The American dream involves success in one way or another. A successful person either has the home, the car, the family, the yard or some other measuring stick for how they think life should be. In order to achieve success, however, one must first know what will make them feel successful. Once they have that, they must then figure out how to reach that pinnacle. Though it sounds relatively simple, many Americans struggle with the concepts of goal-setting and achievement. For this, they have the option to turn to motivational speakers for training and development.

Many people and techniques can fall within the “motivational” category. It can be as involved as hypnotherapy and hypnosis, or as simple as sitting down and reading a book. Whatever the game plan, motivational speakers such as Anthony (Tony) Robbins, Zig Ziglar, Jack Canfield and Earl Nightingale have contributed their own thoughts on the best ways to form and achieve goals.

When you look at the teachings of these individuals as a group, there are many similarities to be seen. However, individually, there are some interesting contrasts that seem to separate the sensational from the commonsensical. Anthony Robbins and Jack Canfield celebrate extensive monetary and cultural success, along with personal drama such as divorce and family estrangement. Zig Ziglar and Earl Nightingale, however, experienced moderate success but appeared to maintain a healthy family life. The difference between these two groups: the latter infused their philosophies with Christianity, while the former did not.

Anthony Robbins has built a media empire on the foundation of ‘personal power,’ which he describes as the ability to take action. Anthony Robbins’ power theory is his explanation for why some people are successful and others are not; namely, that successful people who achieve greatness do so because they take action. Anthony Robbins’ personal power offerings include Anthony Robbins books and Anthony Robbins CD collections with titles such as, Unlimited Power: The New Science Of Personal Achievement and Awaken, The Giant Within. Live With Passion!, The Power To Shape Your Destiny. He has also explored neuro-linguistic programming (NLP) training as a method for teaching people how to duplicate the successes of others in their own lives.

Anthony Robbins showed his ability to take action when he chose to divorce his first wife, Becky Robbins, after nearly 15 years of marriage. In the same year his divorced was finalized, he married his second wife, Sage Robbins. After the fact, he developed a program called Ultimate Relationship Program, despite some negative feedback from fans and critics alike. When he spoke on Larry King Live, Anthony Robbins’ quotes on the topic included his reflection on loving vs. being loved:

“I think everyone wants to be loved, whether everyone wants to love is a part of emotional maturity.”

Jack Canfield, co-creator of the Chicken Soup for the Soul series of books, had his own personal challenges. Despite his ability to reach out and touch millions of people worldwide with messages of inspiration and hope, he found himself in two divorces and the subject of a book his son wrote which cast doubt on the legitimacy of “self-help” media. Though Canfield identifies himself as a Christian and incorporates spirituality into many of his texts, specific excerpts or quotations from the bible are not found.

Decades prior, Zig Ziglar and Earl Nightingale laid down the foundation for motivational speaking with noteworthy titles such as Ziglar’s See You at the Top and Nightingale’s, The Strangest Secret. In both cases, examples or citations were taken from the Bible and infused into their text somehow, seeming to indicate the importance of Christian text to their motivational endeavors. Likewise, both gentlemen remain with their first wives.

Is the Bible required for a motivational speaker to maintain success in his professional and personal life? The hard evidence isn’t in this text, but it’s something to consider.

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