Music, dancing, breaking old patterns, changing your life, getting naked (maybe that was just me)
The Anthony Robbins conference was a truly unique and positive experience, mixed with emotions that resemble something of a daytime soap opera
The whole experienced lasted 50 hours and ran across 4 days, essentially a life overhaul in a single weekend for the bargain price of $500
So was it worth it? Did it drastically improve my life? Did I drink the Anthony Robbins Kool-Aid and become a cult member?
From the moment I walked into the UPW conference center to register I knew that I was in for one hell of a ride
At first there were very little people standing around, but as I socialized with the fellow UPW attendees time went on, more and more people pile in and register for the event until literally thousands of people were filling the center
A few hours later the doors flew open to the event and we were greeted by lights, music, and an exhaustive amount of people in one room
Was I at the nightclub?
The anticipation rose until Anthony Robbins stormed into the room. At which point he was greeted by the room as a Rock Star who had just smashed his guitar all over the stage
From that moment I knew that the weekend was going to be intense to say the least
(Bear in mind I will not be going into excruciating detail about every going on in this event, but know that there is over 50 hours of varied and powerful content that is covered throughout the course of the conference)
DAY 1
Day 1 started out with Anthony Robbins getting everyone pumped up
Dancing, jumping, high fiving, and hugging were all in full effect in order to get everyone to push their comfort zones and get them in a peak mental state
Much of the day was spent with Tony explaining many of the things that are discussed in his book, “Awaken the Giant Within”
He discussed the 6 human needs (certainty, uncertainty, significance, love/connection, growth, spirituality)
He explained fear and how to control it in your life
He explained the power of the body and how it can have a huge effect on your life, etc
We did some meditation exercise where we closed our eyes and visualized out our goals and the way we wanted to act/be in order to achieve the goals we want
After we mediated or were given new pieces of information, we would always shift our state by stretching out and jumping around to some music
In time the stage was set of the climax of the evening
The fire walk
We spent a good two hours prepping for the vent
We pumped our state
Envisioned doing the walk
The fire walk was to symbolize our ability to push through all our fears and step into a life of greatness
Were given some steps to insure we didn’t roast our feet to the down, including a hilarious mantra
After some final state pumping, we stormed outside and anxiously awaited the burning hot coals
As I stared at the 2200F hot coals that I was about to walk across, I felt my adrenaline rise and was beyond ready to walk across the 15 feet of glory
As I stormed across I felt my feet warm and just as I got into it, it was over
The first Day was a great experience despite the reoccurring information and exercises from the books I had already read by Anthony Robbins, and I was amped for the next day
Day 2
Day 2 started similar to the last with lots of dancing and singing in order to recoup our spirits after a 13 hour day and 5 hours of sleep
The speaker shifted to a spirited and enthusiastic man named Joseph
After some state pumping he introduced a series of videos of Tony speaking at various conferences discussing a plethora of topics
After each video we shifted our physiology and spread the love to the people nearest to us in order to further push the attendees comfort zones
The host for the day, while a good man and had the energy of an 18 year old came off a bit as a used car sales man
Half of the time I felt as if he really wanted to connect with us, and the other times I felt as if he was an overglorifed sales consultant
Not I might be jaded because he had the task of pushing a number of pricey Anthony Robbins products on us (Wealthy mastery is only $5000 😉
I felt a slight cringe inside as I was sold to during a conference that I had already paid for, but at least the sales pitches were very short in duration
We did a few more meditation exercise and went through a few more exercise in order to better anchor and understand our goals
Overall this was the weakest day of the seminar, and was a bit of a letdown after how amazing the first day was
But I was optimistic to experience to continue with Anthony Robbins again for Day 3
DAY 3
The minute I walked into day 3, I knew that something massive was in the air
I had spoken to a UPW rep and was told that day 3 was more intense than the fire walk experience because of something known as the Dickens Experience
After our daily dances and chants we began to sink into the meat of the day
We went over a number of exercises that uncovered the goals in our lives, and more importantly, the things that prevented us from achieving them
Tony asked everyone to delve into the limiting beliefs in their lives and discover the deep rooted things in our lives that prevented us from following through with right action in our lives, and ultimately preventing us from living out our dreams
After a setup process, Tony had everyone enter a stage of negativity in order to associate massive pain to not living in alignment with the things we wanted in our lives
The experience seemed vary intense for many people, as it seemed to bring many poor things to the surface
For myself, a lot of things that I had blocked out were brought to the surface, and I lost my cool for a period of time, but regained my control after realizing that ultimately the pain the I experienced makes part of a reason why I am such a kickass mofo today
The exercises allowed people to gain massive leverage towards gaining their goals, and after it was complete it seemed that many people were liberated from the fears the once plagued their lives, a leverage that I tasted years ago when I was facing suicide in my life
After a celebration, Tony had everyone enter a clairvoyant experience in which they went through their past and delete all their bad memories and replace them with good ones, metaphorically speaking
Personally this was one aspect of the exercises that I didn’t actively take part in because I don’t have any negative feelings associated to the experiences I went through, I view these events as battle scars in my life that make me more of a man than I once was
I didn’t want to replace the stories as I felt they help make me who I am, and while they are not a limiting factor in my life (aka I don’t use them as excuses) I don’t want to ever forget what I went through as it gives me constant leverage to push my life to the next level
The experience ended and then we went through a number of state pumping exercises and bid a big farwell to Tony for the weekend
He got out super soakers and began to spray the audience while everyone else began throwing around their water bottles till you thought you were at Woodstock
It was nothing less of extraordinary and defiantly dwarfed the energy of even some of the best concerts I have been to
I wondered what day 4 would hold
DAY 4
Day 4 was the lowest key day of the seminar (though that isn’t saying much). We were joined once again by the sue do used car salesman Joseph and he pumped our states and introduced a number of videos Anthony Robbins discussing various aspects of health, fitness, and overall vitality
From the minute the first video went on, I knew I was going to be deeply involved being the health nut that I am
The videos covered a wide range of health topics
Everything from alkalizing your body, getting aerobic fitness, full body detoxs, the right nutritional needs for loosing weight and obtaining getting the energy you need, nearly every topic that I have ever researched, and then some, were covered in a comprehensive format
Tony also debunked a few eating and nutrition ideas including the benefits of going vegan, loosing dairy in your diet, and a few other topics
While some of the latter advice will require me to do more of my own research before I decide to swear off all meats and “acidic” foods from my body, I defiantly felt that the overall content that was offered during the day was spot on for anyone looking to improve their overall health
The day ended with another moment of meditation, and 4 days (50 hours) later the seminar was over
As a whole the experience was very unique and very beneficial
I met a large number of people who were very open and motivated to improve the quality of their lives, and became a member of an exclusive group of alumni that support you from all corners of the world
Essentially some of the best networking and friend making opportunities you will ever have can be found at this event, and I spread my legs quicker than a Vegas hooker while I was in attendance
My thoughts for those who are thinking of attending a conference of this nature can be boiled down to a simple question
Do you follow through on the things you really want in life?
If you want to get in shape, overcome fears, push your comfort zone, gaining leverage in order to achieve your dreams in life, and you are TAKING ACTION to making these dreams a reality (aka going to the gym, meeting new people, etc) and seeing some form of measurable results, than this conference likely isn’t for you
If you are not pushing your limits in your life, and are looking to maximize all areas of your life (especially if you have no idea how) then this conference is exactly what the doctor ordered
You will be pushed far beyond anything you thought you can do, and walk out a different person as long as you have an open mind and know you need that fire lit under your ass
Be honest with yourself and weight your options and if you aren’t taking action to changing the circumstances of your life that you know need to be changed then I strongly suggest you look at attending this conference
If anyone has questions about the event specifically, feel free to email me
In the meantime I’m going to get back to kicking ass and taking names on my US tour (oh and don’t worry, new content is coming soon, and its gonna kickass)
Cheers
Gabriel
Wonderful.
Thanks for sharing.
I printed it out in hard copy for Darius.
xoxoxoxo
funny, my brother and his wife said the same thign about “joseph”… also that he has nowhere near the presence of tony.
i read that you enjoyed the 4 days but were not OVERLY thrilled. afterall, when it comes down to it: it is YOU who needs to change.
not you YOU but you in the general sense 😉
@brian papa
Spot on Brian
The experience was defiantly not to be missed, but for me I had already discovered much of leverage necessary in order to make radical changes in my life
Joseph had heart, but he didn’t even come close to delivering in the way that Tony does, though he will likely improve in time
Thanks for the comments 🙂
Hey,
Great stuff about the weekend. It was a pleasure meeting you for sure. I think you’re right to have a healthy cynicism, but also an open mind and enthusiasm. The selling of very expensive seminars while we’re at a seminar was not wholly unexpected but a little bit of a put-off, but like I said, I definitely was not surprised. Tony is authentic in many ways and can truly help those willing to take action, but he is also, first and foremost, a businessnman, and a damn good salesman. Joseph did a fine job, but like you said, paled next to Tony. He’s missing that big “C”, charisma. I’m definitely working to keep the momentum going, and have been doing the 10 day cleanse (gift?). As much a reminder of what we went through as something probably pretty good for your body. Have a great sojourn around the country, and let me know what that alumni site is. Take care. Robert
You know, I found it really interesting you said the conference isn’t for people already taking action. I guess that nixes me out. I’m also REALLY against the Dickens Experience. I think attaching pain to you problems motivates you, but also results in a lot of self-abuse when you fall short of your own expectations. This is why I’m really into Sedona Method and Release Technique, because it helps you get in the “flow” without needing any pain.
–Dan
@Dan
Thanks for the input Dan. It defiantly depends on where you are in life, and how much trouble or ease you are facing with your challenges in life. It sounds like you are definitely already taking action towards making some changes in your life, and I would say that as long as you are making progress and are happy with where you are and where you are going then a UPW may not be a right fit for you (though it is still a great experience overall) If you want to know more about it feel free to email me at gabriel@gabrielhummel.com
Thanks for the honest review. I will be attending Tony Robbins seminar this March, I am looking forward to the intense power the crowd! I love this part of your review…”and I lost my cool for a period of time, but regained my control after realizing that ultimately the pain the I experienced makes part of a reason why I am such a kickass mofo today”… Thank YOU for the laugh!!
~Sondra, Buffalo,NY
@Sondra
Full awesome, I’m glad you enjoyed my review and I am sure that you will have a great time. Take care and be sure to let me know via email how the UPW goes.
Just came back from the UPW seminar in Chicago (Jul 2011). Overall it was very positive, with some caveats.
+ The program touches upon a number of areas of life and personal development including the mental, spiritual, and physiological. If you have going through life without paying attention on how you can become a better human. there is a lot to gaoin from this 4 day seminar
+ The program is unlike anything I’ve ever attended, it gets you out of the comfort zone and/or your daily routine to focus in areas of life that the average person who goes about their daily business does not focus.
+/- The celebrations, dancing, singing, etc, is an interesting component, there is something about the energy of several thousand people shouting and celebrating life. It is powerful and no set of CDs can replace this human dynamic, it makes your senses more aware and draws you into the whole seminar in a powerful way. However, at times I felt it was excessive and it was used as a filler because of the limited content.
– Tony Robbins is a powerful, very impactful speaker. Unfortunately these days, his busy agenda and severaly damaged vocal chords only permits him to be there live for two days. Joseph M. his Sr trainer facilitates the other two days and he is nowhere near the caliber of Tony. Instead you get video re-runs of Tony on the days that Joseph facilites – i.e., going to a U2 concert oat an arena pay $200 bucks only to watch them on a giant video screen concert previously taped.
– The marketing to attend the next and more expensive seminars is highly imbedded throughout the 4-day UPW seminars. It is not as a bad as obnoxious as the time share salesman at most mexican resorts but it gets tiring after a while and at points I felt stupid for essentially paying and attending a live informational.
Overall, I enjoyed UPW, I am also at a point in my life where I am well aware I needed a change or an “intervention” to get my game to another level, I believe if I continue conditioning myself with the principles of the seminar, the investment I made this weekend will easily payoff. On the less positive, the seminar broke down roughly: 50% Content; 30% Celebration, singing and dancing; 20% marketing and upselling. If you are comfortable with that breakdown and are looking for a catalyst in your life, UPW might just do it for you.
Awesome overview man
Thanks for the contribution
Gabriel
Did any previous attendees find the seating or “level” to be of any importance? I see the various levels being offered but I am also thinking of bringing my entire family – so four tickets. Also were there any families with teenagers present?
@matt
Nah, just get a space and youll be fine
My sister goes to many of these Tony events and must’ve spent thousands.
She was an abused child.
It’s a pity that her money and time went to Tony, not on proper longterm counselling from someone qualified.
I get freaked out when she tells me about how several people at Tony conferences were suicidal “and he talked them through it.” She quotes Robbins as though he were Jesus.
I hope your organisation is enjoying my sister’s money.