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The Tony Robbins Podcast

"Failure Is NOT THE END!" - Tony Robbins Full Intervention

with Tony Robbins

Published October 2, 2025
View Show Notes

About This Episode

Tony Robbins responds to a woman named Anna who asks how to deal with failures and stay positive, especially when she feels she is wasting time. He explains that highly successful people fail more often but interpret those experiences as learning rather than defeat, and that unrealistic expectations about timelines create unnecessary suffering. Robbins then teaches his RPM framework-focusing on clear outcomes, compelling reasons, and a selective massive action plan-and shares the story of producer Peter Guber to illustrate how embracing struggle and viewing failure as a speed bump leads to long-term success.

Topics Covered

Personal Development Goal setting Persistence Entrepreneurship Business growth and scaling Stress management Habits Personal narrative Self-talk

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Quick Takeaways

  • Successful people fail more often than others, but they interpret those failures as learning experiences instead of permanent defeats.
  • Unrealistic expectations about how fast things should happen create feelings of failure; people often overestimate what they can do in a year and underestimate what they can do in a decade.
  • Time effectiveness is a skill, not something everyone naturally has, and it requires more than just long to-do lists and prioritization labels.
  • Your thinking is driven by the questions you ask; constantly asking "What do I have to do?" creates stress, whereas asking "What do I want?" focuses you on outcomes.
  • Robbins' RPM framework centers on three questions: What result do I want, why do I want it, and what massive action plan will get me there.
  • Knowing emotionally compelling reasons for a goal provides the energy to push through obstacles and follow through.
  • Focusing on a small set of key outcomes (the "three to five to thrive") each week or day helps cut through overwhelm and distraction.
  • Reframing failure as learning removes its sting; the real danger is giving up, not making mistakes.
  • Peter Guber's childhood observation of a strict father teaching his disabled son to ride a bike shaped his belief that struggle builds capability and that failure is just a speed bump to success.
  • Robbins emphasizes that his own success is based on persistence and mission-driven energy rather than never failing.

Podcast Notes

Introduction and Anna's question about failure and time

Framing failure as non-deadly and a speed bump

Tony states that failure is not deadly; giving up is[0:00]
• He concludes a story by saying rejection and failure are just speed bumps on the way to success.

Anna's question

Anna asks how to deal with failures while keeping her mind fresh and positive[0:22]
• She wants to know how not to be dragged down mentally when things don't work.
Anna shares that she doubts herself when she feels she is losing time[0:32]
• She becomes sad when she has the feeling that she did not really make good use of the time.

Reframing failure and expectations

Delusion about what success looks like

Tony says people have a delusion that success means everything works as expected[1:04]
• He contrasts this with reality, where success usually involves many failed attempts.
Most successful people have failed far more than others[1:10]
• He says highly successful people have failed 10 times more than you, which allowed them to learn faster.
• They were willing to fail more often and did not store experiences as permanent failures.

Expectations as a source of pain

People suffer when they don't meet their own expectations about timing and results[1:23]
• He mentions the thought, "I'm supposed to do this by now," as a common internal pressure.
Tony reflects on overestimating yearly results and underestimating long-term achievements[1:41]
• Earlier in his career, he frequently overestimated what he would accomplish in a year and felt disappointed.
• He underestimated what he would do over a decade, two, three, and now four and a half decades.
• He identifies miscalibrated expectations as part of the problem with feeling like a failure.

Time mastery as a learned skill

Business skill analogy and statistics

Tony compares time management to business skills that many entrepreneurs lack[1:48]
• He describes his "business mastery" program with business owners from over 100 countries, ranging from billion-dollar companies to those just starting or at $100,000 gross.
• He observes that many people think they should just know how to run a business if they have passion, a product, and love for their customers, but they lack specific skills.
He shares business failure statistics to illustrate the need for skill[2:21]
• Half of businesses are gone in the first year.
• 80% are gone in five years.
• 96% of all businesses are gone in any 10-year period; only 4% make it, and that does not even guarantee profitability.
• He uses this to show that people mistakenly believe they should automatically know these skills.
Critique of traditional business school education[2:45]
• He says business schools give projections and projects, often taught by professors who have never built a business, which he calls crazy.

Time maximization as a specific skill

Tony identifies maximizing time as a skill he had to develop[2:54]
• In his early days, he felt overwhelmed and tried using to-do lists with A, B, and C priorities.
• After a few months, he realized he never completed his entire list, which made him feel like a failure.
Anna confirms she relates to feeling like a failure from unfinished to-do lists[3:15]
• When he asks if she can relate, she responds, "Yes, absolutely."

The power of questions in directing thinking

Thinking as asking and answering questions

Tony defines thinking as the process of asking and answering questions[3:20]
• He concludes that to get things done, he has to think in a certain way, which comes from changing the questions he asks.

Why "What do I have to do?" is the wrong primary question

He criticizes constantly asking "What do I have to do?" and maintaining huge to-do lists[3:35]
• He notes that if you keep asking what to do and maintain a to-do list as a productive person, you will likely feel stressed, especially with expanding responsibilities such as multiple companies.
He realized he needed a different primary question to feel productive[3:48]
• He decided he first needs to ask, "What do I really want?"
• He frames this as identifying the outcome or result, instead of just tasks.

Outcome-first thinking and the President Clinton example

Advising President Clinton during the impeachment crisis

Tony recounts a call from President Clinton about potential impeachment[4:01]
• Clinton told him, "They're going to impeach me in the morning. What should I do?"
• Tony jokes that his first thought was that Clinton should have called sooner.
He told Clinton he was asking the wrong question[4:12]
• Tony insists you cannot know what to do until you first ask what you want.
• Otherwise, you just react to what others throw at you, what you think you should do, your conditioning, or what seems urgent.
Clarifying Clinton's desired outcome[5:10]
• He asks whether Clinton wants simply to stay president, in which case Tony says he could do nothing because the Senate would not impeach him.
• He contrasts that with wanting moms and dads to tell their kids the president is incredible and a role model, which would require doing something different.

RPM: Results-Focused, Purpose-Driven Massive Action Plan

Definition and metaphor of RPM

Tony introduces RPM as a framework for time and life management[5:03]
• RPM stands for Results-Focused, Purpose-Driven, Massive Action Plan.
• He also calls it the Rapid Planning Method.
• He uses a car analogy: increasing RPMs gives more power to go from here to there faster.
He describes RPM as three core questions[5:03]
• He teaches RPM as a time management system whose basis is three questions.

Question 1: What do I really want? (Outcome)

He emphasizes starting with the desired outcome for a time period[5:14]
• He asks: What do I really want? What's the outcome? What's the result?
• He applies this to thinking about what he wants from the week, acknowledging there will be more than one outcome.
The "three to five to thrive" concept[5:15]
• He tries to identify the three to five most important things-the "three to five to thrive"-for the week, day, or month.
• He acknowledges many other things will show up, but focuses on those key outcomes.
• He asserts that clarity is power; when the brain knows exactly what it wants, it will figure things out.
• Most people instead ask what to do and just respond to whatever tasks are around or coming at them.

Question 2: Why do I want it? (Purpose)

He moves to the second RPM question: the reasons behind the outcome[5:40]
• He acknowledges this can sound simplistic, but insists the "why" is critical.
Example of being overwhelmed by messages[6:01]
• He recalls coming home in his early 20s, exhausted from travel before the era of email and social media.
• He faced a list of about 150 messages after a 12-13-hour trip from Australia and felt stressed seeing how long it would take to return them.
• He felt pressure because it was a to-do list without a clear outcome or purpose.
Purpose as the source of power[6:25]
• He states that purpose is where the power is.
• He contrasts a vague goal like "make a million dollars" with a purpose-driven version such as making a million dollars to send a son to Harvard, buy a home for a mother, or a truck for a father.
• He explains that when the reasons involve people who matter, the goal gains emotional force that supports follow-through.

Transforming the message list with outcomes and reasons

He shifts from a raw to-do list to outcome-focused thinking[6:57]
• On that message list were people like the President of the United States, a very famous actor he liked, and a beloved business partner.
• Initially, it was just "I have to call these people," which felt like an obligation.
• He reframed each call in terms of outcomes (e.g., support this person) and reasons (because they deserve it, because he loves them, etc.).
Finding more efficient actions once outcomes are clear[7:10]
• After clarifying outcomes and reasons, he noticed he could combine some calls, such as putting three people on a conference call.
• This allowed him to "knock off four at a time" toward his outcomes.

Question 3: What do I need to do? (Massive Action Plan)

He positions "how to get there" as the final question after outcome and purpose[7:30]
• He summarizes the sequence: What do I want (outcome)? Why do I want it (reasons)? Then, what do I need to do to get it done?
Creating a Massive Action Plan (MAP)[8:04]
• He creates what he calls a MAP-Massive Action Plan-by writing down anything he thinks he needs to do.
• He knows he will not do all of those items.
Applying the 80/20 rule to the action list[8:26]
• He looks at the list with the outcome clearly in mind and identifies that 20% of the items will give 80% of the result.
• He marks (asterisks) the 20% of actions he actually intends to do that day or week.
Staying focused despite interruptions[8:31]
• When his day gets interrupted, he is not trying to juggle 100 action items but returns to 5 or 6 key outcomes.
• He revisits the question: What am I after for today?
• He then chooses one of the 20% high-impact actions and does it, which moves him toward the outcome.

Jim Rohn's teaching on reasons and answers

Tony cites his teacher Jim Rohn on the primacy of reasons[7:50]
• He quotes Jim Rohn: "Reasons come first, answers come second."
• He argues that if you have strong enough reasons to do something, you can figure out how to do it.

Reframing failure as learning

Distinguishing failure from learning in the body and mind

Tony notes that nobody likes failure or wants to fail[8:53]
• He then suggests a shift: instead of failing, you learn.
He claims there's a big difference in your body between experiencing failure and experiencing learning[8:59]
• He sets up a story to illustrate this shift, saying he will tell a quick story.

Story of Peter Guber and the meaning of struggle

Introducing Peter Guber and his achievements

Tony introduces his friend and business partner Peter Guber[9:08]
• They are partners in various sports teams.
• He calls Peter a genius with 52 Academy Award nominations.
• Peter produced films such as "Midnight Express," "Batman," "Rain Man," and others.
• Peter has been head of studios like Sony, Columbia, and TriStar, and has his own studio.
• Peter owns the LA Dodgers and the Golden State Warriors; together they own the LAFC football club.
• Peter is also a part-time professor at UCLA because he wants to give back, and Tony calls him unbelievably accomplished.

Tony asks Peter about his persistence

Tony admires Peter's ability to never give up and to move forward even when things look dark[9:48]
• He notes that Peter remains persistent while others are freaking out, a trait Tony respects and shares to some extent.
Tony asks what experience shaped Peter's belief in persistence[9:52]
• He asks Peter what events in his life shaped the way he looks at life and gave him such persistence.

Peter's childhood story of the neighbor boy learning to ride a bike

Peter recalls being a little boy, around third or fourth grade[10:21]
• He lived in a small community in a two-story house with his bedroom upstairs.
• The neighbor across the street also had an upstairs bedroom, and Peter could sometimes see the neighbor boy.
Peter notices the neighbor boy is handicapped[10:26]
• Peter eventually realized the neighbor boy had real physical challenges and could barely walk.
The father pushes the boy to ride a bike[10:12]
• One day, Peter sees the father take the boy outside with a two-wheel bicycle fitted with two training wheels.
• The father tells his son to get on the bike, then gives him a shove and walks away.
• The boy crashes and ends up on the ground, and the father walks away while the boy is crying.
Peter initially sees the father as cruel[11:10]
• Peter feels furious and believes the father does not care about his son.
• He wants to run down to help, but his mother stops him and says not to interfere.
The boy struggles repeatedly over weeks[11:29]
• The boy spends about 15 minutes struggling on the ground to get up and re-mount the bike.
• Peter says this scene repeated every day for three weeks, which felt like a horror story to him as a child.
• He describes fighting with his mom, insisting that she had to do something to stop the father's behavior.

The breakthrough moment on the bike

One day, the pattern changes slightly in timing but not in structure[11:54]
• As on other days, the father takes the boy out, puts him on the bike, shoves him, and quickly goes inside, leaving the boy on his own.
The boy finally rides successfully[11:26]
• This time, the boy keeps going, gains momentum, and successfully turns the corner while riding.
• He looks back to see where his father is and notices him on the second story, cheering for his son.
• The father runs downstairs, picks his son up after he falls, and hugs him.
Peter has an emotional realization[12:17]
• Peter says he cried his eyes out watching this moment.
• He realizes the father loved his son precisely because he let him struggle, figure it out, and push through failure.

Beliefs Peter formed from the bike story

Peter concludes that failure is not deadly; giving up is[12:34]
• He interprets the father's lesson as teaching that failure is not lethal, but quitting is.
He reframes rejection and failure as speed bumps[12:44]
• Peter tells Tony that he learned rejection and failure are just speed bumps on the way to success.

Applying Peter's lesson to his career at Columbia Pictures

Peter becomes chairman at a young age

Peter becomes chairman of Columbia Pictures in his mid-30s[12:55]
• Tony estimates Peter was 34 or 35 when he became chairman.
• The previous chairman was 64, and the man everyone expected to be picked next was a well-liked war hero in his mid-50s.
• Instead, they chose the younger "punk" Peter because of his insights about VHS and video at the time.

Fear and the first failed film

Peter felt intense fear and pressure in the new role[13:09]
• He admits to Tony that he was "scared as shit" to fail, and some people were not rooting for him.
The first film he green-lighted was a disaster[13:23]
• At the premiere of his first green-lighted film, he says it was the worst film you could make.
• At the end of the film, there was no applause, and he could feel everyone looking at him.
• He tried to figure out how to get out of the venue without facing people.

Confrontation and sharing the bike story

The passed-over war hero confronts Peter after the failed premiere[13:54]
• The war hero who was expected to become CEO approaches Peter and asks, "Are you scared?"
Peter acknowledges his fear but commits to persistence[13:54]
• Peter takes a breath and tells him, "Yeah, I'm scared as shit. But... I'm going to push forward, and we're going to make some great films, and nothing is going to stop me."
• He adds that they will win as a studio, and that man can either join or antagonize him, but he wants him to understand what drives him.
Peter shares the childhood bike story to explain his mindset[14:11]
• He tells the war hero the story of the handicapped boy and his father to explain his belief that failure is just a speed bump.
• At the end of the story, the man has a tear in his eye.

Turning an opponent into a supporter and achieving success

The war hero becomes Peter's supporter[14:37]
• After hearing the story and Peter's conviction, the man turns from an opponent into a supporter.
Their collaboration helps make the studio number one[14:47]
• Together, they make many strong decisions.
• Peter learns from the war hero, egos get set aside, and their studio becomes number one.

Tony's closing perspective on failure, learning, and persistence

Failure as a speed bump and learning opportunity

Tony reaffirms that failure is a speed bump on the way to success[14:50]
• He says that if you convert failure into learning, there is no failure.
Believing things should work every time is the real problem[14:57]
• He defines failure as you thinking things should work every time, which is not how life works.

Tony's own relationship with failure and persistence

Tony claims he has failed at many things[15:00]
• He says that if people saw the number of things he has failed at, they would understand he is not some superstar.
He attributes his success to persistence and mission, not perfection[15:09]
• He describes himself as a persistent person who won't give up, driven by his mission and desire to serve.
• He notes that he has a lot of emotion inside, and he sees similar emotion in Anna.

Using emotion to move forward

Tony urges Anna to use her emotion constructively[15:14]
• He tells her to use her emotion to move forward instead of letting it move her back.

Closing interaction and audience acknowledgment

Anna confirms that Tony's guidance is helpful[15:18]
• When he asks if it is helpful, she answers, "Yes, absolutely."
Tony expresses appreciation and has the audience applaud Anna and the group[15:22]
• He thanks her warmly, says "Love to you," and then invites the audience to stand and give her, and everyone, recognition for another beautiful day.

Lessons Learned

Actionable insights and wisdom you can apply to your business, career, and personal life.

1

Redefine failure as learning rather than a final verdict: when you treat mistakes and setbacks as information and practice, they become speed bumps on the way to success instead of dead ends.

Reflection Questions:

  • • What recent setback could I explicitly reframe as a lesson, and what exactly did it teach me?
  • • How might my behavior change if I genuinely believed that failure is not deadly, but giving up is?
  • • What concrete action can I take this week to "get back up" in an area where I've been feeling like I failed?
2

Start with outcomes and reasons before actions: clarify what you really want and why it matters emotionally before you ask what to do, so your daily actions line up with meaningful results instead of just reacting to tasks.

Reflection Questions:

  • • Where in my life am I jumping straight into tasks without a clear outcome or compelling reason?
  • • How could clearly defining "three to five to thrive" for this week change what I focus on each day?
  • • What is one important area where I will write down a specific outcome and three strong reasons for wanting it?
3

Ask better questions to direct your thinking: because thinking is essentially asking and answering questions, upgrading your habitual questions (from "What do I have to do?" to "What do I really want and why?") reduces stress and increases effectiveness.

Reflection Questions:

  • • What disempowering questions do I tend to ask myself when I feel overwhelmed or behind?
  • • How would my emotional state shift if, in stressful moments, I replaced "What do I have to do?" with "What outcome do I want from this?"?
  • • What new default question can I commit to asking myself each morning to focus my mind on results instead of busyness?
4

Use the 80/20 principle to design a focused action plan: once your outcomes and reasons are clear, identify the small percentage of actions that will drive most of the results and concentrate on those instead of trying to do everything.

Reflection Questions:

  • • Looking at my current task list, which 20% of actions would likely create 80% of the progress toward my key goals?
  • • How can I build a daily habit of selecting and marking the few high-impact actions I will actually do?
  • • What is one overloaded project where I can pause, re-evaluate the outcome, and strip the plan down to the essential few steps?
5

Allow and even seek constructive struggle: like the father teaching his handicapped son to ride a bike, letting yourself (and others) wrestle with difficulty builds capability, resilience, and deep confidence.

Reflection Questions:

  • • Where am I rescuing myself or others too quickly instead of allowing the discomfort needed for growth?
  • • How might my long-term confidence change if I deliberately stick with one challenging situation instead of backing away?
  • • What is one current challenge where I will consciously choose to stay in the struggle and treat it as training rather than a sign to quit?
6

Anchor your drive in mission and service rather than ego: persistence becomes sustainable when it's fueled by a purpose bigger than your own comfort or image, making it easier to keep going through repeated setbacks.

Reflection Questions:

  • • In the area I care most about right now, what mission or contribution truly motivates me beyond personal success?
  • • How would my response to obstacles change if I saw them as tests of my commitment to serve, not judgments of my worth?
  • • What is one goal I can reframe explicitly in terms of who it will help and why that matters to me?

Episode Summary - Notes by Cameron

"Failure Is NOT THE END!" - Tony Robbins Full Intervention
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