Tips from Tony Robbins on how to live rich

Over the past few decades, life and business strategist Tony Robbins has become a household name. His boundless energy, determination and philanthropic nature has made him one of the go-to experts on how to have a fulfilling life and career. He started from humble beginnings, growing up in a low-income, broken household, but today his net worth is estimated at over $480 million.

Below are some of his top pieces of advice on how to change your mind-set in ways that can have a positive effect on your life and finances.

HAVE A MISSION

It is important to find the right focus for your life.

"Energy comes from having a mission; it comes from something that you're being pulled by, not something you're pushing on," Robbins told well-known business expert Marie Forleo in a one-on-one interview. "If there's something that you're made for, then there's a level of energy that most people would never dream of. We all have that, but most of us don't connect to it and unleash it."

STOP TRADING TIME FOR MONEY

When it comes to walking the path to financial freedom, Robbins frequently talks about the issue of trading time for money. "If you work for a living, you're trading your time for money," he wrote in an article for Entrepreneur magazine.

"Frankly, it's just about the worst trade you'll ever make in life: You can always get more money, but you can't get more time," he wrote. "In the end, it doesn't matter how much money you earn. If you don't set aside some, you could lose it all. This is the first and most important step in putting yourself on the road to financial freedom. Take that step today."

PRACTICE GRATITUDE

This is sometimes an easily overlooked step, especially in difficult times. However, it can have a great positive impact on your life when you follow it.

In his book, MONEY Master the Game, Robbins quoted Sir John Templeton, whom he called one of "the greatest investors in history." In an interview with marketing expert Lewis Howes, Robbins said Templeton told him: "If you have nothing, but you're euphorically grateful for whatever you have, you're the richest person you're ever going to know."

BE A DISCIPLINED INVESTOR

Robbins revealed his best piece of financial advice in an interview for TIME Money. "Don't think in terms of taking huge risks to get huge rewards," he said. "Think about the least amount of risk for the greatest reward, and be disciplined about that."

He cited Richard Branson as a great example of someone who takes great risks in life but not in his finances. Instead, he said, it's very important to know what the downside is to an investment, and to have a plan to protect yourself from the potential downside.

DON'T BE AFRAID TO FAIL

Although it's not uncommon to fear failure, Robbins has a different take on it. "Unfortunately, we're programmed to fear this thing called 'failure,' so we try everything we can to avoid it, which is pointless," he told Success magazine. "Failure is often necessary for real learning to occur."

WORK HARDER ON YOURSELF THAN ANYTHING ELSE

Robbins told Bloomberg Business that the best piece of advice he ever got came from his mentor, Jim Rohn. "Find a way to add more value than anybody else does, and you'll never have to worry about anything," Rohn told him. "Every day, work harder on yourself than anything else, because if you become more intelligent, more valuable, more skilled — you can add more value to other people."

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SAVE AUTOMATICALLY

Growing your savings is a very important part of living rich. "The majority of us have this thought process: that today is more important than tomorrow," he told the OWN Network. However, it's that mind-set that can lead you not to save enough, or at all.

Therefore, in order to "trick yourself" into saving for tomorrow, Robbins said it's important to save automatically. Talk to your employer about putting a certain percentage of every raise into your retirement account.

GIVE WHAT YOU DON'T THINK YOU CAN GIVE

Being generous is another big key to living rich, no matter what your income. "If you don't give a dime out of a dollar, you're not going to give a million out of 10 million. (Generosity) teaches your brain there's more than enough when you'll give what you don't think you can give," he said in an interview with Brendon Burchard, an author on motivation and online marketing.

BE PSYCHOLOGICALLY STRONG

Many of the roadblocks people encounter could be due to their mind-set. However, just like physical strength, you can build psychological strength.

"If you're psychologically strong enough, you can not only survive, but you can thrive when tough situations occur, as opposed to letting the environment control you and take over," he told Success magazine. "It's really about mastering strength within yourself so that you can conquer the outer world around you."

PROGRESS EQUALS HAPPINESS

It's natural to go through periods of feeling stuck in life. However, that could be a great sign that it's time for you to break out of your comfort zone and try new things. "What makes us feel alive is growing, and when we grow, we have something to give," he told The New York Times.

HAVE A MISSION

It is important to find the right focus for your life.

"Energy comes from having a mission; it comes from something that you're being pulled by, not something you're pushing on," Robbins told well-known business expert Marie Forleo in a one-on-one interview. "If there's something that you're made for, then there's a level of energy that most people would never dream of. We all have that, but most of us don't connect to it and unleash it."

STOP TRADING TIME FOR MONEY

When it comes to walking the path to financial freedom, Robbins frequently talks about the issue of trading time for money. "If you work for a living, you're trading your time for money," he wrote in an article for Entrepreneur magazine.

"Frankly, it's just about the worst trade you'll ever make in life: You can always get more money, but you can't get more time," he wrote. "In the end, it doesn't matter how much money you earn. If you don't set aside some, you could lose it all. This is the first and most important step in putting yourself on the road to financial freedom. Take that step today."

PRACTICE GRATITUDE

This is sometimes an easily overlooked step, especially in difficult times. However, it can have a great positive impact on your life when you follow it.

In his book, MONEY Master the Game, Robbins quoted Sir John Templeton, whom he called one of "the greatest investors in history." In an interview with marketing expert Lewis Howes, Robbins said Templeton told him: "If you have nothing, but you're euphorically grateful for whatever you have, you're the richest person you're ever going to know."

BE A DISCIPLINED INVESTOR

Robbins revealed his best piece of financial advice in an interview for TIME Money. "Don't think in terms of taking huge risks to get huge rewards," he said. "Think about the least amount of risk for the greatest reward, and be disciplined about that."

He cited Richard Branson as a great example of someone who takes great risks in life but not in his finances. Instead, he said, it's very important to know what the downside is to an investment, and to have a plan to protect yourself from the potential downside.

DON'T BE AFRAID TO FAIL

Although it's not uncommon to fear failure, Robbins has a different take on it. "Unfortunately, we're programmed to fear this thing called 'failure,' so we try everything we can to avoid it, which is pointless," he told Success magazine. "Failure is often necessary for real learning to occur."

WORK HARDER ON YOURSELF THAN ANYTHING ELSE

Robbins told Bloomberg Business that the best piece of advice he ever got came from his mentor, Jim Rohn. "Find a way to add more value than anybody else does, and you'll never have to worry about anything," Rohn told him. "Every day, work harder on yourself than anything else, because if you become more intelligent, more valuable, more skilled — you can add more value to other people."

SAVE AUTOMATICALLY

Growing your savings is a very important part of living rich. "The majority of us have this thought process: that today is more important than tomorrow," he told the OWN Network. However, it's that mind-set that can lead you not to save enough, or at all.

Therefore, in order to "trick yourself" into saving for tomorrow, Robbins said it's important to save automatically. Talk to your employer about putting a certain percentage of every raise into your retirement account.

GIVE WHAT YOU DON'T THINK YOU CAN GIVE

Being generous is another big key to living rich, no matter what your income. "If you don't give a dime out of a dollar, you're not going to give a million out of 10 million. (Generosity) teaches your brain there's more than enough when you'll give what you don't think you can give," he said in an interview with Brendon Burchard, an author on motivation and online marketing.

BE PSYCHOLOGICALLY STRONG

Many of the roadblocks people encounter could be due to their mind-set. However, just like physical strength, you can build psychological strength.

"If you're psychologically strong enough, you can not only survive, but you can thrive when tough situations occur, as opposed to letting the environment control you and take over," he told Success magazine. "It's really about mastering strength within yourself so that you can conquer the outer world around you."

PROGRESS EQUALS HAPPINESS

It's natural to go through periods of feeling stuck in life. However, that could be a great sign that it's time for you to break out of your comfort zone and try new things.

"What makes us feel alive is growing, and when we grow, we have something to give," he told the New York Times.