DEL MAR — The seminar has just begun, and Anthony J. Robbins is on a roll.

"How many of you have ever had a business idea, or an idea for a gadget that you thought everyone in the world would use?"

Robbins' voice is a rapid baritone, his tone that of a pumped-up cheerleader. His eyes scan the crowd.

"How many of you, six months later, have walked into a store, and someone had stolen it? There was your gadget, right on the shelf!"

Eyes flutter in confirmation. Heads nod. Shoulders slump.

"What was the difference between you and the person who got it on the shelf? Was it intelligence? No. Was it brilliance? Ability? Skill? No.

"The difference was one thing--personal power. You might say, 'But I don't know what to \o7 dooooooooo.\f7 They know what to do, and I \o7 dooooooooon't.\f7 ' They found out what to do by asking questions, which you could do as well."

By now, the crowd is enthralled. They clap. They cheer. They bellow "WOOOOOOOAAAAA!," these hundreds of paying customers who previously had only stared at the man before them.

At 6 feet, 7 inches, he wears a dazzling blue coat and silk tie, with a gleaming smile and arms extended to the wingspan of Magic Johnson blocking the lane. Shoe size: 16EE.

"How many of you have ever seen someone who seemed to be less talented than you but seemed to be more successful in business, in relationships or even in growing up? And you thought to yourself, 'How come they're so successful, and I'm not?' Well, you might want to remember this: Intelligence is nothing. Action is \o7 everything.\f7 "

At 31, Anthony J. (Tony) Robbins is the owner of nine companies, including a resort in Fiji. He's a much-in-demand "peak-performance consultant" and the millionaire owner of a 1927 castle built on three acres that overlook the Pacific here.

He's the evangelistic New Age guru of "firewalking," which he parlayed into a lucrative fad in the mid-1980s by convincing thousands--who were willing to pay--that a barefoot stroll on hot coals would not only \o7 not \f7 burn the feet, it also just might serve as an affirmation of the power of positive thinking:

\o7 If you wash away your doubts and take the risk of believing, you can probably accomplish almost anything. You can write your book, make your million and find the girl of your dreams in your own back yard.

\f7 Robbins, truly a self-made man, managed all three.