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Articles from Mike Robbins | Selfgrowth.com
- Vulnerable Leadership - by Submitted on Jul 13, 2010 from Mike RobbinsVulnerable and leadership are not usually two words or concepts we put together. Most of us, myself included, have been taught that to be a "good leader" we have to be strong, convicted, and confident. "Never let 'em see you sweat," we've been told. However, I believe it's time for those of ...
Views: 1530(3 votes) - How to Move Through Your Fear - by Submitted on Nov 11, 2010 from Mike RobbinsFear is something that we all experience, especially on our journey toward deeper authenticity, fulfillment, and success in life. Being who we really are, expressing ourselves boldly, and going for what we want in life can cause a great deal of fear in us. I get scared all the time - ...
Views: 1401(1 vote) - A Little Bit of Appreciation Goes a Long Way - by Submitted on Jul 26, 2007 from Mike RobbinsOprah Winfrey is one of the most successful and influential people in the world today. Her life-story of the difficulty, poverty, rape, teen pregnancy, and pain that occurred in her early years are well-known and documented. For the first six years of her life, the young Oprah Winfrey was ...
Views: 3538 - Appreciate the Journey - by Submitted on Jul 26, 2007 from Mike RobbinsWhen my wife Michelle and I were expecting our first child Samantha, we were very excited, nervous, grateful, curious, joyous, and more as we anticipated her arrival. With all of the books, classes, advice, and conversations we had encountered, most of the focus of this information has been on ...
Views: 916 - Appreciating "Difficult" People - by Submitted on May 12, 2006 from Mike RobbinsAppreciating “Difficult” People Are there people in your life, on your team, and/or with whom you interact regularly that get on your nerves? Have you ever found yourself wanting to yell at the top of your lungs, “Knock it off, I can’t stand you?” If so, you are not alone…welcome to being human! ...
Views: 1048 - Appreciating Failure - by Submitted on Jul 26, 2007 from Mike RobbinsFailure! Just the word “failure” can send shivers up and down our spine. If you’re like me and many of my clients, you’re probably not a big fan of failing. However, if you think about some of your biggest failures in life, haven’t they taught you a great deal and been extremely valuable to ...
Views: 1524 - Appreciation is the Best Gift We Can Give - by Submitted on Dec 03, 2007 from Mike RobbinsDuring the holiday season, it's easy for us to get caught up in the stress of decorating the house, preparing for parties, and rushing around to buy gifts for everyone. Many of us will spend hundreds, if not thousands of dollars on holiday presents. Instead of just giving the important ...
Views: 1003 - Appreciation: The Most Meaningful Gift - by Submitted on Dec 23, 2010 from Mike RobbinsDuring one of her shows a few years back, Oprah Winfrey made a profound and beautiful statement that I appreciated very much. She said, "We do shows about lots of 'stuff' and my 'favorite things,' but what people want more than anything else is to know that they're appreciated...that's the best ...
Views: 1436 - Are You Addicted to Struggle? - by Submitted on Mar 30, 2012 from Mike RobbinsDuring a session I was having with my new coach last week it became clear to me that I’ve been addicted to struggle for much of my life. While I wasn’t super excited to admit this, it has actually been quite liberating to address my struggle addiction directly and to see how it impacts just ...
Views: 1577 - Are You Addicted to Your Device? - by Submitted on Jul 11, 2014 from Mike RobbinsThis past weekend, while we were away for the 4th of July holiday, I had a profound realization of how addicted I've become to my iPhone. While I love many aspects of how technology enhances our lives and allows us to connect with one another in some very cool ways, I'm also aware of the ...
Views: 1628 - Are You Bringing Your Whole Self to Work? - by Submitted on Apr 30, 2018 from Mike RobbinsFor us to truly succeed, especially in today’s business world, we must be willing to bring our whole selves to the work that we do. And for the teams and organizations that we’re a part of to thrive, it’s also essential to create an environment where people feel safe enough to bring all of who ...
Views: 1438 - Are You Choosing Unhappy Over Uncertain? - by Submitted on Aug 18, 2010 from Mike RobbinsI've been re-reading Tim Ferriss' great book The Four Hour Workweek, which has been expanding my mind and giving me lots of great ideas. In the book, Ferriss states that "most people choose to be unhappy rather than uncertain." As I began to reflect on this bold and somewhat critical ...
Views: 1310 - Are You Living Your Resume or Eulogy? - by Submitted on Feb 28, 2014 from Mike RobbinsI had the honor of both attending and speaking at the annual Wisdom 2.0 conference in San Francisco recently. The event was great, and one of the highlights for me was listening to an inspiring talk given by Arianna Huffington, founder of The Huffington Post. In her talk she asked us a ...
Views: 1415 - Are You Threatened By Other People’s Success? - by Submitted on May 17, 2013 from Mike RobbinsMay 16, 2013 (For this week’s audio podcast, click here.) How do you feel when you see or hear about the success of others? While it may depend on who it is, what they’ve accomplished, and how you’re feeling about your own life at the time – if you’re anything like me, you may have some ...
Views: 2047 - Be Careful of Monday Morning Quarterbacking - by Submitted on Feb 05, 2015 from Mike RobbinsWow... that was quite an exciting ending to the Super Bowl, wasn’t it? If you happened to have missed it, the New England Patriots beat the Seattle Seahawks 28-24. The Seahawks had the ball on the one yard line with less than a minute to go in the game and a few downs to work with. It looked ...
Views: 1232 - Be Real and Compassionate About Money - by Submitted on May 30, 2014 from Mike Robbins2009 was an extremely challenging year for both Michelle and me. Among the many issues we faced that year, one of the most painful was the difficult financial situation we’d put ourselves into: we were $105,000 in debt and about $300,000 upside down on our house by the end of that year. There ...
Views: 1301 - Be Your Own Cheerleader - by Submitted on Jun 04, 2010 from Mike RobbinsI recently saw a wonderful video on YouTube that has been making its way around the internet of a little girl passionately affirming herself and her life in the bathroom mirror ("My whole house is great, I like my hair, I can do anything, I like my family," etc.) If you haven't had a chance to ...
Views: 1643 - Be Yourself, Everyone Else is Already Taken: The Power of Authenticity - by Submitted on Mar 27, 2009 from Mike RobbinsHow often do you not say or do something because you’re worried about how it’ll be perceived? For most of us, myself included, this happens more often then we’d like to admit. We live in a culture that is starving for authenticity. We want our leaders, our co-workers, our family members, our ...
Views: 2121 - Bring Your Whole Self to Work - by Submitted on Apr 02, 2015 from Mike RobbinsI recently gave a TEDx talk in which I reflected on what I've seen and learned over the past fifteen years - researching, writing, and speaking about essential human experiences in the workplace. As I addressed in this talk, I believe that for us to thrive professionally, especially in today's ...
Views: 2176 - Can You Survive Without Your Phone? - by Submitted on Jul 09, 2015 from Mike RobbinsAs we were rushing around to get out the door for our 4th of July weekend trip to the lake, I misplaced my iPhone and was forced to leave without it...for 4 days! What at first seemed like a curse, ended up being a blessing! After the initial panic wore off, I actually felt free and ...
Views: 1394 - Complete the Year Consciously - by Submitted on Jan 07, 2011 from Mike RobbinsThese few days before the start of the New Year have a magical and sacred quality to them. I appreciate the lull in activity that often takes place this week and the opportunity we have to reflect back on the year that is ending, as well as to create new possibilities and intentions for the ...
Views: 1267 - Create Miracles Now - by Submitted on Apr 11, 2014 from Mike RobbinsMy friend Gabrielle Bernstein's new book, Miracles Now, has had me stop and think more deeply about my own relationship to "miracles" and also how to create more of them in my life on a daily basis. As Albert Einstein said, "There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is ...
Views: 1580 - Create What You Truly Want in 2011 - by Submitted on Jan 11, 2011 from Mike RobbinsAs we embark on another new year of life, I find myself experiencing a mixture of emotions about 2011. I'm excited about the possibilities of this New Year and inspired by the energy of creation that exists at this special time. Similar to last week, there is a magical quality to this first ...
Views: 1171 - Culture and Chemistry Matter - by Submitted on Oct 30, 2014 from Mike RobbinsWow… that was an unbelievable World Series! If you watched it passionately as I did, you know what I’m talking about. Even if you didn’t and you don’t know or care that much about baseball or sports, there are a number of things that made this World Series remarkable and also some important ...
Views: 1173 - Distract Yourself in Healthy Ways - by Submitted on May 18, 2010 from Mike RobbinsWe live in a world of distractions. All day, every day we are bombarded with opportunities to be distracted. And, as I've recently noticed about myself, many of us choose (whether we're conscious of it or not) to distract ourselves on purpose and to escape from life in various ways. Given ...
Views: 1915 - Don’t Take Yourself Too Seriously - by Submitted on Apr 25, 2014 from Mike RobbinsI have a tendency to take myself a bit too seriously at times, especially when I get stressed, irritated, or scared. I’ve noticed that sometimes these feelings not only make me less effective in dealing with a difficult situation, they actually cause the difficulty itself, or at the very least ...
Views: 1240 - Embrace the Gift of Life - by Submitted on Jul 07, 2016 from Mike RobbinsOn January 7th, 2016, my big sister, Lori Dempsey Robbins, passed away after an almost four year journey with ovarian cancer. Lori was 45 and the single mom of our 11 year old niece. She was my first friend and one of my greatest teachers. Being with her through her illness and her death ...
Views: 1682 - Embracing Change - by Submitted on May 28, 2011 from Mike RobbinsWe recently went into escrow on our house, but don't yet have a new house to move into. As excited as we are about our move (just across the San Francisco Bay from Concord to Marin County), it feels pretty scary to not yet know exactly where we’ll be living next month. With this big change ...
Views: 1474 - Embracing Change Without Suffering - by Submitted on Sep 08, 2016 from Mike RobbinsI've been reflecting on change quite a bit recently. This year has been full of changes for me and my family. The two most significant and emotional changes have been the loss of my sister Lori back in January and the purchase of our new house a few months ago. While these two experiences ...
Views: 912 - Embracing Powerlessness - by Submitted on Jun 14, 2012 from Mike RobbinsIn a recent session I had with my new counselor Eleanor, she said to me, "Mike, it sounds like embracing powerlessness is something that would benefit you right now." When she said this, a chill went down my spine and my body tightened up. "What do you mean, 'embrace powerlessness'?'" I ...
Views: 2687 - Expand Your Capacity for Trust - by Submitted on May 23, 2017 from Mike RobbinsTrust can be tricky for many of us, myself included. It can be scary, seem naïve, and feel vulnerable. We often spend a lot of time and energy shielding ourselves from failure, being taken advantage of, or having our trust violated. What are we really protecting ourselves from? As someone ...
Views: 1231 - Focus on the Good Stuff: The Power of Appreciation - by Submitted on Aug 20, 2007 from Mike RobbinsHave you ever had something taken away from you only to realize how much you appreciated it after it was gone? Most of us have taken someone or something for granted. We only truly realized how much that person or situation meant to us after the fact. For example, at the age of twenty three ...
Views: 945 - Forgive Yourself - by Submitted on May 02, 2014 from Mike RobbinsIn December of 2011, I decided to head up to Calistoga for a few days. Calistoga is a small town in Napa Valley, about an hour from where we live. For the past few years, Michelle and I have each gone up there occasionally by ourselves for some personal retreat time. It’s been a great self-care ...
Views: 1794 - Have the Courage to Be Vulnerable - by Submitted on May 06, 2015 from Mike RobbinsGiven the focus of my work, especially in the past five years since the release of my book Be Yourself, Everyone Else Is Already Taken, which is all about authenticity and vulnerability, I’m constantly in situations where I’m talking about, encouraging, and seeing the positive impact of ...
Views: 1271 - How Do You Handle Criticism? - by Submitted on Aug 20, 2015 from Mike RobbinsI've received some criticism in the past couple of weeks in a few different situations. This has caused me to step back and reflect on how I handle criticism. Although I tend to get quite defensive when people criticize me, I've actually been pleasantly surprised by how I've reacted. In ...
Views: 1126 - How to Appreciate Your Challenges - by Submitted on Feb 13, 2011 from Mike RobbinsAre you facing challenges in your life or your business right now? These days, there are some real challenges facing many of us - at work, at home, in relationships, with money, with family, with housing situations, and much more. The challenges themselves, even the most difficult ones, ...
Views: 1299 - How to Give Yourself More Time and Space - by Submitted on Apr 21, 2010 from Mike RobbinsHow often do you find yourself feeling rushed, pressed for time, hurried, stressed, or overwhelmed? For many of us, myself included, these feelings are all too common, especially these days. While feeling as though we don't have enough time or that our lives are overwhelming is not a new ...
Views: 2541 - If You’re Trying To Prove It, You Don’t Believe It - by Submitted on Jul 02, 2014 from Mike RobbinsMy counselor Eleanor recently said to me, “Mike, if you’re trying to prove something, it means you don’t actually believe it yet.” Her words hit me right between the eyes, as they often do. She was right and as I reflect on certain aspects of my life, I can see that where I’m overly attached to ...
Views: 1189 - It Takes Courage to Put Ourselves Out There - by Submitted on Apr 13, 2018 from Mike RobbinsIn the past few weeks I’ve been thinking a lot about the courage it takes to step out, take risks, and put ourselves out there. Even though I know how important this is for growth, in business, and for life – I still find it tricky, scary, and challenging at times. I also realize it’s one thing ...
Views: 1305 - It's About Appreciation, Not Achievement - by Submitted on May 12, 2006 from Mike RobbinsIt's about Appreciation, not Achievement Have you ever found yourself waiting for something “good” to happen so that you could be happy? “When I get that promotion, lose those ten pounds, fall in love, graduate from school, pay off my debt, have a baby, buy a house, accomplish that big goal, ...
Views: 1329 - Just Because You're You - by Submitted on Apr 13, 2012 from Mike RobbinsAbout a year or so ago I started playing a game with my two girls, Samantha (our six year old) and Rosie (our three and a half year old). The game goes like this; I ask each one of them, “How much does daddy love you?” They respond by putting one or both of their arms up into the air as high ...
Views: 1440 - Keep Your Head in the Clouds and Your Feet on the Ground - by Submitted on May 18, 2010 from Mike RobbinsA few weeks ago while I was on a run, the saying "keep your head in the clouds and your feet on the ground" popped into my head. I'm not sure why I thought of this, but once I did I couldn't get it out of my mind. And while I've heard this saying many times (and actually have always thought it ...
Views: 2408 - Let Go of Negative Comparison - by Submitted on Oct 28, 2011 from Mike RobbinsI'm heading to my 15-year class reunion at Stanford this weekend. I'm excited to see some old friends, spend time on campus, and attend the various parties, sporting events, and fun stuff planned for the weekend. At the same time, I'm feeling quite anxious about the whole experience - knowing ...
Views: 1563 - Let Go of Worry - by Submitted on Feb 04, 2011 from Mike RobbinsHow often do you catch yourself worrying? When I was a kid my mom used to say to me, "95% of what you worry about never happens." I think she recognized that I was the "worrying type" and was trying to help ease my mind. Although this rarely worked, I appreciated her sentiment and know now ...
Views: 1178 - Let Success Chase You - by Submitted on Mar 28, 2014 from Mike RobbinsMarch 27, 2014 I recently read Wayne Dyer's new book I Can See Clearly Now, in which he said something that had a profound impact on me, "I've never chased success...success has always chased me." As I've thought about this over the past few weeks, I realize that not only have I spent much ...
Views: 1433 - Let's Appreciatie Ourselves - by Submitted on May 12, 2006 from Mike RobbinsLet’s Appreciate Ourselves In my years as a college and professional baseball player I learned many things. One of the things I learned to do as well as almost anything else was beat myself up. I became a master, along with many of my teammates, at being hard on myself and “never being ...
Views: 949 - Life is “Brutiful” - by Submitted on May 01, 2013 from Mike RobbinsMy wife Michelle and I recently went to see Glennon Melton speak about her new book, Carry On Warrior. Glennon is a blogger from Florida who has a very successful blog called Momastery.com. Her posts are read by tens of thousands of moms like Michelle (and others) around the world. I thought ...
Views: 1274 - Life’s Easy... It’s Dealing With Ourselves That’s Hard - by Submitted on May 08, 2014 from Mike RobbinsWith my new book, Nothing Changes Until You Do, just released I’ve been reflecting a bit on the whole experience of writing this new book and now putting it out into the world. As with my previous two book writing and launching experiences, it has been exciting, challenging, fun, vulnerable, ...
Views: 1923 - Make Peace with Your Body and Appearance - by Submitted on May 05, 2014 from Mike RobbinsThis is an excerpt from my new book Nothing Changes Until You Do, posted with permission. Published by Hay House and available online or in bookstores. I was in the bathroom one morning a number of years ago getting ready for my day. As I was shaving and taking care of my morning routine, my ...
Views: 1775 - Making the Shift from Ambition to Meaning - by Submitted on Sep 03, 2015 from Mike RobbinsSeptember 3, 2015 The unexpected passing of Dr. Wayne Dyer has had a big impact on me. He was an amazing teacher who inspired me (and millions of others) for many years. He was also someone I was honored to have met a few times in the past few years when we both spoke at events for our ...
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