The first episode of Breakthrough With Tony Robbins aired on NBC on July 27th. If you missed the episode you can watch it online at Tony Robbins Website.

Having read some of Tony’s books and listening to his audio programs I was very excited for the premiere of Breakthrough. By the way, Personal Power II is one of my favorite programs offered by Tony. I’ve adopted and implemented some awesome mindset strategies from that program, which have had a great impact on my life.

Maybe it’s because I’ve already been absorbed in Tony Robbins work that I felt a bit disappointed when the show was done. Frankly, I was expecting that it would be much better and really show some of Tony’s strategies in action.

I know that there is only so much that you can cram into one episode and that there must have been a significant amount of editing to fit it all into a 40 minute program, but in doing so, it appears to over-simplify the process that this first couple must have gone through.

The first task that Frank and Kristen had to go through was to skydive. Tony mentions the task, the couple looks scared, but they put their trust in Tony and next thing you know they are jumping out of a plane.

As a viewer, what we see is the excitement and the rush that this couple experiences by stepping outside of their comfort zone. We see the joy and sense of accomplishment that they experience and we see that glimpse of a BREAKTHROUGH!

This is indeed awesome. It was emotional to witness this breakthrough that Frank and Kristen had just experienced and it was a far cry from the life that they had been living.

What’s Missing?

But what the heck happened between “You’re going to skydive” to the time when they actually jumped out of the plane? To me, that’s where the magic occurs. That’s what I was hoping the show would be about. That’s why I feel a bit disappointed and let down.

I also have a concern about the show and how people are going to perceive these breakthroughs. I’m concerned that some people may think that in order to experience a breakthrough in their life it requires something ‘drastic’ like jumping out of a plane. If you are struggling to lose weight is the answer to jump out of a plane? Should you run with the bulls in Spain in order to adopt an active lifestyle?

A tactic like this does serve a purpose… but like I said, what happens in between? What are the action steps? Now I may be writing this prematurely because on Tony Robbins Website he is going to include a 20-30 minute video on some action steps for us, the viewers to follow in order to create our own breakthroughs. I’m looking forward to watching the action steps video from episode one later today.

The less aggressive task (yet still challenging) for Frank was to play in a murder ball game. What I liked about this is that it was broken down into some baby steps. There was a full week of introduction to the game and practice time before he played in an actual game. But again, there was just so much missing and I believe those missing parts are what people really need to see. What the program airs is inspiring, but there’s no real training to help the viewer. Hopefully we’ll get some great action steps to follow in the bonus videos.

I personally thought there was just too big of a jump from seeing Frank not able to exist without someone by his side and feeding him regularly, to watching him wheel himself down the road to the gym and go off on his own for a week.

Breakthrough with Tony Robbins is a nice introduction to Tony’s work and what’s possible. For some people I’m sure that it will have them craving Tony’s programs so they can learn the actions steps and strategies that he must have been practicing with the participants of the show. I’m sure that’s one of the big purposes of the show… to sell more of Tony’s programs… and there is nothing wrong with that.

Although I was a bit disappointed in Breakthrough with Tony Robbins, I will definitely continue watching the show because it is inspiring. I love seeing people step outside of their comfort zone and begin living the life that they deserve. I love seeing the emotion on their faces when they experience a breakthrough. I love seeing the light bulb go off in their head when they realize that they’ve been holding themselves back and that they have the power to push through and achieve their own personal greatness. I love seeing people overcome great obstacles and challenges while adopting an entirely new belief system that is way more empowering.

Now if only Tony would encourage people to watch the show while they ride a stationary bike, do some body weight intervals, or walk on a treadmill instead of adding to more couch time

These are my thoughts about Breakthrough with Tony Robbins… now I would love to hear what you think about the show. Share your thoughts, your likes and dislikes, what inspired you the most, and your takeaway’s.

I’ll end this post with my last two cents…

Giant leaps of faith and huge steps outside of your comfort zone are great, but I would much rather see you take smaller steps outside of your comfort zone on a consistent basis. Focus on progress. Focus on daily growth. Focus on becoming better today than you were yesterday in one small way. Some steps are going to be bigger than others, but all of them bring you one step closer to becoming the best you that you can be.

To achieving your limitless potential,

Scott Tousignant

PS If you are looking for a step by step process to help you break through your self limitations, overcome emotional eating, and instill new healthy and empowering beliefs, I highly recommend Program Yourself Thin, which was created by my buddy Jim Katsoulis. It’s outstanding!