently and feeling sorry for yourself and get the job done! Perhaps it was her destiny to live in the footsteps of her illiterate house-wife mother, maybe she will someday excel in that role. Similarly to Shugafuh, Lance Armstrong was placed in an extremely unpromising scenario, but the difference between the two is that he made the choice to overcome his hardship and then overachieve, whereas she gave up and now it is too late.
ReplyDeleteIn regards to Taylor's response, "I’ve learnt from personal experience that pain is the great motivator. Pain brings desperation. And this gift of desperation leads to willingness. But followed by this willingness must always be action. Action breeds success!", I couldn't agree more. It is evident that many people have grown to such wonderful people through the parenting of tough love. Nowadays, kids have grown up very fortunate and practically get away with murder. I've witnessed friends of mine telling their parents to shut up directly to their face and get away with it. The fact that I can't even fathom those words coming from my mouth directed towards my parents is proof enough that the tough love that they raised me with has in fact prepared me for my future. Don't think I am an abused/neglected child, they did it properly and although I may not have seen it at the time, I understand it now. It made me appreciate their support, love and guidance when it was given and now I have appreciated their “tougher” love now that I have grown to experience many hardships. Many kids are raised with a pacifier in their mouths and mommy and daddy will always do for me what I ask, and I think it is safe to say that the result is weakness and many times failure of self-motivation and self-discipline. Perhaps a rather extreme statement (and I am sure there are exceptions to this type of parenting) it doesn't make you a bad/weaker person if you had a "better" childhood than others, but it's what you make of it. Because of this "award-me-for-doing-my-job" and "pacifying of society" nowadays, kids may not make much of their good-fortune and as a result they may not contribute back to society to achieve that sense of fulfillment. As they say, "the proof is in the pudding", and this pudding, "ain't" so sweet after all.
Jordan Aro
ReplyDeleteProfessor Brady
EGL101
11/9/11
1: Although this lecture does often repeat the topic of giving and charity to others, this focus on “generosity” is strictly for the purpose of building ourselves and having a better grasp as to who we are in this busy world. Mr. Robbins often reflects upon the concept of not just the “how” or the “what” in life, he dives deeper passed the surface skimming and into the depths of the “why”. As humans, why is it “we do what we do”, what is our motivation and what is our drive behind or daily decisions. As he further explains, “That’s great that we can understand, that’s intellect, but furthermore, how can we appreciate what drives other people so that we can give more to society?” It is this “why”, often overlooked, that he establishes the foundation of his main point of self-fulfillment. According to Mr. Robbins, throughout life, one may succeed in the sciences of achievement, but fail in the art of fulfillment, due to the fact that there is ultimately only so much one can be satisfied on their lonesome. Additionally, it is once we understand and furthermore appreciate this about ourselves, we can then contribute to the world and master the art of fulfillment, which ultimately leads to a better grasp of our own identity.
2&4: A significant point that stuck out to me is his explanation of failing at one’s goals. I practically live my life by doing whatever it takes to get the job done because I extremely dislike the entire concept of “excuses”. That word in its entirety should be nonexistent in all forms of language, because it is the very concept that prevents people from doing what they ultimately are required or even what they desire. Excuses are easy, and thus an easy living is ultimately not “squeezing all that you can out of life”, so to speak. I can relate to his theory, “The prime factor of failure is not a lack of resources, it is a lack of resourcefulness”. I relate to this in the respect that although I may not have much time to do what is required of me, I am resourceful in using my passion, determination and creativity to get the job done. For example, for my schedule, there are times where there are simply so much to do in so little time. Despite that, I use my passion to produce creativity that puts forth my determination to sacrifice my physical necessity of “sleep”, and therefore I am up until all hours of the night until I make that very day a “success”. This particular point he makes stuck out to me because this is a lifestyle that I have adapted to, and regardless of the sacrifices, I use my resourcefulness to overcome my lack of resources.
Ashley Asfazadour
ReplyDeleteThe point Robbins makes in this lecture is how the choices we make, takes up our lives. He tells us how we need to make things wrong in order to learn from our mistakes. Robbins also explains how the invisible force motivates people into achieving the goals they set out for themselves. In order to figure go further into our futures we must figure out our goals whether they be positive or negative.
The significant point that I found interesting was “Decisions shape destiny”. It was pretty much stating that the decisions we make can affect what we will be doing later on in life. If you cheat your way through life, you will never be able to keep your life together because you relied on someone else. “Decision is the ultimate power”, if we can not decide our choices, we can never control our lives.
This point goes I found went with friendship. In “My friend Hector and my Achilles Heel” The narrator chose to befriend Hector as a child, but as they grew up he also chose to ignore him. He thought that Hector worked as a fisherman meanwhile he became a great actor. He chose to believe his thoughts and ignore someone who was once his best friend.
I agree with Danielle when she felt like she can relate when Robbins talks about certainty. I also feel like I need to be 100% certain about something before I jump into it. I would never do something that I was only a littler certain about, its either all or nothing..
The main point that Robbins is trying to make is that what we do effects our lives. Whether we make bad decisions or good ones we can learn from them. We often have excuses for our mistakes, but we learn from the mistakes we made. He claims that our emotions create what action we are going to do.
ReplyDeleteOne point that i found interesting is when he said that "decisions shape destiny". He is saying that our decisions in life effect what will happen in our future. It could be for better or for worse. An example he gives is that someone can decide where they go to work and they meet the love of their life there.
A way i can relate this to a lecture is from the essay we read "Two ways to live in America." Those two girls chose two different ways of living and their lives ended up totally different. If they decided to not come to American their lifestyles would be totally different. They would have never met the husbands they have now, and they would have married a man of their fathers choice. This proves that the choices we make in life affect our future in every way.
I can relate to this video in many ways. One major way is that previously i chose to go to the university of colorado. I later then got cold feet right before i was suppose to go and changed my mind and now live at home. If i would have decided to go to colorado i would have made a lot of new friends and met a lot of new people. I would be living a different lifestyle than i am now and i would be going through a lot of different life experiences.
I agree with Tim when he said the essay “ Friends , Good Friends, and Such Good Friends” made him think what friends he has and the kind of friend he wants to be. That essay also helped me have a better understanding what kind of friends i have and what kind of friend i should be to people.
Bree D'Allegro
ReplyDeleteThe lecture Why We Do What We Do by Tony Robins is about "generosity" and what drives peoples to do what they do. The lecture is about understanding ourselves and what shapes us. Robins mentioned "fulfillment is art...you can only feel so much by yourself," I agree with this statement because people can give so much but its up to you whether you are truly satisfied. You can only make yourself so happy, its you decision what can do that. He talks about the people who recieve love, happiness and money, yet they spend that money going in and out of rehabs, although that might be a stretch the statement is true. Their are people who are given everything yet they are not "satisfied" with their life, they are searching for something that is not there. On the otherhand there are people who experience a great deal of hardships, emotional suffering and pain,yet those are the ones who are often charitable. They are living in the future instead of reminising about the past, they experienced hardships in their lifetime that they do not want others to ever go throug the experiences that they have. Robbin's mentions "the question we have to ask is what shapes us." This quote is proven true under many cirrcumstances, people who have the same background may grow up to be two different people, they have to ask what makes them different; what happened in their life that changed their view on life.
Robbins mentions a part of his past, where an action of another altered his life. The story he told was that someone brought food to his families house on Thanksgiving, Robbins saw this as hopeful, that a stranger cared for his family and watched out for them. This action led Robbins life in the direction of wanting to help other people as he was helped in life. On the otherhand the action from the stranger csaues Robbins father to leave their family, he saw this charitable act as his family being a charity case, that he could not take care for his own family. One action had two outcomes, on positive and one negative, Robbins asks "what shapes us?" The quotes mentioned in the lecture "Decisions shape destiny," relates to my life in many ways. I agree that the actions that take place now are going to affect life later on. Robbins brings us Rosa parks and how her action not only affected her but affected our whole nation; she acted in the moment but did not realize who much her act affected beyond her time. I know from experience that the actions i have taken now affect my life today; both positive and negativly.