Book Recommendations Part Deux includes two more books that I mentioned on the Bigger Pockets podcast: Mastery & The 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene.
I’m drawn to Robert Greene because he’s a student of history, human nature, and social intelligence.
“When you meet a swordsman, draw your sword: Do not recite poetry to one who is not a poet.” – Robert Greene
Mastery by Robert Greene
When I need a swift kick to overcome the tedium required in the early stages of learning something new, I’ll grab Mastery from my bookshelf. My copy of Mastery has more highlights than any book I own.
Greene’s masterpiece serves as a poignant reminder that we have a natural energy and assertiveness, a seed instilled in us from birth that desperately wants to grow. Our mission is to unlock the potential of that seed, water the shit out of it, and allow it to flourish.
In our age of abundance, the key to anyone’s flourishing will be restraint, primarily of themselves. One must learn to control his/her attention to attain mastery.
Masters are ambitious for the work, not the rewards. They recognize the brevity of life and attack their work with a sense of urgency. If you penetrate the world with your gifts and uniqueness, you will live more fully.
Do not allow your working hours to be a tragic waste in the brief span of time we have in this life. Work toward mastery of your craft.
Your biggest fear should be squandering your youthful energy. – Man Overseas
Challenge question: Are you able to retain a large portion of your childhood spirit despite all the demands of adulthood?
Children are naturally creative. They tinker with everything around them, create situations and circumstances, then surprise us with things they say.
Masters retain their childlike sense of wonder and enthusiasm. They’re able to combine the awe they felt as a kid with an ability to focus deeply on problems or ideas. This makes their long hours come alive. They think beyond words like a child: visually, spatially, intuitively.
Greene calls the mix of discipline and childlike spirit the Dimensional Mind; whereas the Conventional Mind only consumes information and regurgitates it.
Why would this book make a great Christmas gift?
The most basic axiom of psychology is that our thoughts will revolve around that which we most value. This book will inspire you to make learning one of your highest values.
The 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene
The 48 Laws of Power is…powerful. The author uses anecdotes taken from 4,000 years of history to show how men such as Machiavelli, Casanova and P.T. Barnum, used power to negotiate situations in their favor.
Greene believes the ability to master your emotions is the most important skill to learn in the power game. One’s emotional reaction to a situation is the biggest impediment to power. It’s a mistake that will cost way more than any temporary satisfaction that might be gained by expressing your true feelings.
Emotions cloud reason. Your measured response depends on you seeing a situation clearly; otherwise, you won’t respond with any degree of control. Learn to distance yourself from the present moment and think objectively.
High value men and women observe themselves and monitor what is happening in their own minds. Metacognition is knowledge about your own knowledge, thinking about your own thinking.
Here are my favorite laws with added commentary:
Law 4 “Always Say Less than Necessary:”
Most people say what they feel. In doing so, they appear more common and less in control. They think it’s a good idea to blurt out their opinions. Unwilling to exert the effort it takes to control one’s tongue, they reveal all their thoughts and feelings.
But the odds of saying something foolish increase with each additional word uttered. Greene believes saying less than necessary will make you seem more profound and mysterious. While you return home with a clear mind, the other person will walk away pondering every word you said.
In business, instead of using silence strategically, “Nervous Neil” fills pauses between words with nonsense. He’s prone to saying in twenty minutes what should be said in two. That his verbosity might be disrespectful to the listener’s time and attention doesn’t occur to him.
Since top salespeople understand that ‘telling’ isn’t selling, their listening skills render them better able [than the competition] to provide solutions to the customer’s problems.
The wise man always says less than he knows; the unwise man says all that he knows and more.
Challenge question: Can you watch Jeopardy with someone else in the room, know the answer to a question, and not blurt it out? Try it [if you haven’t]. Pay attention to whether you feel the slightest psychological edge or diminution of ego. That feeling is the same feeling those who have mastered Law 4 experience frequently.
Law 10 “Infection: Avoid the Unhappy and Unlucky:“
We’re extremely susceptible to the moods and emotions of other people. As a rule to live by, never adopt the mood of a miserable person.
Greene says one should never feel compassion for the perpetual victim. Why? “You will waste considerable time and energy by the time you realize their wounds are self-inflicted.”
If someone asks for help, by all means help them. But if that person doesn’t take your advice and asks for help again, do not help them.
Individuals who constantly complain are mostly revealing their weaknesses. Their attitude and behavior will infect you until you’ve become weakened too.
Life is short. Deal with people as they are, not as you wish they would be.
There are too many disadvantaged kids who were brought into this world in circumstances beyond their control to focus your efforts on chronically dissatisfied people. Help those who genuinely need help. Befriend only generous and kindred spirits who encourage and inspire you. The rest? F*ck ’em.
Challenge question: Are your friends genuinely happy for you when you succeed? Keep a sharp eye out for sincerity—fake smiles are the most easily detectable thing in the world. Pay close attention to their eyes when you tell them BIG news. If your “friends” are not happy for you, they are not friends. Cut them loose.
Law 25 “Re-create Yourself:”
Many people have their identities intertwined with their job title, university degrees, or how much money they make.
I was once “that guy.”
It wasn’t until I stepped out of Corporate America that I could clearly see how much of my self-image was tied to how much money I made and the titles I held.
Greene suggests you should never allow the world to assign you a role in life. In doing so, you’re permitting your time on earth to be limited in scope by those who rule over you. You’re essentially a slave to the environment someone created for you.
In order to re-create yourself, you should take pleasure in molding yourself like clay. Adopt the plasticity of an actor. If Matt Damon can manipulate his face to the emotion required, then by god so can you.
Consider how fortunate we are that our characters aren’t dictated by our friends, parents or peers. It means that we can build our own character.
Choose yourself (another good book), and present a more confident and cheerful disposition to the world.
Create. Re-create. Then create again.
Challenge question: Would you think less of yourself if you were suddenly unemployed?
Law 28 “Enter Action with Boldness:”
Any mistakes made through boldness are easily overcome with more boldness. Timidity is a disease, borne out of a desire to avoid conflict. Kill the disease.
Your fear of consequences are way out of proportion to reality. Self-doubt will kill your progress and execution.
Be assertive. If you want the job, the promotion, the girl, go after what you want. Choose people who choose you. If they doubt you, doubt them. As a rule, I only trust people who trust me. The rest?
“Boldness … is outer directed … and makes others feel more at ease because it’s less self-conscious.” – Robert Greene
Challenge question: Have you ever avoided doing something because someone told you that you couldn’t do it? View what you’re told about your shortcomings or lack of experience as a story. A second dialogue should start in your head immediately, of ways to get around the story you were told. Find a way through it or around it. Bend circumstances to your will.
Alfred Wetzler escaped Auschwitz by hiding in wood pile other prisoners had soaked in tobacco and gasoline. The scent fooled guard dogs. In a stolen suit, he trekked 80 miles to the Poland/Slovakia border and saved 120,000 Jews.
But you’re not going to do a thing because someone said you couldn’t do a thing? GTFOH! You are way more powerful than you think.
Growth mindset > fixed mindset. Always.
Why would this book make a great Christmas gift?
Life is hardly bearable when you have no power over people and events. Feelings of helplessness can be almost unbearable.
The feelings of helplessness that I experienced as a kid stuck with me. Those feelings will forever serve as fuel to help the most helpless kids on earth.
Gift this book to the person you wish to feel empowered headed into 2019.
