As I begin to reflect on the magnitude of this project, I am reminded of the celebrated quarterback who sprints onto the field in the last quarter of the game, confers in the huddle, confidently strides out to the line of scrimmage, and throws the perfect spiral pass fifty yards downfield into the end zone to score the winning touchdown! The fans cheer, the coaches are thrilled, and the quarterback gets to joyously revel in the glory of winning the game. But it was a team effort. The quarterback is the public hero; however, in any game in life there are a multitude of players who are the hidden heroes, and in this endeavor there have been many. I have never been known to have words fail me, but as I begin to put on paper the feelings I have toward so many loyal and phenomenally selfless family members, friends and co-workers, I am overwhelmed. There is difficulty in assigning a hierarchy since it has been a true team effort from the beginning.
To my wife, Becky, my mom, and my four children—Jairek, Josh, Jolie, and Tyler—your love is my strength. Nothing is more important to me.
To my assistants, Deena Tuttle and Karen Risch, two amazing dynamos, who remained devoted to the vision that what we were doing would make a difference, even when it meant staying up all night away from husbands and children, even following me all over the country, at all times remaining cheerful and supportive. This book could not have been completed without their unswerving faithfulness.
To my Field Sales Representatives and Managers, who daily work out in the field in order to bring me into a city to overflowing seminar rooms; and to my franchisees, the Personal Development Consultants, who have helped me prove that video-based seminars do make a difference, I thank you for your courage and your dedication. To the Customer Service Representatives at Robbins Research International, who inspire the customer to take action and grow to new levels, I am so grateful.
To my entire team at the Robbins Research International offices in San Diego, who work crazy hours in order to launch my brainstorms and maintain the integrity of the vision, I salute you.
To my partners and associates of all the Anthony Robbins Companies, especially my dear friends at Fortune Management, your sensitivity to my unbelievable schedule touched my heart.
To the participants who have attended my seminars, I have learned much from you and acknowledge you for your participation in this work. A special thank you to the Certification class of 1991 who supported me as I worked throughout the night for more than two weeks in order to deliver this book on time.
To Earl Strumpell, whose love, friendship, and twenty-four-hour-a-day commitment to obtain and maintain whatever resources I need has given me the peace of mind to create.
To Dr. Robert Bays, my dear friend, whose wisdom and unconditional love pulled me through the bumpy roads, and whose input I always hold valuable, I am eternally grateful. To Vicki St. George, a gem of a friend, thank you.
To Michael Hutchison, who consistently holds himself to a high standard, I feel blessed by our relationship. To my best friend, Michael Keyes, thanks, buddy, for your humor and wit, your compassion and support. To Alan, Linda, and Josh Hahn for your inspiration and friendship; I look toward a long adventurous future.
To the “castle crew,” especially Theresa Lannon and Elizabeth Calfee, who are the best support system on earth, thanks for keeping this man’s home his castle!
To my good friends at Guthy-Renker Corporation, Greg Renker, Bill Guthy, Lenny Lieberman, Jon Schulberg, and John Zahody, who, along with the staff of Cassette Productions, have helped me to distribute over 7 million audio tapes carrying my Personal Power philosophy to people around the world in the last two years alone, I cherish our friendship.
To Peter Guber, for your inspirational phone calls and support, I deeply value our relationship.
To Ken and Marge Blanchard, the quarterly rendezvous with Becky and me are always the source of mutual magic and ever-increasing respect.
To Martin and Janet Sheen, for being such outstanding examples of passion, integrity, and commitment, thank you for being a light.
To all of the volunteers of the Anthony Robbins Foundation, the homeless, prisoners, children, and the elderly will never be the same because of your constant commitment to selfless contribution. You truly make a difference!
To Robert Cialdini, Stu Mittleman, Phil Maffetone, Paul Pilzer, and John Robbins, your contributions to this book will impact the quality of people’s lives.
To tae kwon do Grand Master Jhoon Rhee, whose constant love, loyalty, and knowledge inspire me to greater accomplishment, I respectfully bow to you, sir.
To the incredible staff of our Fiji getaway, the Namale Plantation Resort, and to the members of the neighboring villages of Viville and Nadi, you have truly taught me by example that life is a gift and a joy, that happiness is the only way to live.
To Jan Miller and her competent crew, my loyal liaison in this idiosyncratic publishing business, I take off my hat. To Dick Snyder, Bob Asahina, and Sarah Bayliss, thank you for your faith in me, once again.
To the giants whose shoulders I stand upon, the teachers who have shaped so much of my philosophy, strategies, and skill, I acknowledged you in Unlimited Power and I salute you once again.
And finally, thank you to a whole host of behind-the-scenes folks who supported me, including: Kathy Moeller, Suzy Gonzales, Joan Meng, Nancy Minkus, Shari Wilson, Mary Kent, Valerie Felts, Leigh Lendzian, Dave Polcino, Cherrell Tarantino, Mark Lamm, Robert Mott for the art work, and the guys at Franklin Type in New York.
These people never accepted that something was impossible. We all expected and received miracles throughout this odyssey, and we have all grown and become more in the process. You are all giants in my life.