My 7- and 6-year-old brothers, Anthony and Robin, were once again wreaking havoc in our home as they insisted that Fluffy, our cat, was an incarnation of some god and, thus, we need to give Fluffy all sort of offerings to appease him. Anthony and Robin were busy foraging for shoes, vegetables, Seline’s collection of DVDs, my Abnormal Psychology books, and dad’s golf clubs. Mom had enough when the boys began to throw away her collection of angel figurines, because the boys said the figurines were idolatrous.

“Anthony! Robin! Stop this nonsense or else no dessert for both of you!” my mom bellowed.

Anthony…Robin. There’s something about these names….

And then it hit me! The Internet article I read yesterday! It was about Anthony Robbins! What poked me to read that article was my astonishment of how Anthony Robbins, the co-star of Gwyneth Paltrow and Jack Black in my favorite romantic comedy, Shallow Hal, is now a best-selling self-help author and motivational speaker! Here are some of the highlights:

• Anthony “Tony” Robbins was born on February 29, 1960, in California. His parents divorced when he was 7 years old.

• In 1994, a medical checkup revealed that Anthony Robbins has an adenoma that became infarcted several years earlier. Because of this, his growth hormone is higher than the average adult of his age. This later on manifested in a disease called acromegaly which explains his growth spurts and his large hand and feet.

• Anthony Robbins divorced Becky, his wife of 15 years, in 2001. In June of the same year he married Bonnie Humphrey. Anthony Robbins met both his wives at seminars he was hosting.

• Anthony Robbins became determined to reroute his life after a low-point where he was struggling to pay his bills, became overweight, and ultimately LOST.

• Robbins did not only change his life but also developed a system to change the lives of others. His neuro-linguistic programming (NLP) is the core of his current philosophy. His popular motivational technique is “neuroassociative conditioning”.

• Anthony Robbins delivers his message through motivational books, audio programs, seminars, coaching and philanthropic work he and his companies engage in. “Unlimited Power: The New Science of Personal Achievement” and “Awaken the Giant Within” are popular self-help books where he teaches the reader techniques to gain success, overcome fear, improve relationships and be a catalyst for lasting change.

This is the gist of who Anthony Robbins is. And, at the state of the world today, we need more Anthony Robbins. That is, men who work to change their lives yet do not stop there, as they also work to help change the lives of others. Men like Anthony Robbins tell us that the decision to change our lives is ours alone. As what Anthony Robbins said, “The only limit to your impact is your imagination and commitment.”