Robin Sharma Articles

Too many people believe that playing their best game as a human being requires them to revolutionalize their lives. And for most of us, that's a scary thought. No one wants to make

Too many human beings postpone living. We say that we will live our best lives when we have more time or when we finish the pressing projects that are consuming us. We tell those around us that we

Some pundits encourage us to enjoy the moment and appreciate what we have, suggesting that constantly striving for more is unhealthy and the primary source of our discontent. And other

Leadership has nothing to do with the title on your business card or the size of your office. Leadership is not about how much money you make or the clothes you wear. Leadership is

I don't want to be the richest person in the graveyard. To me, a life well-lived is mostly about being surrounded by people I love, staying healthy and happy (and no one's happy all

I fail more than most people. I fail all the time. I've had failures in business. I've had failures in relationships. I've had failures in life. I used to wonder why this happened. But now I get it

Success, world-class health, internal fulfillment and sustained happiness don't just happen. These elements of your best life are created. All too often we look at a human being pla

Big question for you: “what are you doing to help build a new and better world?” Don't blame the politicians. Don't blame those around you. Don't blame your parents or y

Too many people believe that there's something wrong with aiming to be really successful. I've heard it a lot these days, the suggestion that if you strive for success, you must not

The things that drive you crazy are actually giant opportunities. The people who press your buttons are actually your greatest teachers. The things that make you angry are actually

Big idea: Your days are your life in miniature. As you live your days, so you craft your life. What you do today is actually creating your future. The words you speak, the thoughts

Problems are servants. They help you grow and lead to better things, both within your organization and in your life. To resist them is to avoid growth and progress. Embrace and get

Henry David Thoreau shouted “Simplify. Simplify. Simplify” in his breathtakingly good book “Walden”. Nice point. One of the primary reasons that people and organizations fai

Life is a skill. And like any other skill, once you know the ground rules and make the time to practice, you can get better. If you really devote yourself to life, you could even re

Leadership begins within. You can't do good at work until you feel good. You can't make someone feel great about themselves until you feel good about yourself. You can't be a source

The philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer once observed: “most people take the limits of their vision to be the limits of the world. A few do not. Join them.” Pr

Blame or claim-that's the choice each of us has to make each day. Blame what's not working or claim the gift in the seemingly negative situation. The world needs more

There's an old phrase that says “what you do speaks so loudly I cannot hear what you are saying”. You can say that your primary value involves puttin

 Every time you say yes to something that is unimportant, you say no to something that is important. “Yes men” never create anything great. There's great value in getting good at s

 To live on in the minds and hearts of the generations who will follow you is to cheat death. To make such a difference through the way you lead and show up is to find immortality. To have a l

 Human beings crave control-just the way we are. A survival mechanism that goes right back to the days when we lived in caves. We need certainty and anything less makes us uncomfortable. But l

Powerful thought: great achievement often appears when our backs are up against the wall. Pressure can actually enhance your performance. Your power most

The words you use determine the way you feel. The language you choose shapes the way you perceive the world. Your vocabulary drives meaning in your life. Please th

One of the primary traits of world-class performers (in business and in life) is their ability to “detach from the noise”. Each day, “noise” such as little crises, minor int

Personal planning and goal-setting are not sexy topics. But they are incredibly important and central to an extraordinary ex

That old line remains brilliantly true: "the harder I work, the luckier I get". Life helps those who help themselves. Learned that one from personal experience. I'm not on

“Be Enthusiastic” smacks of trite sloganeering. “Be energetic” sounds obvious. “Be passionate” seems boring. Yet without enthusiasm, energy and passion, you cann

Controversial title for my entry today? Perhaps. But I think it's true. I've heard so many gurus say that ideas are the currency of success and thinking drives the New Economy and w

Here's comedian Steve Martin's advice to young comics: “Be so good they can't ignore you.” Love it. Life and success runs according to timeless and immutable natural laws. Just like a g

You've heard it a thousand times in a thousand different ways: you become what you think about. And the thoughts you use become self-fulfilling prophecies. Expect extraordinary things to unfold for

I know I'm unpopular on this point. But I owe you my truth: most people sleep more than they need to. They fall into the trap of spending some of the best hours of their lives on a mattress. T

It only takes a minute to tell a loved one you adore themIt only takes a minute to run towards a fearIt only takes a minute to set a big goalIt only takes a minute to drink a g

It's true what they say: the harder I work, the luckier I get. Brings me to my point today: “is a great life the result of luck or are there a series of natural laws at play that produce grea

Big idea: people step into the stories you create for them. People generally behave in a way that meets the expectations you have of them. People generally conduct themselves in alignment with the

So easy to forget this one: doing good makes you feel good. Being kind to a co-worker not only enables and elevates them - it lifts your mood. Adding outrageous value to a customer and making them

Okay, your shoes don't need to shine to be a superb leader (and remember - leadership isn't about your position, it's about the way you show up each day...so lead without title). My point is simply

The quality of your life comes down to the quality of your relationships. With your Customers, with your suppliers, with your loved ones, with your self (big idea there). Commit to insanely great r

I'm up early. Drinking coffee. Listening to Morcheeba. Writing in my journal. About where I'm at in my life, as I close in on 42. About what I'm grateful for (for example, people like you who allow

Imagine a dashboard with a dial or meter on it. At one end is the word “freedom”. At the other the word “responsibility.” To me, leadership and living a great life is striki

Okay, so maybe habits aren't the hippest thing in the world. But they just might be the most important. What separates the best from the rest comes down to habits. A few good ones (that's really al

Sure it takes effort/discipline and gigantic focus to get to world-class (and live your greatest life). Sure leadership is about doing what's right versus easy. And I agree that success requires sa

Nature is an incredible teacher. Life is run by Nature's Rules. So it only makes sense to observe how nature works to really get how life works.This morning I observed something fascinating.

You will become your surroundings. So choose them well. The people you associate and the conversations you have profoundly shape your thinking and actions. Be with people greater than you and you w

The very nature of dreaming big dreams and stretching yourself beyond the normal is dangerous. Dangerous in the sense that you leave safety, you leave routine, you leave the common world where unha

An idea just came to visit. Needed to share it with you. You've heard it before but the more we get exposed to good ideas, the deeper we integrate them. Like reading a powerful book for a second an

A simple insight for you today: every time to practice a weakness, you feed it. And the things you feed grow in your life.Every time you don't live your values, The Integrity Gap widens. Eve

Here's the thing about spending your life/energy/talents chasing things: the more you get, the more you want. They never fulfill their promise of happiness. It's a pretty cruel ruse once you really

Most training programs don't have lasting impact. Most seminars provoke only micro-change. Most inspirational or leadership books get us excited only until we wake up the next morning and reality i

Every second you spend thinking about what you don't want in your life is a second denying focus and energy from getting what you do want. Every minute you worry about what's not working is a minut

Michelangelo was asked how he created his masterpieces. He replied that he simply saw the works of art embedded within the slabs of marble and then set about chipping away at everything that wasn't

The very nature of a visionary is that they see within what no one else sees without. It's like an inside joke that only they get: they see this vivid dream/opportunity/better in their imaginations

Imagine living in a world where every movie you see has the same story line. Imagine if the only choice of drink was water and the only flavor of ice cream was chocolate (okay maybe that one wouldn

You know I've never claimed to be perfect. From the start, I've told you I'm no guru and most definitely a work in progress. I have my strengths. And my flaws (like every human around us). One of m

Isadore S

One of the fastest ways to find the solution to an issue or challenge you are facing is to ask the right questions. The right question inevitably leads you to the correct answer. Questions matter.

You may not know how powerful you are. Big idea: Every one of us has so many more choices than we can currently see. Remember, we see the world not as it is but as we are. Most of us see through th

I was reading an issue of Best Life this morning as enjoyed some gorgeous Colombian coffee. Came across a line from George Clooney that reminded me of what's most important. He said: "You only

One of the core organizing principles of my life is that success comes through a delicate balance between making things happen and letting things happen. Yes, we have the responsibility to set our goa

I believe it's strikingly important to remember that when you know better, you can do better. With higher levels of awareness, you can make smarter choices. And the more clarity you get as to who y

So easy to beat yourself up over mistakes you've made. So many amongst us live in the past rather than loving the present and building a brilliant future. Some people stay stuck for years over some

Simple idea with powerful consequences: everyone who intersects your life knows something you don't. To get to world-class, don't miss any opportunity to leverage the learning/insights/experiences

Imagine Lance Armstrong stopping his stunningly disciplined daily practice regimen and still hoping to win the Tour de France? Imagine Steve Nash giving up his crushing daily workouts and post game

Okay, this one might challenge/provoke and even irritate you a bit (if so, I've done my job). Because we grow through ideas (and experiences) that stretch us. And all I want to do is help you grow

Big Idea: your most challenging relationship carries with it the seeds of your greatest growth. The relationship that tests/frustrates/irritates you the most actually is one of your greatest blessi

It's stunningly interesting to me how we have the power to - over the hours of this very day - make a decision/choice/commitment that can transform our professional as well as our personal liv

(Note: this article appeared in The Economic Times of India as part of Robin's recent tour in that country) In my leadership development work with companies like IBM, FedEx and Nike and as

Big idea that will revolutionize the way you work and live if you embrace it at a DNA level: your life will expand or contract in direct relationship to your willingness to walk directly towards th

In The Greatness Guide I share a simple formula for genius: focus plus time equals mastery. Please think about that. What you concentrate on, you cannot help but get great at. The more you focus, t

Life's counter-intuitive. The things that we most resist carry the seeds of our greatness. The stuff that makes us feel uncomfortable makes us stronger. And the things that are hard to do help us g

Just read a Harley Davidson ad. The main line: "Leave Behind Shoes No Man Can Fill." Love it. How big a life are you living? How bold a dream are you dreaming? How remarkable a pe

Small steps are big steps. Little decisions can, over time, cause stunningly wonderful results. Tiny changes lead to real and sustained transformation. It's all about evolution rather than revoluti

It's so very human to fight for your excuses. "I can't be better than I am at work." "I don't have the time to exercise." "I can't do this dream or that dream because it's

Just read a quote from a Cadillac ad in the latest issue of GQ. Quotes actor Andy Garcia as saying: "It's important, when going after a goal, to never lose sight of the integrity of the journe

Just re

What comes to mind when you think about your best teacher/mentor/boss? Good thoughts, right? You appreciate the lessons/learning and growth that human being promoted in you. So, why would you feel

Just read a quote that provoked me. "Growth is the only evidence of life." Pretty smart words. They came from John Henry Newman. You know I adore the whole notion of growth. To me

Leading Without Title is about assuming personal responsibility. It's about creating rich results. It's about taking charge to get things done - no matter if you are on the front line or in the C-S

Your expectations for yourself - and your life - become self fulfilling prophecies. What you intend shapes what you become. So make a commitment, today, to be remarkable. Live full out. Vow

I did a show on The Sirius Radio Network yesterday. The host, Jesse Dylan, asked me a powerful question. "Robin, we all have goals and aspirations. But sometimes things don't go as planned. Ho

In this age of foul-mouthed rock stars, famous for being famous celebrities and uber-greedy CEOs who take home huge rewards while the shares of their companies hit rock bottom, there's a new way to

Was at the Picasso museum in Barcelona a few weeks ago. The experience deeply influenced me. I saw how he was not afraid to deconstruct and then reinvent his art over the course of his life. I saw the

Gratitude is a beautiful thing. Makes the recipient feel better. Makes the sender feel great. In my journal, I often express gratitude to the people who elevate/influence and inspire me. On

Companies don't get better if they fall in love with their success. The best ones never feel they are truly successful. The brilliant ones know that they can always improve. Humility is part of the

As I wrote in Who Will Cry When You Die?, "The smallest of actions is always b

Part of the value I hope to add to you is to be a catalyst for positive change in your work and personal life. To gently push/move and challenge you. To get better. To grow more. To be great - regardl