A year ago we bought tickets to see Tony Robbins in Birmingham, England, for his four-day event UPW. Because of the pandemic, it got rescheduled and moved online, running from October 22-25. R. from Skolkovo had recommended it. Personally, I was just curious to see a well-produced show. A lot of people poke fun at events like this, but I wanted to form my own opinion. There were 11000 people joining in at the same time. I set up my own little venue in our living room with a projector.

Cool

1. Each day the event started at 10 am and wrapped up around midnight. About 40% of it was either dancing or physical exercises, which actually helped a lot with staying focused and taking in the info. I ended up keeping a few of those exercises for myself.
2. Several times a day, you’d get automatically put into small breakout groups of four to work together. Someone might be crying, someone else is super excited, telling you their story.There’s also a lot of solo work, you’re constantly answering speaker’s questions . That kind of interactivity really helps lock in the material and builds a sense of trust.
3. Most of the messages are super simple stuff like “drink plenty of water.” But the way they stick with you isn’t through logic, it’s through emotion.
4. A great point was that you can tell a lot about a person just by the questions they ask even without knowing what they’re talking about. Different people will ask completely different questions in the exact same situation. The questions themselves reveal something fundamental about each person.
5. “I am not enough” turns out to be a globally popular feeling, it’s in the top two. The other big one – “I will not be loved”. Whew.
6. Focus, Clarity and Commitment and then MASSIVE ACTION. Think about how you felt when things were going well, probably confident, right? So why choose to feel any different when you’re starting something new?
7. What if true success isn’t about doing something no one else has doneб but about imagining something and then seeing it come to life? What mindset shapes the way you define success?
8. On day three, Tony asks you to close your eyes and feel the insecurity, the disappointment, the sense that your dreams never came true. Then, with 11000 other people, you let out a scream of pure grief. It sounds like something straight out of hell. And then, in total contrast, you rise up confident, grounded and feel what it’s like when your dreams become real, tangible goals that are actually coming true. Then you scream again, this time like one of the 300 Spartans, fierce and unstoppable.

Weak

1. There’s not a lot of meaningful content in terms of actual ideas. It’s mostly emotional hype. MASSIVE NLP.
2. 40% dancing or physical exercises. I was trying to get my money’s worth, but it was too much.
3. At the end of each day, there was a full hour of pitching other courses, all wrapped in the “You wouldn’t go to the gym once and expect to get in shape”
4. On the last day they were selling a “3 for the price of 1” deal for the in-person event in Birmingham, set for June 2021. And the very next day an email saying it would be online because of COVID. Classic. Curtain drop!

Quotes and tools:

1. Where focus goes energy flows. Example: if you’re driving a sports car at high speed and thinking, “Don’t hit the wall,” your eyes go straight to the wall and that’s exactly where you end up. The key is to keep your eyes on where you actually want to go. Focus on your fears and you’re almost guaranteed to crash. Focus on your destination and you’ve got a real shot;
2. Resourcefulness is more important than resources;
3. Potential → Action → Results → Belief/Creativity → back to Potential;
4. Leaders are paid to make tough decisions. Everyone can make easy decisions.
5. Some people freeze to death in winter, while others go skiing and warm up by the fireplace.
6. Here’s a quick stress-relief exercise: put both hands on your chest and close your eyes. Think of three happy moments from your life. Once you feel them, stack your hands and listen to your heartbeat. Now, reach out and imagine holding a moment you’re proud of. Place it into your heart. Do the same with a future moment that inspires you and place that in your heart too.
7. Working with fear. Act it out like a scene: when fear is holding your hand and you try to pull away, it pulls back. It keeps you stuck. But if you move toward the fear, it’s fear that gets tired first. You can even follow it, pick up speed and then redirect that energy wherever you need it to go.

Conclusion:
On the last day of the training I felt like it was a 3 out of 10. But the next day I realized I was in a really strong, resourceful state. Motivational trainings like this can actually be useful tools, especially in moments when you need to make a tough decision. It’s a lot easier to do that when you’re in a good state. There are many ways to work with your energy, but the intensity of events like this helps you hit a true peak state.

As an online event, I wouldn’t recommend it. As an offline experience maybe, more like a show. But honestly, you’re better off checking out “Context” by Vladimir Gerasichev. It’s not just about boosting your state, the techniques are more structured and actually useful long-term. I’ve written about it before.