CANI Lessons from Tony Robbins

If you are looking for constant and never-ending improvement CANI lessons from Tony Robbins, then read further about this concept.  Tony Robbins, one of the greatest examples of a person who utilized the applications of NLP concepts to offer a magnificent approach to grow in life: take one small step at a time.  He popularized CANI – Constant and Never Ending Improvements for Self Mastery.  

Few who have sought self-improvement would not have heard of the legend of Tony Robbins and would be interested in the lessons from Tony Robbins. Through his books, CDs, DVDs, seminars, and training programs, he creates a better world each passing day. A peek at the titles of his books tells us a lot about his worldview – titles like Unshakable, Unlimited Power, Unleash the power within, Inner Strength etc. One realizes that there is a man bent upon making his students successful, happy, and fulfilled from the inside. A comparatively lesser-known book of his is titled Giant Steps: Small changes to make a big difference. As the title suggests, the book is about achieving great things by taking incremental steps on a daily basis.  Tony Robbins started his journey as an NLP Practitioner with Richard Bandler, and used to train people on NLP.  If he would have continued his journey as a pure NLP Trainer, he probably would have been the best NLP trainer in the world. Nevertheless, he brings more people into NLP than anybody else does, considering a lot of people who attend his grand seminars get to know about him, and stumble across the acronym NLP in some form or the other, and later on get to attend the magical NLP training program.  There was a time when people used to find NLP programs because the concept of CANI constant and never-ending improvement lessons from self mastery Tony Robbins became so popular – It still is.

The concept ~ CANI lessons from Tony Robbins

Let’s try and understand one aspect of this concept by taking the case study of Harish.

Harish relocated to Mumbai three years ago and joined a glitzy advertising agency as a junior copywriter. Things were going reasonably well. And then, within the span of a few weeks, his life turned upside down. First, he was passed over for a promotion at his workplace. The same evening, his girlfriend of six months accused him of lacking ambition and broke up with him. A week later, his landlord asked him to vacate his tenement within a month. Unsure of whether he could find any place so suitable and affordable, Harish reached out to a few colleagues and acquaintances for help. He didn’t find any. With only a fortnight of the notice period left, he got news from home that his beloved grandmother had passed away. Harish broke down while holding the phone receiver. He could not fathom why he was being punished so severely. All he could do was feel sorry for himself.

It’s likely that you have experienced a phase similar to Harish’s in your own life. And it’s likely that you have asked WHY, just like Harish. In his case, he asked:

1. Why was I not promoted?
2. Why did my girlfriend leave me?
3. Why did the landlord choose such a bad time to evict me?
4. Why was my grandmother taken away so suddenly?

Now let’s look at possible answers he can give himself (text in italics are self-blame statements):

1. I was not promoted because my boss doesn’t like me or there is a bias against my race at the workplace or somebody else held more influence over the decision-makers. Or maybe I am not good enough in many ways.
2. My girlfriend left me because she is mean, materialistic and judgmental. Or maybe she’s right – I have no ambition, no spine and no talent.
3. My landlord has no empathy for me and he doesn’t care that this is not a good time for me. Or maybe I deserve to be punished further for not being good enough.
4. My grandmother died to teach me that things can always get worse than they are. Or maybe this is another piece of evidence that I deserve to suffer.

Difficult as his situation is, Harish needs to, first and foremost, move away from the WHY questions – although these questions are important and the answers to these can be helpful, WHY questions might be incredibly disempowering. Also, right now, Harish needs courage and a new direction to set his life right again. That process can begin by asking the right questions, setting outcomes (NLP Well defined outcomes are something we cover during our Certified NLP Practitioner Course). Empowering questions.

Empowering questions

Consider the following WHAT and HOW questions for Harish:

1. How can I ensure that I get promoted the next time?
2. What qualities do I seek in my romantic/life partner? How do I find such a woman?
3. What areas of Mumbai are suitable for my needs and budget and how do I find a suitable home in the minimal time left?
4. How can I honor my grandmother’s memory? What steps should I take to be with my family in this time of grief without compromising on my need to find a home in Mumbai at the soonest?

Each of these questions is about what needs to be done. Unlike the WHY questions, they are future-centric and designed to propel Harish into action. He will now make plans, take action and climb into a slightly better place in his life. And he will do so in an incremental manner.

CANI lessons from Tony Robbins is the concept that made self-mastery using NLP training very popular.  

CANI lessons from Tony Robbins: The magic of small steps

1. In order to get promoted, he will need to boost his workplace relationships, enhance his skills and play a more visible role. Before the next appraisal cycle, he needs to be seen as a crucial and talented member of the organization.
2. To find his suitable partner, he will need to go on dates, establish a healthy dynamic from the beginning, be mentally ready to face disappointments and, once he finds the right woman, work hard, every single day, to make that relationship blossom.
3. To find his home, he needs to go house hunting. See many homes, perhaps even compromise in the short term. And he needs to do this in spite of having to travel to his hometown.
4. To grieve his grandmother, he needs to experience the loss fully, allow himself to feel sad, bond with other family members, perhaps create an album of memories dedicated to his grandmother, if possible, write about her warmth and generosity.

He will learn that:

• Success in the workplace and in personal life does not happen in a day. But in a single day, a lot can be done to get closer to success
• Life can uproot you and leave you feeling lost. The rediscovery of self does not happen in a day. But in a single day, a lot can be done to feel less anchorless, less lost

What’s absolutely irresistible about making small, incremental, daily changes is that it gives momentum and direction to life. Tony Robbins captured this concept using the term CANI – Constant And Never-Ending Improvement.  CANI lessons from Tony Robbins are used by many people across the globe to get better.

People on the CANI path, in addition to WHAT and HOW questions, could ask themselves, “What if this worst-case scenario or that happens?” Such questions prepare them to lessen the power of random catastrophes.

In conclusion

There are 86400 seconds in a day. Imagine inculcating a habit of spending 300 of those seconds (a mere 5 minutes) asking: “What can I do today to inch closer to my goals?”

These 300 seconds will give you renewed perspective and vigor to experience every single day as a learning and growing experience.