12 Most Inspiring Lessons from Oprah’s Lifeclass with Anthony Robbins

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In the world of motivation and personal growth Anthony Robbins and Oprah are the cream of the crop and two of my favorites. When I heard Anthony Robbins was going to be part of Oprah’s Lifeclass series, I knew I needed to attend. Of course, I heard about the powerful pairing after the due date to enter the lottery. Luckily and very thankful, I was able to get tickets through my social media friend, the amazing Meredith Sinclair and her husband Jon.

I was looking for a kick in the pants, something to shake the fog off my current situation and provide clarity in purpose with all of the opportunities coming my way — some things that would grow my business and others that would take me away and point me in a new direction.

Well, the weekend gave me all I was looking for and more. I walked away inspired and ready to kick things into high gear, get rid of people who were causing more annoyance in my life than joy, and embrace friendships that have been neglected because of a busy work schedule and laser-focusing on my top business and personal priorities.

Here are the lessons I took away from my Lifeclass weekend. I hope they leave you as inspired as they left me. The first three tips are inspired from my own experiences. The other tips, unless noted, are words of wisdom from Anthony Robbins.

1. Some of the most valuable lessons happen outside the classroom

Even before I left for New York, I started learning important lessons that will have a lasting impact on my life and career. Take a moment to look for the obvious and not so obvious lessons you learn from everyday situations.

2. Everything happens for a reason

Even though it doesn’t seem like it at the time, everything happens for a reason. And if you get good at embracing this, magical things will happen.

I arrived in New York City and went directly to Radio Studio Music Hall to pick up our Oprah Lifeclass tickets. Friends, who came independently, were already in line as I was approaching. I figured I would just join them. Once I got there, my friend said that she wasn’t comfortable with me cutting because it “wasn’t fair to everyone else.”

Fairly annoyed, I walked back to the end of the line thinking to myself — you know what? I’m going to meet someone in line who’s going to make it completely worth it that I had to go to the end of the line. Well, lo and behold, the women standing behind me was an ex-marketing exec from a huge brand. She left to start a healthy meals home delivery company with a few other investors. Once I started telling her about my experience in social media and my weight loss efforts, she said she was interested in trading three months of food delivery for helping her with the company’s social media plan. Well, that was definitely worth going to the back of the line for! We were having such a great time talking that we didn’t even notice how much time passed waiting in line and once we picked up our tickets, we stood and chatted for another 20 minutes.

3. Let the universe know what you want/need and just let it happen

Once I knew I was going to New York, I knew I’d need a airline ticket, a place to stay and someone to go to the show with. I had a free ticket on Southwest Airlines (Thanks SWA!), so my main focus was on finding a place that was fairly economical and close to the venue and someone to joining me at the class. Three days before I was set to leave, I went to the movies and bumped into a good friend who I hadn’t seen in a while. When I told her that I was headed to New York, she said that she was headed out there for work and that I could stay with her. The place was PERFECT!! Right at the lower edge of Central Park in Columbus Circle and walking distance to Radio City Music Hall. The best part about it was that my friend and I were able to spend some really nice time together and we ended up going to the show together.

4. Go with the flow

Stop trying to force the outcome of of a conversation, relationship, event, etc. Just go with it and see what happens. What ends up happening could be so much better than what you were pushing for in the first place.

I had no idea of what I was going to do the evening I arrived and that made me a little anxious. I posted on my Facebook wall that I was coming into town and asked people to reach out if they wanted to get together. I texted a few people I knew who lived in New York — no one was able to meet on such short notice. A friend, who was a live blogger for Oprah’s first life class, tweeted to both me and the wonderful woman behind @OWNViewers who was in town as well. We connected and she ended up inviting me to an amazing dinner at Joanne where I met a group of fabulous OWN bloggers. It was a bonus that I got to see Maya Watson from Oprah’s Marketing team and meet Noel Kehoe, VP of Digital Marketing.

5. If your story doesn’t work for you, stop holding onto it

If you consistently think about a situation not going your way, people not liking you, feeling ugly or fat, raise your hand. OK, that’s a lot of you. If you’re going to make up a story, it might as well be a good one. And while you are at it. Tell yourself the GOOD story every day. If you catch yourself going back to negative behavior, just shift the conversation to your favor.

6. You become like the people you hang out with

If you are interested in meeting a man/woman and being in a happy relationship, one of the best things you can do is to spend time with your happily married friends. If you have hopes of big success in the business world, find people who are more successful and build a relationship with them. See what drives them and makes them successful. This holds true with whatever your goals might be. Birds of a feather not only flock together, they learn from each other and pick up each other’s habits.

7. Everyone has a past, it only matters if you still live there

Were you a dork in elementary school? Great, you’re in good company. So were Sandra Bullock, Jessica Alba, Michael Phelps and even Miley Cyrus. Several of them even credit the bullying for their success. Don’t let a negative past bring you down. Don’t ignore it either. Learn from it and move on. If you’re a parent who has children who are being teased or bullied, make sure to give them extra positive reinforcement to help them get through it.

8. You can’t wait for the situation to be perfect, just get out there and do it

As much as fate and luck help shape a situation, nothing can send it through the roof like a good, hard work ethic. If you feel stuck while working on a project or in a situation, write a list of 10 (or 12!) things you can do to move things forward. And then do it! You’ll be surprised at how quickly a situation can change if you just take action.

9. We become what we believe, think positive thoughts daily

If you are familiar with the power of attractions, you’ve heard this before. Words become thoughts, thoughts become feelings and feelings become reality. Think positive thoughts every day.

10. The 80/20 rule works in life too

Listen 80% of the time and talk about yourself 20% of the time. You’ll be surprised at how much more interesting people think you are.

11. Help as many people as you can

One of the most moving moments of the show was when Steve, who has been struggling with addiction for decades but had a breakthrough thanks to Oprah’s Lifeclass, got up and started coaching Jacob who was on the show because he lacked confidence. What touched me was watching Steve so eagerly share what he had learned with someone else. So many people are greedy with their knowledge. It was refreshing to watch compassion in action.

12. Invest in a good camera and external flash

Ok, that tip isn’t from Anthony Robbins, but it’s definitely a must to capturing the moment. I thought I had all I needed with my Android with the 5 megapixel camera. I was so wrong. A few of my new Oprah friends had serious cameras and took some amazing photos. Most of mine are all blurry. So I am lucky they have pictures I can save and post to remember this once-in-a-lifetime experience.

If you haven’t had the chance to check out Oprah’s Lifeclass, the last one of this season is on Monday, April 16th. You can watch on the OWN network or on the Oprah Facebook fan page.

So now I sit here reflecting back on what was one of the most impactful weekends of my life and realize that the key to living a fulfilled life is so simple, yet so complex. There are a million ways people can inspire themselves, but if we’d all just start with one or two the tips above, imagine how much could get accomplished. What life tips inspire you the most?

Featured image courtesy of Creative Commons via Shrek231.

Hope Bertram

http://www.summit.digitalmegaphone.com

Hope has been involved in direct / interactive marketing for 15 years. Most recently she’s become well versed with Social Media, drawing hundreds of people to Windy City Social and Kenmore Live Studio events using Facebook, Twitter, viral videos and by creating strategic alliances with brands such as Whole Foods and Broadway in Chicago to generate thousands of views on Kenmore Live Studio’s live stream. Previously, as the Interactive / Direct Marketer at Several Fortune 500 companies such as General Electric, Discover Card and Sears Holdings, Hope was responsible for creating winning email, telemarketing and direct mail campaigns. She earned Masters in Integrated Marketing Communications from Northwestern University and a BA in Communications Studies from University of Iowa. She is an active member of The Chicago American Marketing Association, the Chicago Interactive Marketing Association and Social Media Club Chicago.