The ultimate solution

What do you suppose is the one common element in all the problems facing us today as a nation and as a world? From soaring numbers of homeless people to escalating crime rates to huge budget deficits to the slow strangulation of our ecosystem, the answer is that every single one of these problems was caused or set in motion by human behavior. Therefore, the solution to every one of these problems is to change our behavior. (This requires changing the way we evaluate or make decisions, which is what this entire book is about.) We don't have a drug problem; we have a behavior problem. Teenage pregnancy is not the result of a virus. It is the consequence of specific behavior. Gang warfare is a behavioral problem. Even nuclear war is ultimately a behavioral problem! Our decisions built the bombs, and our decisions will eliminate them. All of these problems are the result of actions that people have chosen to take.

For example, when an individual becomes a gang member, that single decision sets in motion a whole series of behaviors and problems. With this new gang identity, he will hold himself to a very specific code of behavior which places utmost value on such things as loyalty to the group, and out of that flows a whole system of characteristic rules and behaviors. A global example of the long-term effects of our decisions is the chronic famines and food shortages that take the lives of so many around the world. The World Health Organization has proven that it is possible to feed every man, woman, and child on this earth, yet every day, 40, 000 children die of starvation. Why? Obviously we have the resources, but something has gone terribly awry, not only with the way food is distributed, but with the way our resources are used.

What's great about all of this? The good news is that once we realize that the root of all problems is behavior (and the decision-making process we use to initiate it), then we know that we are the ones who can change it! As you've learned in this book, the one thing we have absolute control over is our internal world—we decide what things mean and what to do about them —and as a result of our decisions, we take actions that impact our external environment. There are actions each and every one of us can take in our own homes, our own businesses, and our own communities that will initiate a chain of specific positive consequences. With our actions, we communicate our most deeply held values and beliefs, and through the global influence of our mass media, even the simplest actions we take have the power to influence and move people of all nations.

While this sounds encouraging for the human race, you may be asking yourself, " What can one person do to truly make a difference in the world? " Virtually anything.' The only limit to your impact is your imagination and commitment. The history of the world is simply the chronicle of what has happened because of the deeds of a small number of ordinary people who had extraordinary levels of commitment to making a difference. These individuals did little things extraordinarily well. They decided that something must change, that they must be the ones to do it, and that they could do it—and then they summoned the courage to persist until they found a way to make it work. These are the men and women we call heroes.

I believe that you and I—and everyone we'll ever meet—has the inborn capacity to be heroic, to take daring, courageous, and noble steps to make life better for others, even when in the short term it seems to be at our own expense. The capacity to do the right thing, to dare to take a stand and make a difference, is within you now. The question is: When the moment arrives, will you remember you're a hero and selflessly respond in support of those in need?

" It was involuntary; they sank my boat."

JOHN F. KENNEDY, when asked how he'd become a hero

So many people want to avoid any hint of a problem or challenge, yet surmounting difficulty is the crucible that forms character. Many people don't discover their heroic nature until a major difficulty or life-threatening situation occurs and they must rise to the occasion because there is no other choice. The next time you find yourself in a tough spot, decide to make a difference in that situation and take action, no matter how small it seems at the time. Who knows what consequences you will set in motion? Identify yourself as a hero so that you can act as one.

Many people look at a person like Mother Teresa and assume that she was born to heroism. They claim that she's just an incredibly spiritual woman and that she's always been set apart by her commitment and selfless contribution to the poor. While it is true that she is a woman of extraordinary courage and compassion, it is also true that Mother Teresa had some crucial moments that defined her role as one of the great contributors of our time. Mother Teresa did not set out to help the poor. In fact, for over twenty years she taught the wealthiest children in Calcutta, India. Every day she overlooked the impoverished slums that surrounded the well-to-do neighborhood in which she worked, never venturing outside her tiny sphere of influence.

One night, as she was walking down the street, she heard a woman

crying out for help. It was in the moment that this dying woman fell into

her arms that Mother Teresa's life changed forever.

Realizing the seriousness of the woman's condition, Mother rushed

her to the hospital, where she was told to sit and wait. She knew the

woman would die without immediate attention, so she took her to an-

other hospital. Again, she was told to wait; the woman's social caste made

her less important than the others being treated. Finally, in desperation,

Mother Teresa took the woman home. Later that night, she died in the

comfort of Mother Teresa's loving arms.

Mother Teresa's " defining moment" had transpired: the moment

when she decided that (his would never happen again to anyone within her

reach. From that moment on she decided that she would devote her life

to easing the pain of those who suffered around her and that, whether

they lived or died, they would do so with dignity. She would personally

do everything in her power to see that they would be treated better than

they had ever been treated their entire lives, with the love and respect

that all people deserve.

" Let the word go forth from this time and place, to

friend and foe alike, that the torch has been passed

to a new generation of Americans, bom in this

century, tempered by war, disciplined by a hard and

bitter peace, proud of our ancient heritage, and

unwilling to witness or permit the slow undoing of

The Ultimate Challenge: What One Person Can Do 491

those human rights to which this nation has always

been committed, and to which we are committed

today, at home, and around the world.

Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or

ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden,

meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any

foe, to assure the survival and the success of liberty."

—JOHN F. KENNEDY

Many people today seem to shy away from the very idea of being a hero,

perhaps avoiding the responsibility they feel it would entail. Besides,

aren't such aspirations egotistical? Isn't all heroism false anyway? After

all, no one's perfect. Today we live in a society where we not only

overlook potential heroes, but we denigrate the ones we have. With

morbid fascination, we scrutinize their private lives, digging for some

chink in their armor, and eventually we find it—or fabricate one. In every

campaign race, people complain about the caliber of the candidates, yet

they systematically pursue evidence of even the slightest indiscretions of

a candidate's past behavior, even to the extent of focusing on the fact that

a potential Supreme Court Justice once smoked a marijuana cigarette

decades ago!

If we held the great heroes of our past to the same unbending criteria

by which we judge our present-day heroes, we wouldn't have any heroes'

The Kennedys and the Kings would have had difficulty withstanding

today's tabloid mentality. It seems that we're so afraid of being let down

that we try to find something wrong to begin with—just so we're not

disappointed later. As long as we operate from the frame that all heroes

have feet of clay, then clearly we must believe that there is something

wrong with all of us, that none of us has what it takes or is " good enough"

to be a hero.

How do I define a hero? A hero is a person who courageously

contributes under even the most trying circumstances; a hero is an

individual who acts unselfishly and who demands more from himself

or herself than others would expect; a hero is a man or woman who

defies adversity by doing what he or she believes is right in spite of

fear. A hero moves beyond the " common sense" of the promoters of the

status quo. A hero is anyone who aims to contribute, anyone who is

willing to set an example, anyone who lives by the truth of his or her

convictions. A hero develops strategies to assure his outcome, and per-

sists until it becomes a reality, changing his approach as necessary and

understanding the importance of small actions consistently taken. A hero

is not someone who is " perfect, " because none of us is perfect. We all

make mistakes, but that doesn't invalidate the contributions we make in

the course of our lives. Perfection is not heroism; humanity is.

THE CHALLENGE OF HOMELESSNESS

Knowing that within each of us flickers the spark of heroism, just waiting

to be fanned into a mighty flame, how can we tackle a giant social issue

such as the plight of our country's homeless population? The first key to

changing this situation is to hold ourselves to a higher standard. We

must decide that, as the richest country on earth, we are no longer willing

to settle for having so many of our men, women, and children cast out on

the streets like human refuse.

What percentage of our population is homeless? At this writing the

results of the 1990 census on the homeless have not been fully tabulated.

In fact, by the very nature of homelessness—the people involved have no, |

address—exact figures are difficult to obtain. The most commonly cited

statistics estimate that at least 3 million of our citizens are homeless, or

roughly one in every 100 people live on the streets or in shelters.*

The second key to addressing this problem is to change our beliefs.

We must stop believing that these problems are a permanent malaise

pervading our country and that there is nothing that any individual can

do to truly make a difference. The way to break free of learned helpless-

ness is to adopt the belief that, as an individual, you can make a differ-

ence, and that in fact all great reform movements have been carried out

by committed individuals;

Another belief we must change is that the homeless are in their

current situation because they are all " mentally deranged." Again, statis-

tics cannot be precise, but it is estimated that between 16 percent and 22

percent of the homeless suffer some form of mental illness.f In order to

really help these people, we must break through our stereotypes. Gen-

eralizing about the homeless does not empower us to help them, and

beyond a shadow of a doubt, many can be helped.

What causes homelessness in the first place? Besides the already-

mentioned mental illness, other reasons commonly cited include the spi-

raling cost of housing coupled with diminishing income, drug or alcohol

abuse, and the breakdown of the traditional American family. The truth is

* Snyder, Mitch, and Mary Ellen Hombs, " Homelessness Is Serious, " David L Bender, ed.. The

Homeless: Opposing Viewpoints, Greenhaven Press, © 1990.

t Ibid.

The Ultimate Challenge: What One Person Can Do

that all of these are legitimate reasons. Yet underlying them all are belief

systems. After all, there are plenty of people who have also survived the

ravages of drug and alcohol abuse, who have lost their homes or can't even

earn enough to pay the rent, and who have never experienced a stable

family life—yet these people never became homeless.

What's the difference? It all comes down to the basic beliefs, val-

ues, and identity of each individual. Many who are on the streets may

see themselves as " homeless" people; but others may see themselves as

being " temporarily without a home." Thus they pursue solutions and will

find a way back into the traditional lifestyle. To create long-term change

for a homeless individual, there must be a change in identity. This is

the only way to produce a consistent change in their behavior.

Since 1984, 1 have worked with homeless organizations in the South

Bronx, Brooklyn, Hawaii, and San Diego, assisting people in making the

transformation from " homeless person" to " societal contributor." Each

year in my Mastery programs, participants spend an evening with several

homeless people to facilitate change and help them turn their lives

around. The results of these one-hour interactions are often astounding.

One terrific example of this is a young man named T. J. We first met

him two years ago, when we brought him in off the street and invited him

to have dinner with us if he'd share a little bit of his life story. At the time,

he says, he was " high as a kite." He had been living on the street for over

ten years, addicted to cocaine, methadone, and amphetamines. After

spending a mere hour with him, the seminar participants I had trained

were able to help him make huge shifts in his beliefs and assist him in

developing strategies to support his new identity.

Today, T. J. is not only off the street and off drugs, but he is also a

major contributor to society—he is a fireman in Texas. In fact, for the last

two years he has returned to our program to help us recruit and assist

others who are in the same position he was in only a couple of years ago.

In interviewing homeless people, I've found that many of them are

just like T. J. They have drug or alcohol problems, or they have lost their

homes and don't know how to cope with the situation. Most of their

challenges are not unlike many other people's. They have neuro-

associations that limit them; they have values that preclude a change;

some of their rules keep them from moving forward; their identity ties

them to their limiting circumstances. Since freedom tends to be one of

their highest values, they feel happy in spite of their dissatisfaction with

their physical environment. After all, they don't have to play by society's

rules, and they avoid the pressures they associate with those rules. Be-

sides, they've built up a whole community of friends, and they often see

themselves as being " strong" because they survive by their wits. Often

they think it builds character. I've even met people who used to be

homeless and now have homes, yet they spend time in shelters because

they still identify so completely with their homeless persona.

Through our friendship and caring, you and I can be the bridge

between the harsh reality of homelessness and the challenge of personal

responsibility that rejoining society requires. We all act upon what we

feel is compelling. What would happen if you cultivated a friendship

with a homeless person and offered this individual some new reference

experiences, like a visit to the spa or the theater? New references provide

the fabric for new beliefs and new identities. Remember, small efforts can

make a big difference.

THE CHALLENGES FACING OUR PRISON

SYSTEM

We have equally disturbing challenges in our prisons. It doesn't take a

genius to see that our current incarceration system is ineffective, with a

recidivism rate of 82 percent. Of all federal and state inmates in 1986, 60

percent had been in prison two or more times, 45 percent three or more

times, and 20 percent six or more times.*

In the last five years, our prison population has swollen in size,

creating the stresses that come with massive overcrowding. To relieve the

pressure, many inmates are abruptly released with $200 in their pockets,

sent away from a system they hate yet have learned to rely upon for a

sense of certainty and security.

Clearly they have not learned how to change their system of decision

making. Living in an environment where you must pay someone just so

you won't be physically harmed or sexually abused, where you must steal

or join a gang to survive, does not enhance your view of yourself or your

world. Inmates are driven to maintain their criminal identity in order to

survive in the prison society, where acknowledgment and prestige are

earned by a savage set of rules.

As one ex-convict shared with me, " As soon as I was released, I

started thinking about going back. After all, I knew no one on the

outside. In the joint I had respect. I had guys that would kill for me. On

the outside, I was just a worthless ex-con." Sent out into a world where

they know no one, thinking that they have no way to control their own

environment, these men and women often do things—consciously or

unconsciously—to ensure return to their " home."

* Wright, John W., ed.. The Universal Almanac, Andrews and McMeel, ® 1989.

The Ultimate Challenge: What One Person Can Do

Can this cycle of criminality be interrupted? Of course it can—if

there is enough pain linked to being in prison, and enough pleasure

to being outside of it. If we could train people effectively, the combi-

nation of these factors would be amazing. Recently, I interviewed a man

who had just been released after serving eight years for attempted mur-

der. When I asked him if he'd shoot someone again, he smiled and said,

" In a heartbeat—if anyone tried to take my drugs." I asked, " Don't you

want to avoid going back to prison? " He said, " No! Prison's not so bad.

There, I didn't have to worry about my next meal. And I got to watch TV.

And I really had things wired; I knew how to deal with all the other guys,

so I never really had to worry." Prison is not a deterrent to his sociopathic

behavior. He simply doesn't associate pain to incarceration.

Now contrast this with the experiences of Frank Abagnale, author of

the book Catch Me If You Can. He is world famous for his antics as " the

great imposter, " traveling around the world posing as a Pan Am airline

pilot, a hospital administrator, an aide to the attorney general of Loui-

siana, among other guises, and conning people out of millions of dollars.

Today, Frank is one of the foremost experts in bank security systems and

a contributor to his community.

What turned him around? Pain. As the result of one of his escapades,

he was arrested and incarcerated in a French prison. No one threatened

him with physical or sexual abuse, but the pain was incredibly intense.

First, he spent his entire sentence in a dark cell and totally isolated from

all contact with the outside world: no television, no newspapers, no

radio, no conversation with other inmates or guards. Second, they gave

him absolutely no idea when he'd be released. He didn't have a clue whether

he'd be held there for sixty days or sixty years.

The pain of not knowing—the sense of uncertainty—was the severest

form of punishment imaginable, and Frank linked so much pain to this

" hell on earth" that he vowed he'd never return. And you know what?

He's not alone. Not surprisingly, French prisons have a recidivism rate of

1 percent and spend about $200 on each prisoner annually (an even

more astounding figure when you consider that Americans spend about

$30, 000 a year on our prisoners, and perpetuate an 82 percent recidi-

vism rate!).

Am I suggesting that we duplicate the French penal system? No, all

I'm saying is that the system we have in place is obviously not working

and that it's time to try something else. We must provide our prisoners

with an environment in which they don't have to constantly worry about being beaten or attacked by cellmates, yet at the same time we cannot make prison the home they never had. I'm suggesting that prison terms should be undesirable—uncomfortable—and that during a

prison term, people should be shown ways to make the outside world

an experience that they can be in control of, one of pleasure and pos-

sibility, so that when they're released, it's something they pursue rather

than fear. They must link pain to being in prison, and pleasure to

changing. Otherwise, the behavior that landed them in jail will never

be modified long-term.

Above all, a prisoner must know that someone cares about him and

is committed to offering him strategies that will steer his life in a new

direction. Not all prisoners are ready for change, but those who are

clearly deserve our support.

" While there is a lower class I am in it; while there

is a criminal element I am of it; while there is a soul

in prison, I am not free."

—EUGENE VICTOR DEBS

What can you do? One simple yet profound action would be to commit

once a month to visiting a prisoner who has truly decided to change

the quality of his life. Become a loving, supportive friend and show

him or her the choices available. I'll never forget the relationship I de-

veloped as a result of volunteering to visit with an inmate of the Chino,

California prison. Through my assistance and encouragement, he began

running up to three miles a day, reading inspirational and instructional

books, and beginning the transition from " prisoner" to " valued person."

When he was released two years later, the sense of connection and

contribution we shared was one of the more rewarding experiences of

my life.

THE CHALLENGE OF GANG VIOLENCE

While adult crime is a demanding problem indeed, we also need to

address the question of how we can stem the flow of our youth into

the juvenile penal system. What about the senseless murders that are

being committed every day by young gang members in the inner cities?

The unrelenting savagery of two gangs that originated in Los Angeles

and then spread across the nation—the Crips and the Bloods—has

taken an unfathomable toll on the cities in which they live, and most

of us are at a loss as to how to address this frightening problem. I'm

certain, however, that one of the first things that must happen is to

get gang members to rethink their rules. Remember, all of our actions

The Ultimate Challenge: What One Person Can Do 497

stem from our core beliefs about what we must and must never do

or be.

I recently read a Rolling Stone article excerpting a book focusing on

the day-to-day life of gang members.* This " slice of life" details a gang

class held at a juvenile hall called Camp Kilpatrick. When the students

(gang members) were asked why they would kill someone, they rapidly

fired off a list of thirty-seven reasons. These are a few of those I found

most shocking: if someone loofes at me funny, if someone asks me where

I'm /rom, /or a nickel, if someone walks /unny, if someone touches my food

(for example, takes a french fry), for fun, if someone gives me a bad hair-

cut.

With such aberrant rules—rules that almost no one else in the so-

ciety shares—it is no surprise how volatile these young men and

women are. They have more reasons to kill than virtually anyone, and

thus they act in accordance with their rules. What was encouraging to

me, though, was to see that the facilitator understood the power of

questions to weaken even the most strongly held beliefs. He asked,

" For which of these things would you be willing to die? " In other

words, if you knew that by killing someone for a bad haircut you

would also die, would you still do it?

By asking this question, he got them to reevaluate their rules and to

reconsider the importance of those things for which they'd previously

been willing to murder. By the time he was done with this questioning

process, these gang members had radically changed their rules. Instead of family, and for association (gang). The latter remained only because one

young man persisted in believing that this was perhaps the most impor-

tant thing in his life. Whenever any of the other kids tried to dissuade

him, he simply insisted, " Y'all don't know me." His identity was a con-

viction, one so tied to his gang that surrendering it would mean surren-

dering his whole sense of self—probably the only thing constant in this

young man's life.

By pursuing this method of asking and answering questions, this

" school" is getting through to many of the kids who take the course. It is

weakening the reference legs of destructive beliefs until these kids no

longer feel certain about them. Remember, all behaviors can be

changed by changing beliefs, values, rules, and identity. Obviously

the conditions that produce the gangs in the first place need to be

addressed—ultimately, this too can be handled through modifying be-

havior at the level where it counts, case by case.

· King, Leon, " Do or Die, " Rolling Stone, September 1991.

THE CHALLENGES FACING OUR

ENVIRONMENT

The environment is no longer just a rallying cause for the counterculture,

but has come to the forefront as a major national and international

concern. After four of the hottest consecutive years ever recorded in

history, people have become extremely concerned about global

warming—the phenomenon caused by excess carbon dioxide that is

trapped by the ozone layer, resulting in rising temperatures. What are the

major sources? One of them is the fluorocarbons found in air condition-

ers and spray bottles. Another major source of the global-warming effect

is the wanton destruction and burning of our Central and South Amer-

ican rainforests. Rainforests account for an astounding 80 percent of

the earth's vegetation, and are critical to our ecosystem.*

Trees absorb the toxic gases of excess carbon dioxide that we release

into the atmosphere, and convert it to breathable oxygen. Trees are our

ultimate rejuvenators: without them, life on earth as we know it

could not exist. Rainforest trees also provide an environment for the

largest diversity of animal and insect species in the world. By burning

our rainforests, not only do we destroy the oxygen-producing vege-

tation and the environment in which the animals and plants live, but

we release huge amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere'and

hasten the deleterious global-warming effect.

With all their importance, why are the rainforests being cleared so

relentlessly? The answer is a simple matter of pain and pleasure: eco-

nomics. Huge tax breaks have been given in these countries as incentives

for ranchers to clear the land. Is it to make room for more housing? Of

course not. It's to clear grazing land for cattle to be exported as beef to the

United States. This nation imports 10 percent of its beef from Central and

South America.f In order to meet this need, rainforests are being elim-

inated at a pace of one acre every five seconds.^

The inefficiency of the use of this land for grazing is one of the most

destructive, short-term decisions that man can make. We're bulldozing

the source of our survival. Do you realize that every time you buy a

quarter-pound hamburger using rainforest beef, it represents the destruc-

tion of fifty-five square feet of tropical rainforest? ** Once destroyed, it

can never be replaced. Further, the current rate of species extinction is

* Robbins, John, Diet/or a New America.

t " Acres, USA, " vol 15 #6, June 1985, cited in J. Robbins.

f Robbins, John, Diet for a New America.

•• " The Fate of Our Planet, " Robbins Research Report, Fall 1990, Robbins Research International,

Inc. © 1991.

The Ultimate Challenge; What One Person Can Do

1, 000 per year due to the destruction of the rainforests—an unimaginable

assault on our ecosystem.

What's the point of it all? It's solely for the purpose of cycling more

meat through our bodies, which medical science has already established

is directly related to the top killers in this nation: heart disease and

cancer. The shocking statistic is that one out of two Americans dies of

some form of heart disease—Russian roulette gives you better odds of

survival than following the standard American diet! Ultimately, we can-

not destroy the external environment without destroying our own

internal environment.

Do you want to stop the destruction of our rainforests? Do you want

to help restore the delicate balance of our ecosystem? In addition to

sending your financial support to environmental organizations like

Greenpeace, the most powerful thing you can do is to link pain to any of

your personal behaviors that perpetuate the ill use of our planet. Clearly,

one step would be to reduce or eliminate your consumption of ham-

burger meat. A boycott worked with the tuna industry, and it can work

here as well. We're not just talking about dollars and cents. The earth

itself is at stake. Know that the decisions you make about what to put

on your dinner plate determine, in a small yet undeniable way, such

things as how much carbon dioxide is released into our atmosphere

and how many plant and animal species will die each day.

Now let's look at the impact of your dietary decisions on a local level.

Perhaps you live in a state, like I do, that is experiencing a severe water

shortage. In fact, it's been said that in the twenty-first century water will

be the gold of the future, one of our most valuable and scarce resources.

How can this be true, on a planet that is predominantly covered with

water? The reason can be found in our incredibly poor management of

this vital resource. Specifically, it's related to the meat industry. Consider

this: the amount of water that is used to raise one single steer is

enough to float an American destroyer! * In California, we're all work-

ing hard to conserve water, taking steps such as not watering our lawns

and installing flow restrictors in our toilets and shower heads. All of these

actions are important, but did you know that it takes 5, 214 gallons of

water to produce one pound of California beef? f This means that you

can save more water by not eating one pound of beef than you could

by skipping showers for an entire year! ^ According to Comell econ-

omist David Fields and his associate Robin Hur, " Every dollar that state

* " The Browning of America, " Newsweek, February 22, 1981, cited in J. Robbins.

t " The Fate of Our Planet, " Robbins Research Report.

^ This figure assumes a total of 5, 200 gallons of water used by a person taking 5 showers a week,

5 minutes per shower, with a flow rate of 4 gallons per minute. Robbins, John, Diet/or a New

America.

governments dole out to livestock producers, in the form of irrigation

subsidies, actually costs taxpayers over seven dollars in lost wages, higher

living costs, and reduced business income." * What can one person do to

save more water? The answer seems obvious to me: cut your meat con-

sumption.

Here's something else for you to chew on. Did you know that more

energy is consumed by the beef industry than any other single in-

dustry in the United States?! The percentage of all raw materials that

the United States devotes to the production of livestock is a staggering

one-third of all energy consumption, and the fossil fuel required to

produce one pound of beef is roughly thirty-nine times that required

to produce the equivalent protein value in soybeans. If you wanted to

save energy, it would be wiser to drive your car to the restaurant down

the block than if you walked there, fueled by the calories you consumed

frofn a quarter-pound of beef or chicken raised by the energy-inefficient

standard of the industry.

Are you concerned about nuclear power plants? If we were to re-

duce by 50 percent our meat consumption, we could totally elimi-

nate our reliance on nuclear power throughout the United States, as

well as significantly or completely reduce our reliance on foreign oil

imports, f

One final issue we're all concerned about is world hunger. With 60

million people dying every year of starvation, clearly it's time for lis to

examine just how efficiently we're utilizing our resources. Remember, all

decisions have consequences, and unless we have some understanding of

the long-term impact on our planet, we will make poor decisions.

The amount of food produced on any prime acre of land is markedly

reduced when that food is beef. The same acre of land that would

produce 250 pounds of beef would produce 40, 000 pounds of

potatoes—roughly the difference between feeding one person, and

160 persons! ** The same resources that are used to produce one pound

of beef can produce sixteen pounds of grain, ft The land required to

feed one meat-eater for a year is three and a quarter acres; for a

lacto-ovo-vegetarian, one-half acre; and one complete vegetarian,

one-sixth acre.^ In other words, one acre can feed twenty times as

* Fields, David, and Robin Hur " America's Appetite for Meat Is Ruining Our Water, " Vegetarian

Times, January 1985.

t Spencer, Vivian, " Raw Materials in the United States Economy 190& -1977, " Technical Paper

47, Dept. of Commerce, Dept. of Interior, Bureau of Mines, cited in J. Robbins.

t Robbins, John. Diet for a New America.

** Department of Agriculture, cited inJ. Robbins.

ft Robbins, John, Diet for a New America.

^ Lappe, Frances Moore, Diet for a Small Planet. Ballannne Books. © 1982, cited inJ. Robbins.

The Ultimate Challenge: What One Person Can Do

many people if they eat a vegetarian diet! Forty-thousand children

starve every day, yet we clearly have the ability to feed them if we just

manage our resources more effectively. What's more, if every American

were to reduce his or her meat intake by just 10 percent, the number of

people who could be fed using the resources that would be freed from

growing livestock would be 100 million! * This is enough food to feed

every single starving man, woman, and child on earth—and have a

surplus. Obviously, we'd still have to deal with the political challenge of

distribution, but the food would certainly be available. Finally, one of the

most important natural resources that we are depleting as a result of our

meat habit is our topsoil. It takes nature 500 years to create one inch of

topsoil, and we're currently losing one inch every 16 years! Two hundred

years ago, our country had twenty-one inches of topsoil, and now we

have only six inches.! The amount of topsoil loss that is directly related

to livestock production is 85 percent.^ Without adequate topsoil, our

food chain collapses, and with it our ability to exist.

My initial exposure to most of the above statistics and the devastating

impact of meat eating on our environment was through my good friend

John Robbins (who is not related to me by birth, yet we truly are brothers

in our commitment to making a difference). John wrote a book. Diet/or

a New America, that was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize. I believe this

book has a place in the home of every American who wants to be aware

of the effects of their daily decisions and actions.

As John makes clear, the decision about what to put on your dinner

plate tonight is one that has profound processional effects. It sets in

motion a whole series of events and activities that are shaping the quality

of life on earth. You may ask, " How can one person hope to turn the

tide of such an enormous challenge? " John maintains that this battle

will be won not on Capitol Hill or in the boardrooms, but by individuals:

" the shopper in the supermarket stopping at the meat counter, picking

up that chuck steak marked $3.98 a pound, and realizing that they're

holding in their hand a very costly illusion. Behind that little price sticker

hides the forests that have been cut down, our children's food and water

supply, our children's topsoil, their future environment. And we have to

look at that steak and say, 'That costs too much.' Real power lies in the

* Lester Brown of the Worldwatch Institute, cited by Resenberger, UNICEF, " State of the

World's Children, " adjusted using 1988 figures from the USDA, Agricultural Statistics 1989, cited

in J. Robbins.

t Hamack, Curtis, " In Plymouth County, Iowa, the Rich Topsoil's Going Fast, Alas, " New York

Times, July 11, 1980, cited inJ. Robbins.

^ Hur, Robbin, Soil and Water Resources Conservation Act—Summary of Appraisal, USDA

Review Draft, 1980, cited in J. Robbins.

decisions you make in the supermarket and in restaurants and in

your kitchen." *

TAKE A STAND

By taking a stand, you not only stop participating in the misuse of our

resources, but you send a clear message to big businesses whose lifeblood

is tied to hamburger. In recent years, food-service companies like Mc-

Donald's and Carl's Jr. (Carl Karcher Enterprises) have begun to respond

to changes in consumer tastes by featuring salad bars and other alterna-

tive foods. McDonald's also recently stopped using polystyrene contain-

ers for its foods, and as a result estimates that it reduced its production

of hydrocarbons by 25 percent, making a measurable difference toward

an improved environment. As a consumer, use the skills that you've

learned in this book to bring about positive change: know what you

want, use your buying power as leverage to interrupt destructive

patterns, cause the companies to look for alternatives, and then

reinforce them for the desired behaviors by patronizing their prod-

ucts and services.

TEACH YOUR CHILDREN WELL—LEAD

BY EXAMPLE

As with any challenge, our environmental issues require education and

action to create change. Unfortunately, most people's idea of education is

tied to being in school, and they stop learning as soon as they

graduate—or even before they graduate! So many teachers who start out

with a vision of making a difference have fallen into the trap of learned

helplessness as a result of trymg to cope with numbing administrative

policies and not being prepared to deal with the personalities and real-life

issues confronting their students.

Yet throughout this book you've been exposed to many models of

excellence from whom we can learn. So how can you and I make a

difference? We can each take an active role in determining the quality of

our children's education. Could your children's teacher benefit by un-

derstanding the power of questions, global metaphors. Transformational

Vocabulary, values, rules, and conditioning? Share what you've learned,

and you can truly make a difference in this area.

* " The Fate of Our Planet, " Bobbins Research Report.

The Ultimate Challenge: What One Person Can Do

Most important, we must teach our children the consequences of

their actions. We must make them aware of the impact they have on an

individual or local level and, by extension, their collective impact on the

global level. Don't let them ever fall into the trap of thinking that their

actions don't make a difference—if there's anything I've tried to convey

in this book, it's that even small decisions and small actions, consis-

tently made, have far-reaching consequences.

One of the best ways to ensure that your child grows up with a

healthy sense of self-esteem is to show them that their decisions and

actions, consistently made, make a major difference. How can you do

that? Demonstrate what's possible by being an example. Demonstrate

to your kids the effect of asking empowering questions, living according

to values and rules you've consciously chosen, and using all the other

strategies you've learned thus far.

There are so many ways that you and I could contribute. We don't

need to wait until we have a grandiose master plan to make a difference.

We can have impact in a moment, in doing the smallest things, making

what often seem like insignificant decisions. It's true that most of our

heroes are hidden behind what seem like small acts done consistently.

Look around you. There are heroes everywhere, but we don't acknowl-

edge them with the accolades they deserve for doing their jobs every day.

The men and women who work day in and day out as police officers are

clearly heroes. They protect us, they create for us a sense of security, yet

many of us see them as our enemy. Firemen are heroes, yet we generally

don't see them in that light unless we find ourselves in an emergency

situation. The same principle holds true for ambulance drivers, 911

emergency dispatchers, crisis-intervention counselors, and a whole host

of other unsung heroes.

just being prepared can make all the difference. For example, how

would you feel if someone had a heart attack in your presence, but you

were CPR-certified and knew what to do? What if your concerted ef-

forts to keep their blood circulating, despite the apparent absence of

any signs of life, actually resulted in saving a life? I can promise you

one thing: the feeling of contribution you would get from that expe-

rience would give you a greater sense of fulfillment and joy than any-

thing you've ever felt in your life—greater than any acknowledgment

anyone could possibly give you, greater than any amount of money you

could possibly earn, greater than any achievement you could possibly

have.

These are just some of the most dramatic examples. Are there other

ways in which you could contribute? You bet! You can be a hero by

simply being a people-builder, that is, by noticing people around you and

giving them support, encouragement, or a reminder of who they really

are. What if you were walking through a grocery store, and instead of

meandering aimlessly from the artichokes to the zucchinis, you actually

noticed and acknowledged each person you passed with a cheerful grin?

What if you gave a sincere compliment to a stranger? Could you, in that

moment, change their emotional state enough so that they could pass on

the smile or the compliment to the next person they saw as well? Perhaps

to their children? Could there be a processional effect set in motion by

that one action?

There are so many simple ways to make a difference. We don't have

to go out and save somebody's life. But maybe getting them to smile is

saving their life, or at least getting them to enjoy the life that they already

have. What are some other simple ways you could make a difference

today? On your way home from work, what if you decided to stop at a

senior citizens' home, walk in, and strike up a conversation? How would

it make them feel if you were to ask, " What are some of the most

important lessons you've learned in your life? " I'll bet they'd have plenty

to tell you! What if you stopped at your community hospital, visited a

patient and helped brighten their afternoon? Even if you did nothing but

listen to the person, you'd be a hero.

Why are so many people afraid to take such small steps to help

others? One of the most common reasons is that they are just embar-

rassed to be doing something they're uncertain about. They're afraid of

being rejected or appearing foolish. But you know what? If you want to

play the game and win, you've got to play " full out." You've got to be

willing to feel stupid, and you've got to be willing to try things that

might not work—and if they don't work, be willing to change your

approach. Otherwise, how could you innovate, how could you grow,

how could you discover who you really are?

" You can't live a perfect day without doing something/or

someone who will never be able to repay you."

—JOHN WOODEN

If we want to change the quality of life in our country, then we clearly

have to affect the value systems of a mass number of people. Our fu-

ture is in the hands of our youth. Their values will one day be soci-

ety's. As I write these words. President Bush has recently signed a

document that offers a unique opportunity for us if we maximize its

use. It's called the National and Community Service Act of 1990 and

is intended to provide program funds, training, and technical assistance

to enable communities to develop and expand service opportunities.

While the bill encourages all citizens to give of their time, talents, and

The Ultimate Challenge: What One Person Can Do

energy, it is aimed specifically at involving young people in a variety of

worthwhile projects.*

Consider the sense of contribution these young people will experi-

ence by helping the aged, physically disadvantaged, cancer patients, func-

tionally illiterate, and others. Through the daily experience of

contributing, their identities and destinies will be profoundly affected.

Once touched by the gratitude of a fellow human being, a life trans-

forms forever. Can you imagine the impact if the majority of our young

people share this experience?

Indeed, the most powerful processional effect you will ever set in

motion will be your burgeoning sense of contribution. We all have a need

to go beyond our base drives to avoid pain and gain pleasure. I believe

that in the deepest part of ourselves, we all want to do what we believe

is right, to go beyond ourselves, to commit our energy, time, emotion,

and capital to a larger cause. We must meet our moral and spiritual needs

even if it brings us pain in the short term. We respond not just to our

psychological needs, but to our moral imperative to do more and be

more than anyone could expect. Nothing gives us a greater sense of

personal satisfaction than contribution. Giving unselfishly is the foun-

dation of fulfillment.

The power of such programs is that by giving to others on an ongoing

basis, we begin to reorient our values to the importance of contribution.

As a country, if we embrace this one value, it could change the face of the

nation and expand our influence in the world abroad. Don't limit your-

self to the structure of government-backed programs, however. There

are so many organizations that have a crying need for manpower and

expertise, as well as financial and physical resources. Imagine the impact

if, regardless of reward or lack thereof, Americans as a whole make

contribution a must. Do you realize that if everyone in the country

(except the very young and elderly) were to contribute only three

hours a week, our nation would reap the rewards of over 320 million

hours of much-needed manpower dedicated to those causes that

need it most? If we all were to contribute five hours, the Hgure would

jump to half a billion hours with a monetary value in the trillions! Do

you think we could handle a few social challenges with this kind of

commitment?

Contributing your time to any one of the following will definitely

alter your perceptions of who you are and start you on the path of

becoming a hero.

* For more information on National and Community Service, please contact your congressper-

son or The Commission on National and Community Service, The National Press Building, 529

14th Street NW, 4th Floor, Washington, DC 20004, tel. 202-724-0600.

Here are some of the ways you can help. A small amount of time can

make a big difference. Consider the possibility of committing a few

hours a week or a few hours a month in one of the following areas

within your community:

Programs for the mentally and physically disadvantaged

Remedial tutoring in basic skills

Day care

Voter registration

Volunteer citizen patrols (Neighborhood Watch)

Library work—reshelving, cataloguing

Book distribution to bedridden

Energy conservation

Park maintenance ^

Community clean-up drives

Walk-a-thons

Drug education

Hotline counseling

Big Brother/Big Sister programs

International family adoption

Outreach programs

Emergency aid

Painting and building beautification

Orphanage programs

Arts and cultural museums

Hosting exchange students

Recycling programs

The Ultimate Challenge: What One Person Can Do

A GIFT OF POSSIBILITY:

AN INVITATION TO CONTRIBUTE

How does one embrace the homeless, heal criminals, rejuvenate the aged,

and mobilize the young? One exciting opportunity for you to contribute

is to work in partnership with me through The Anthony Robbins Foun-

dation. We are a nonprofit organization formed to create a coalition of

caring professionals who have committed to consistently reach and assist

people who are often forgotten by society. We are aggressively working

to make a difference in the quality of life for children, the homeless, the

prison population, and the elderly. The Foundation is dedicated to pro-

viding the finest resources for inspiration, education, training, and de-

velopment for these important members of our society. I founded it as

the result of my own life experience.

Years ago, I decided that contribution is not an obligation; it's an

opportunity to give something back. When I was eleven years old, my

family did not have enough money one year to afford a traditional

Thanksgiving dinner, and a charitable organization delivered food to our

door. Since then, helping the hungry and homeless has become one of

the missions to which I've dedicated my life, and, every Thanksgiving

since I was eighteen, I've made and delivered food baskets to needy

families. It was also at the age of eighteen that I first joined the Chino

prison support system. As a result of my community service, I formed an

identity as a philanthropist, a person who would truly make a difference,

someone who was committed. It increased my pride, my integrity, and

my capacity to give more to other people as well. And it allowed me to

inspire others to do the same.

Because of the massive exposure that my books, tapes, and television

shows have produced, I daily receive letters from people from all over the

world calling out for help. Some of the most profound and moving

transformations I hear about have been made by prisoners and those who

are no longer homeless. As a result, the Foundation has made avail-

able a complimentary copy of my thirty-day audio library, Personal

Power, as well as a copy of my first book. Unlimited Power, to every

prison system in the United States. As of this writing, we're in the

process of contacting each homeless shelter in the country to make them

the same offer. I've dedicated 10 percent of the royalties from this book

to the Foundation in order to fund these tape distributions. In addition,

Anthony Robbins & Associates, ™ the franchisees who represent me with

my video-based seminars across the United States, is committed to con-

ducting up to two programs a year in its respective communities at no

charge. These programs are held in prisons, homeless shelters, higb—i

schools, and senior citizen centers.

If you'd like to join forces with us, please contact the Foundation, ancri

consider enrolling in our Commit-2 program. It's a simple and balancecrd

way to cause yourself to grow personally and to contribute in a way thaL- t

truly makes a difference. Through Commit-2 you can give others the giEEt

of possibility through a monthly commitment to briefly visit an assigne«c=d

prisoner, elderly person, homeless adult or child, and be a true friendB.

You can also commit to help support one of our annual programs. W. e

sponsor a Youth Leadership Program, the Thanksgiving Basket Brr-

gade, prison seminars, and a project for the elderly, Project Wisdocsan

(more information follows this chapter).

Certainly you're not limited to working with our Foundation to mak=: e

a difference. There are organizations in your community right now ths^at

need your help. In fact, I've designed my Foundation to empower locaal

organizations already in place to succeed. Our Foundation members aacre

trained in how to make a measurable difference for the people they coacrdi

monthly. While a different coaching style is necessary for different chau^l-

lenges, there are some universal principles. We all need to raise our staasm-

dards, change our beliefs, and develop new strategies for personal success-s.

In helping people, we need to provide profound knowledge—simple, bas—ic

distinctions that can immediately increase the quality of their lives. Ve: '-a-y

often they need to break through learned helplessness and develop ne==w

identities. These are skills and strategies, obviously, that form the back-

bone of my technology, and therefore we want all those who are involv.«Ked

in this program to have mastery of these skills as well. If you're interest-t^ed

in finding out more, please contact us at 1-800-964-2200, ext. TR.

" Only those who have learned the power of sincere

and selfless contribution experience life's deepest joy:

true/ulfillment."

—ANTHONY ROBBINS

If a simple Albanian nun, with no resources except her faith and co» —m-

mitment, can positively affect the lives of so many, then certainly you au.nd

I can deal with whatever challenges we have before us. If Ed Roberts a^r-an

emerge from his iron lung each morning to figure out how to change an

entire nation's attitudes toward the physically disadvantaged—awid

succeed—then maybe you and I can be heroes, too. If one person xc=an

single-handedly mobilize a nation through a videotape and an $Ј; -BOO

investment to stop the murdering of dolphins, then maybe you and I —can

also set powerful effects in motion. Often we don't know where the cbnuain

The Ultimate Challenge: What One Person Can Do

of events will lead us. Trust your intuition and give of your heart; you'll

be surprised at the miracles that will occur.

If you'll commit to giving an hour or two once a month, it will enhance

your identity and you'll become certain that you are " the kind of person"

who truly cares, who takes deliberate action to make a difference. You'll

discover that you have no problems in your business, because you've seen

what real problems are. The upsets you thought you had because your

stock went down today tend to disappear when you carry a man with no

legs to his bed, or when you cradle an AIDS baby in your arms.

" Verily, great grace may go with a little gift; and

precious are all things that come /rom Jriends."

/ —THEOCRITUS

Once you've mastered the elements of this book, your ability to deal with

your own challenges becomes a minor focus. What used to be difficult

becomes easy. At this point, you'll find yourself redirecting your energies

from concentrating primarily on yourself to improving what's happening

in your family, your community, and possibly the world around you. The

only way to do so with a lasting sense of fulfillment is through unselfish

contribution. So don't look for heroes; be one! You don't have to be

Mother Teresa (although you could, if you desired!).

However, make balance your watchword. Strive tor balance rather

than perfection. Most people live in a black-and-white world where they

think that they're either a volunteer with no life of their own, or just a

materialistic, achievement-oriented person who doesn't care to make a

difference. Don't fall into this trap. Life is a balance between giving and

receiving, between taking care of yourself and taking care of others. Yes,

give some of your time, capital and energy to those who truly need

it—but also be willing to give to yourself. And do so with joy, not with

guilt. You don't have to take the weight of the world on your shoul-

ders. More people would contribute if they realized that they didn't

have to give anything up to do so. So do a little, and know that it can

mean a lot. If everyone did this, fewer people would have to do so much,

and more people would be helped!

The next time you see someone who's in trouble, instead of feeling

guilty because you have so many blessings and they don't, feel a sense

of excitement that you might be able to do just some little thing that

could make them think about themselves in a new way or simply feel appreciated or loved. You don't have to commit your whole life to this. Just be sensitive; learn to ask people new questions that will empower them; touch them in a new way. Capture these moments of opportunity, and contribution will be a pleasure rather than a burden.

I often meet people who live in pain because they constantly focus on

the injustices of life. After all, how could a child be bom blind, without the

chance to ever experience the wonder of a rainbow? How can a man who

has never hurt anyone his entire life become a victim of a drive-by shoot-

ing? The meaning and the purpose behind some events are unknow-

able. This is the ultimate test of our faith. We must trust that everyone

in life is here to leam different lessons at different times, that good and bad

experiences are only the perceptions of man. After all, some of your worst

experiences have truly been your best. They've sculpted you, trained you,

developed within you a sensitivity and set you in a direction that reaches

out to impact your ultimate destiny. Remember the adage, " When the stu-

dent is ready, the teacher will appear." By the way, just when you think

that you're the teacher, take another look—you're probably there to leam

something from this person you're so busy teaching!

" Somebody should tell us, right at the start of our

lives, that we are dying. Then we might live life to

the limit, every minute of every day. Do it! I say.

Whatever you want to do, do it now! There are only