Tony Robbins - money master the game - great book - Entrepreneur Generations

Everyone has a different "happy". Some people find happiness in pleasing others, while others find happiness in power and domination. Others define their happy as a billion dollars. Some think the way to happiness and a meaningful life is to get closer to God and give up everything material. Still others think the ultimate idea of happiness is freedom.

Whatever emotion you're after, whatever vehicle you pursue - building a business, getting married, raising a family, travelling the world - whatever you think your nirvana is. I have found its only an attempt by your brain to meet one or more of six human needs. They are the force behind the crazy things (other) people do and great things we do. We all have the same six needs, but how we value those needs, and in what order, determines the direction of our life.

Why are these important to understand? Well if you're going to build wealth, you've got to know what you're really after - what you're building it for. Are you looking for wealth to feel certain and secure? Are you chasing wealth to feel special and unique? Or are you looking to have a sense of contribution - you want to do things for others in a way you've never been able to do before? Or maybe all of the above?

If you value certainty as the most important need in your life, your going to move in a very different direction, act differently in relationships, in business and finance, than if love is your number one need. If we get underneath what you're really after, it's not money at all. What you're really after is what you think money is going to give you.

I'll use 3 examples before the human needs, one women travelled miles around the world and enjoying life, she never thought about finances then after reading Tony's book she's back on track and not feeling guilty about fulfilling her pleasures and enjoying life. Next is a German who was the richest man in Germany and lost the title and only had 9 billion left & took his own life, you would think "what a waste" but it may be a little to easy to judge this man. How often have we attached our identity - or our future prospects - to money at some level? Probably more than we'd all like to admit. Next is chuck feeney a self made billionaire, Forbes had him one the richest man in the world at one point, but he never declared or said about the money. Starting with nothing he just wanted to give, he didn't own a home or a car. He flew coach and wore a plastic watch, now in his mid 80s he has just 1 million left to his name. His idea was he started with nothing and ended up with 7.5 billion. The difference between him and the German was chuck wanted to give away his money through his life while the German wanted to hold onto it.

So now for the six human needs Tony talks over in the book.

Need 1 Certainty / Comfort

The first human need is the need for certainty. It's our need to feel in control and to know what's coming next so we can feel secure. It's the need for basic comfort, the need to avoid pain and stress, and also to create pleasure. Does this make sense? Our need for certainty is a survival mechanism. It affects how much risk were willing to take in life - in our jobs, in our investments, and in our relationship. The higher the need for certainty, the less risk you'll be willing to take or emotionally bear. By the way, this is where your real "risk tolerance" comes from.

But what if your totally certain all the time? If you knew what was going to happen, when it was going to happen, how it was going to happen. You knew what people where going to say before they said it. How would you feel? At first you'd feel extraordinary, but eventually you would be what? Bored out of your mind!

Need 2 uncertainty / variety

So God in her infinite wisdom, gave us a second human need, which is uncertainty. We need variety, we need surprise.

Let me ask you a question, do you like surprises? If you answered "yes" you're kidding yourself! You like the surprises you want. The ones you don't want you call problems! But you still need them to put some muscle in your life. You can't grow muscle - or character - unless you have something to push back against.

Need 3 significance

The third is significance, that same basic need that drive the German, to feel important, special, unique, or needed. So how do some of us get significance? You can get it by earning billions of dollars or collecting academic degrees - distinguishing yourself with a Masters or PHD. Or you can go on the bachelor or become the real housewife of the Orange County. Some do it by putting tattoos and piercings on their body, even in places we don't want to know about. You can get significance by having more or bigger problems than anybody else "you think your husband is a dirtbag? Take mine for the day?" Of course you can also get it by being more spiritual (or pretending to be). Unfortunately, one of the fastest ways to get significance - that costs no money or education - is through violence. If someone puts a gun to your head, in that instant he becomes the most significant thing in your life, right?

Spending a lot of money can make you feel significant, and so can spending very little. We all know people who constantly brag about their bargains, or who feel special because they heat their home with cow manure and sunlight. Some wealthy people gain significance by hiding their wealth. Significance is also a money maker, people will pay for anything that's "the best anything" anything that makes them feel special or unique to stand out from the crowd they will buy (even to just fit into the crowd too). Even to get into a nightclub instead of buying just ordinary champagne you can buy the over priced special one "Ono cocktail" of rare vintage and bottle shape. If it comes to your table with a sparkler just so everybody knows your significant (and your out of your mind) understand it?

Need 4 love and connection

Love is the oxygen of life ; it's what we all want and need most. When we love completely, we feel alive, but when we lose love, the pain is so great that most people settle in connection, the crumbs of love. You can get the sense of connection or love through intimacy, or friendship, or prayer, or walking in nature. If nothing else works, you can get a dog.

These first 4 needs are what I call the needs of personality, we all find ways to meet these ; whether by working harder, coming up with a big problem, or creating stories to rationalize them. The last two are needs of the spirit, these are more Rare - not everyone meets these. When these needs are met, we are truly fulfilled.

Need 5 growth

If your not growing, your what? Your dying. If a relationship is not growing, if s business is not growing, if your not growing, it doesn't matter how much money you have in

the bank, how many friends you have, how many people love you - your not going to experience real fulfilment. And the reason we grow, I believe so, is so we have something of value to give.

Need 6 contribution

That's because the sixth sense is contribution. Corny as it may sound, the secret to living is giving. Life's not about me it's about we. Think about it: what's the first thing you want to do when you get good or exciting news? You call somebody you love and share it. Sharing enhances everything you experience.

Life is really about creating meaning, and meaning does not come from what you get, it comes from what you give. Ultimately, what you get will never make you happy long term. But who you become and what you can contribute will.