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Mike Robbins

Mike Robbins is an expert in success, teamwork, and the power of appreciation. As a former professional baseball player and Internet advertising sales executive, as well as a life-long student of personal development, Mike brings a varied and impressive background to the clients with whom he works. Through his keynotes, seminars, writing, and consulting, Mike empowers individuals, teams, and organizations to be more productive, appreciative, and successful. He is the author of the audio program, The Power of Appreciation, a contributing author of Chicken Soup for the Single Parent’s Soul, and the author of the new best selling book, Focus on the Good Stuff (Hardcover, Jossey-Bass/Wiley). Mike has been featured in Forbes, on the Oprah and Friends radio network, and on NBC. He is a member of the National Speakers Association (NSA) and is a Certified Speaking Professional (CSP), NSA’s highest earned designation. Mike lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with his wife Michelle and their young daughters Samantha and Annarose. Visit http://www.focusonthegoodstuff.com/ for additional information.

 Articles by this Author

The Art of Allowing

A few months ago I got some specific feedback that it would serve me, my work, and my growth to start practicing the art of allowing in a more conscious and deliberate way. While I was familiar with the concept of allowing, I realized I had very little awareness or experience of it in actual practice.

The Magic of the Olympics

The Winter Olympics in Vancouver have captured the attention of the world. Having been a live spectator at both the Atlanta and Sydney Summer Games, I've experienced first-hand the true spirit of the Olympics - which has been on display these past two weeks in Vancouver in a beautiful way.

It's Not the Circumstances, It's Us

The circumstances of our lives, especially when they seem stressful or intense (as is the case for many people I know and work with these days) do have an impact on us, for sure. However, all too often we give away our power to these circumstances and situations.

The Triangle of Truth

I have a love-hate relationship to conflict. I love it when things “work out,” but hate it when they don't. My fear of things not working out, of people's feelings getting hurt, or of me losing something important are usually high on my list of justifications for not saying certain things, not engaging in the conflict at all, or selling out on my deepest truth even in the midst of it.

Creating the New Year with Intention

As we embark on another new year of life, I find myself experiencing a mixture of emotions about 2010. I'm excited about the possibilities of this New Year and inspired by the energy of creation that exists at this special time. Similar to last week, there is a magical quality to this first week of the New Year that I always appreciate.

The Power of Gratitude

I've been speaking and writing about gratitude for almost ten years now – and I'm still amazed at how challenging it can be for me to focus on what I'm grateful for at times (especially when I'm feeling sorry for myself or complaining). I'm also blown away by how powerful and transformative gratitude is when we choose to pay attention to it, experience it, and express it.

The Best Gift of All

During one of her shows a few years back, Oprah Winfrey made a profound and beautiful statement that I appreciated very much. She said, “We do shows about lots of ‘stuff' and my ‘favorite things,' but what people want more than anything else is to know that they're appreciated...that's the best gift of all.”

Love Your Body, Love Your Life

As you think about and talk about your honest relationship to your body and your appearance, be kind to yourself. Many of us have a lifetime filled with negative thoughts, feelings, and beliefs about ourselves physically. And, as we're able to forgive ourselves, accept ourselves, and get real about this, we give ourselves access to transforming our relationship to our body and our life in a profound and positive way!

Go Deep

For quite some time I’ve had a self righteous judgment that most people in our culture are way too shallow. I find myself regularly annoyed at what I consider to be a lack of depth around me – in the media, in politics, in business, in my industry, and even in my family and many of my personal relationships. As is often the case with most of our self righteous opinions, however, this judgment (as has become crystal clear to me recently) is really all about me and my own lack of depth, not about everyone else.

Be, Do, Have

Most of us think we need to "have" a certain thing or set of things (more money, love, time, experience, etc.), so that we can finally "do" something important (pursue our passion, start a business, go on vacation, create a relationship, buy a home, etc.), which will then allow us to "be" what we truly want in life (peaceful, fulfilled, inspired, generous, in love, etc.). In actuality, it works the other way around.

It's Okay to Do It Wrong

I got an email a few months back from a woman on my ezine list who shared a great saying that she loves – “If it's worth doing, it's even worth doing wrong.” I laughed out loud when I got it and have been thinking about it ever since. What a great message.

Let's Tell the Truth about Lying

“Lie” is a pretty harsh word that most of us have strong reactions to. I've been thinking a lot about lying recently especially since Congressman Joe Wilson yelled out “You lie” to President Obama a few weeks ago when the President was speaking to a joint session of Congress and to the nation about health care reform.

The Power of Not Knowing

Why are we so obsessed with knowing everything? While there’s nothing wrong with knowledge, learning, and understanding – our insatiable desire to know and control stuff often gets in our way of trying new things, going for it, and being at peace in life.

The Gifts of Judgment

If you're anything like me and so many of the people I know, probably all the time. Most of us are incredibly judgmental, whether or not we admit it. I've been quite aware of my own judgmental tendency for much of my life. While it does seem to ebb and flow based on my own level of confidence, inner peace, and fulfillment and I continue to work on being less judgmental, in the past few weeks I've been confronted by how pervasive it is in my relationships and my life.

Get Honest Feedback

How do you feel about people giving you really honest feedback? If you're anything like me, you may both love and hate it at the same time. Most of us want the honest feedback of those around us, yet at the same time we're often scared about what people might say – especially if it could hurt our feelings, ruffle our feathers, or leave us feeling insecure, vulnerable, or embarrassed.

The Elephant in the Room

Have you noticed that there's often an “elephant in the room” and most of the time we don't acknowledge it. Like many people, I get scared to bring it up at times. However, when the elephant is brought up, by me or someone else, even if it's a little awkward or uncomfortable at first, it always feels better and creates a sense of peace, liberation, and authenticity for everyone involved.

Trust Yourself

For most of us, myself included, self-trust is tough. We have a tendency to second-guess ourselves, not listen to our gut, or hang onto negative memories from the past when we've made mistakes or “bad” decisions. These things and others make it difficult for us to trust ourselves and thus create challenges in our relationships, our work, and our lives.

Be Real Not Right

On our journey of growth, fulfillment, and authenticity, one of the best things we can do when we notice ourselves focusing on being “right,” is to take a step back, take a deep breath, and ask ourselves, “what's real?” When we look within, there's always something much deeper going on when we want to be right.

Know Yourself

How well do you know yourself, I mean really know yourself? An essential aspect of our journey to live a more authentic, meaningful, and fulfilling life, is to know who we truly are at the deepest level. Knowing ourselves, like being authentic itself, is a life-long process. The more deliberate we are about this, however, the more we can grow and evolve consciously.

We Teach Best What We Most Need to Learn

So often the advice we give to others is the exact advice we need ourselves. It’s ironic that we sometimes don’t recognize this in the moment (or at all) and also sad that we don’t give ourselves permission to listen to our own good advice. Too often, we hold ourselves to some ridiculous standard of “perfection” (which no one ever attains) or we’re too self-conscious to admit we struggle with some of the very same things we advise others to do.

Accepting What Is

Even though it can be scary and counter intuitive, acceptance is the first step in transformation. It’s very difficult and quite stressful (as I know from a lifetime of experience) to try to change things from a place of non-acceptance. Acceptance is not resignation or agreement; it is simply telling the truth and allowing things to be as they are.

Yes We Can!

These three words, “yes we can,” became the mantra for Barack Obama's successful presidential campaign. Whether you voted for, support, or agree with President Obama or not, these three words are powerful and important for each of us in our lives, especially in the face of the challenges that many of us are facing these days.

Appreciation

With the holiday season now in full swing, it's easy for us to get caught up in the stress of getting everything on our “list” crossed off, preparing for parties and events, and rushing around to buy gifts. And, with money tight for some this year, there's added stress for many of us as we think about what to get for our family members, friends, co-workers, and others. Instead of just giving "stuff" for the holidays, what if we gave the people in our life the best gift of all; our appreciation?

Stay Positive in the Midst of Adversity

At this moment, even though it may be difficult, it's important that we stay positive for the well being of our families, companies, relationships, communities, and especially for our own peace of mind. But, given all that has been going on recently, how can we stay positive genuine way?

Being in Awe of Life

The birth of our new baby girl, Annarose, reminded me in a profound way of the miracle of life. What a magical, remarkable, and breathtaking experience it is to witness and participate in the birth of another human being. As I have had a few weeks to digest this a bit, to connect with my beautiful new daughter and my family, and to experience the range of emotions that often accompany a life-altering event like this, I've been reminded of so many aspects of life that are truly miraculous.

Appreciating Challenges

By learning to appreciate our challenges and see the opportunities in them, we take our power back from the situations and circumstances of our lives. Our ability to appreciate difficulties, learn from them, and use them to our advantage, gives us an important insight into who we really are and how to create success and fulfillment in a conscious and deliberate way.

Find the Gold

People who are able to find the gold in difficult people and situations, not only are more likely to be successful and fulfilled in life, they are also the kind of people who can lead, inspire, and make the biggest difference for others. When we are able to find things to appreciate, even and especially when things don't look so good on the surface, we're able to rise above the "drama" of life and empower ourselves and others in a genuine way.

Slow Down

Slow Down and Enjoy the Ride

Do you ever feel like you're rushing around so fast or trying so hard to get to some destination in the future that you're missing out on some really important things in the process? I know I do. In our pursuit of "success," we often forget to stop, notice, and appreciate what's happening right NOW.

Talk About the Good Stuff

Have you ever noticed that much of what we talk about with others isn't all that inspiring or positive? Even the most positive people I know will admit they spend more time than they’d like to admit talking about, listening to, or engaging in conversations about “bad stuff.” I challenge you to upgrade your conversations. Pay close attention to what you say. See if you can talk more about the good stuff, express your gratitude and appreciation for others and life, and look at what’s right more often than what’s wrong.

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