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Articles from Mike Robbins | Selfgrowth.com
- Love Your "Flaws" - by Submitted on Jan 12, 2010 from Mike RobbinsIf you’re anything like me you’ve probably spent more time than you’d like to admit trying to “fix” your various “flaws.” Although I may pretend otherwise, many of my own goals, desires, and even my motivation to “grow” has often come from a deep place of insecurity within me - thinking that if ...
Views: 5582(1 vote) - The Importance of Celebrating - by Submitted on Sep 30, 2010 from Mike RobbinsHow do you feel about celebrating? If you're anything like me and most of the people I know, you probably enjoy it. However, I notice that as much as I like to celebrate, I sometimes find it challenging as well. Here are some of the reasons that I use not to do it: I don't have the time ...
Views: 5098(1 vote) - When You Fall Down, Get Back Up - by Submitted on Dec 02, 2010 from Mike RobbinsHave you ever seen a small child learn how to walk? If you have, you know what a remarkable experience it is. I'd heard about this, but had never witnessed it first hand until Samantha, our (almost) five year old, took her first real steps when she was just over a year. She and I were playing ...
Views: 3818(3 votes) - 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 Simple Things - by Submitted on May 28, 2010 from Mike RobbinsLast week my left ear got plugged up and it was difficult for me to hear out of it for about 48 hours. It was scary and challenging. Thankfully everything was okay, it's all clear now, and I'm able to hear just fine out of both ears. Having this happen was yet another example of how easy it ...
Views: 2809(1 vote) - 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 - Want What You Have - by Submitted on Jul 16, 2010 from Mike RobbinsRecently someone said to me, "Mike, I read the best book of my life a few years ago. It only had four words in it, 'want what you have'." As simple of a concept as this is, I was struck by its wisdom and began to think about it in my own life. Sadly, as I thought about it more deeply, I ...
Views: 2567(3 votes) - 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 - Stop Apologizing for Who You Are - by Submitted on Jul 22, 2010 from Mike RobbinsApologizing can be a bit tricky for me. While I pride myself on being someone who is able to look within, take responsibility, and resolve conflicts directly - I also know that my own arrogance and insecurity cause me to sometimes stubbornly refuse to apologize or, often more damaging, over ...
Views: 2531(3 votes) - Be Flexible - by Submitted on May 28, 2010 from Mike RobbinsHow flexible are you? For me, it depends - on my mood, how much fear or resistance I have about something, how attached I am to a particular outcome, and various other factors. However, as I look throughout my life (now and in the past), I realize that the situations, relationships, and ...
Views: 2411(2 votes) - 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 - Act As If - by Submitted on Mar 25, 2010 from Mike RobbinsI first heard the phrase “act as if” about fifteen or twenty years ago. I remember learning that if we “act as if” we already have something we want, “act as if” something is already occurring in our lives (even if it’s not), or “act as if” we know how to do something (even if we don’t) – we ...
Views: 2352(5 votes) - Gratitude and Victimhood Can't Co-Exist - by Submitted on Jul 01, 2010 from Mike RobbinsHow often to you feel like a victim? If you're anything like me, probably more often than you'd like to admit. Although I usually pretend to be too "evolved" to play the role of victim in my life, I do catch myself at times feeling, thinking, and talking in that old, familiar, "oh poor me" ...
Views: 2304(2 votes) - Remember How Strong Your Are - by Submitted on May 14, 2015 from Mike RobbinsIn early March of 2011, I was sitting in my car in the parking lot of the Ritz Carlton Hotel in Half Moon Bay, California, where I was scheduled to speak later that morning. Although it was a pretty big event, I wasn't feeling all that nervous about it-I had other things on my mind. I called one ...
Views: 2179 - 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 - 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 - Lessons in Teamwork from the SF Giants - by Submitted on Nov 04, 2010 from Mike RobbinsI have been so excited and inspired by this year's baseball post-season and the big World Series victory by the San Francisco Giants. As a Bay Area native, a lifelong baseball fan, and someone who has been fortunate enough to have the Giants as a client this year, of course I was rooting ...
Views: 2099(1 vote) - We’re All In This Together - by Submitted on Nov 16, 2016 from Mike RobbinsLike so many people here in the United State and around the world, I've had a very strong reaction to our election. Given the pre-election polls, I was shocked by the outcome, and given how I voted, I was disappointed by it. As I've ridden the roller coaster of intense emotions over the past ...
Views: 2091 - 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 - Are You Willing to Be Uncomfortable? - by Submitted on Jun 10, 2010 from Mike RobbinsHow comfortable are you with being uncomfortable? I know this may seem like a paradoxical question, but it's not. In fact, Michelle and I took a workshop this past weekend where they emphasized the importance of being uncomfortable - related to expanding our growth, success, fulfillment, and ...
Views: 2041(1 vote) - Our Insatiable Desire for Fame - by Submitted on Dec 15, 2009 from Mike RobbinsI’ve been fascinated by the recent sensationalized stories in the media about “Balloon Boy,” the White House party crashers, and the various alleged mistresses of Tiger Woods coming out to tell their tales. While it’s easy to get caught up in the drama of these stories, to blame the insatiable ...
Views: 2027(2 votes) - Trust is Granted Not Earned - by Submitted on Jul 01, 2010 from Mike RobbinsHow easily do you grant your trust to other people? What factors play into your ability or inability to trust cert ain individuals around you? What do people need to do to earn your trust? As I personally reflect on these questions, I'm reminded of both the importance and complexity of trust ...
Views: 1972 - Your Feelings Matter - by Submitted on Jun 28, 2012 from Mike RobbinsI sometimes find it challenging to honor my own feelings – especially if what I want or feel seems to be at odds with other people, or my emotions don’t seem to be “appropriate” to the situation. While I’m not someone who tends to hold back sharing my honest opinions, desires, and feelings and, ...
Views: 1939(1 vote) - 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 - 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 - The Power of Empathy - by Submitted on Oct 20, 2010 from Mike RobbinsEmpathy is one of the most important aspects of creating harmonious relationships, reducing stress, and enhancing emotional awareness - yet it can be tricky at times. I consider myself to be quite empathetic, but notice that with certain people (especially those I don't like or agree with and ...
Views: 1897 - The Importance of Flexibility - by Submitted on Jan 21, 2011 from Mike RobbinsHow flexible are you? For me, it depends - on my mood, how much fear or resistance I have about something, how attached I am to a particular outcome, and various other factors. However, as I look throughout my life (now and in the past), I realize that the situations, relationships, and ...
Views: 1891 - The Importance of Receiving Appreciation - by Submitted on Feb 14, 2014 from Mike RobbinsMy 40th birthday was amazing! I received such beautiful blessings from so many people in my life - it was exciting, wonderful, humbling, and a bit overwhelming. As touched and honored as I was (and still am) by all of the appreciation I got, I also noticed there were moments when it was ...
Views: 1870(1 vote) - We Don't Solve Our Problems, We Outgrow Them - by Submitted on Feb 02, 2010 from Mike RobbinsI was recently reminded of a great quote from psychologist Carl Jung, he said, “We don’t solve our problems, we outgrow them.” As I’ve been thinking about this the past few days, I realize how often my attention is actually on solving my problems, instead of outgrowing them. No wonder the ones ...
Views: 1868(2 votes) - Nothing Changes Until You Do - by Submitted on Jan 25, 2013 from Mike RobbinsIn a recent session with my counselor Eleanor, she said something simple, but profound to me; “Nothing changes until you do.” She went on to say, “Mike, you keep trying to control and manipulate the situations, relationships, and outcomes in your life – thinking that if they changed in the way ...
Views: 1854 - 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 - Think Big - by Submitted on Aug 08, 2014 from Mike RobbinsI've had a number of experiences in the past few months which have both inspired me and challenged me to think big (and also to look at the ways in which I don't.) All too often we let our egos, our fears, our perceived limitations, or our selfish motivations get in our way from thinking ...
Views: 1793 - Why is This Happening FOR Me? - by Submitted on Oct 26, 2010 from Mike RobbinsDo you ever ask yourself the question, "Why is this happening to me?" Most of us do, especially when things aren't going the way we want them to or we're dealing with something that's difficult or painful. A few years ago I was talking to my friend Brian about this and he said, "If you ...
Views: 1789(1 vote) - Love Yourself, and the Rest Will Follow - by Submitted on Feb 09, 2010 from Mike RobbinsHow do you feel about self love? More importantly, how well do you love yourself? For most of us, loving ourselves is something we may know is important, but often have difficulty actually feeling, expressing, and embodying. For me, I’ve spent much of my life – as a student, an athlete, in ...
Views: 1783(1 vote) - 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 - It’s Okay to Disappoint People - by Submitted on Mar 16, 2012 from Mike RobbinsHow do you feel about disappointing others? How about being disappointed yourself? I’ve recently noticed how much of my conscious and unconscious attention is focused on not disappointing others, while at the same time protecting myself against being disappointed. As I’ve been looking at ...
Views: 1772(1 vote) - An open letter to my fellow straight white men... - by Submitted on Nov 13, 2016 from Mike RobbinsNovember 13, 2016 It's time for us to step up straight white men! This campaign and this election have exposed many issues in our country and our world...issues that have been there for a very long time, and although we've made progress on them through the years, it's time for real change and ...
Views: 1760(2 votes) - Stop "Should-ing" On Yourself - by Submitted on Sep 02, 2012 from Mike RobbinsA few months ago one of my mentors said to me, "Mike, it sounds like you're 'should-ing' all over yourself." I laughed when she said this, as I've heard this saying many times before (and have even given this same feedback to others). However, something about her saying this to me at that ...
Views: 1756(2 votes) - Let Go of Blame - by Submitted on Apr 27, 2011 from Mike RobbinsMichelle and I were having dinner with some friends a few months ago and our friend Joel said, "I'm practicing giving up blame completely." As he said this, I found myself simultaneously inspired and confronted. As I've explored the idea of letting go of blame in recent months, ...
Views: 1730(1 vote) - The Importance of Unplugging - by Submitted on Aug 20, 2010 from Mike RobbinsWhat percentage of your waking hours are you "plugged in" (i.e. checking things on the internet, doing email, texting, playing with your wireless device, watching TV, posting to Facebook or Twitter, and more)? If you're anything like me and most of the people I know and work ...
Views: 1710(3 votes) - Self Improvement vs. Self Acceptance - by Submitted on Mar 29, 2013 from Mike RobbinsI had the honor of meeting author Robert Holden recently when we both spoke at the Hay House IGNITE event in San Jose, CA (which was an amazing experience, by the way). Robert is someone whom I’ve admired for quite some time. It was wonderful to get a chance to meet him in person and hear him ...
Views: 1696 - 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 - Do You Have Healthy Boundaries? - by Submitted on Sep 20, 2013 from Mike RobbinsHow healthy are your boundaries? Maybe you think about this directly and often, maybe not. Boundaries weren’t something I personally spent much time thinking about for many years. I’ve often related to the concept of boundaries in a negative way. Of course I’ve known they’re important, ...
Views: 1667(3 votes) - Watch More Sunsets - by Submitted on Apr 18, 2014 from Mike RobbinsA few weeks ago I led a weekend workshop at Esalen. It was wonderful! On Saturday evening after our dinner break, one of the workshop participants suggested that we delay the start of our evening session so we could walk out on the deck and watch the sun go down over the Pacific Ocean. We did ...
Views: 1659 - 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 - A Bad Day for Ego is a Good Day for Soul - by Submitted on Mar 05, 2011 from Mike RobbinsA few weeks ago I listened to a radio interview with Michael Beckwith, author of Spiritual Liberation, and he said, "A bad day for the ego is a good day for the soul." When I heard this I laughed out loud. The wisdom of his statement resonated with me deeply. I thought about a number of ...
Views: 1641(1 vote) - 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 - Go For It - The Power of Boldness - by Submitted on Feb 17, 2011 from Mike RobbinsDo you consider yourself bold or someone who goes for it with passion in life? Some of us do, but most people I know and work with, myself included, admit that they don't often think of themselves as a bold person. Or, if we've done or said bold things in our lives, they seem to be few and far ...
Views: 1619(2 votes) - Let Go of Control - by Submitted on Sep 10, 2010 from Mike RobbinsI had a simple, but profound experience in the swimming pool last week - I floated on my back for the first time in my life. I do know how to swim and enjoy being in the water, but for some reason I never was able to figure out how to float on my back when I learned to swim as a kid and as an ...
Views: 1613(1 vote) - 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 ...
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