10 Things I Learned From Robert Greene

1. Commit to an apprenticeship, in which you undergo years of humble observation, skill acquisition, and experimentation.

The greatest mistake you can make in the initial months of your apprenticeship is to imagine that you have to get attention, impress people, and prove yourself. These thoughts will dominate your mind and close it off from the reality around you. Any positive attention you receive is deceptive; it is not based on your skills or anything real, and it will turn against you. Instead, you will want to acknowledge the reality and submit to it, muting your colors and keeping in the background as much as possible, remaining passive and giving yourself the space to observe. You will also want to drop any preconceptions you might have about this world you are entering. If you impress people in these first months, it should be because of the seriousness of your desire to learn, not because you are trying to rise to the top before you are ready.

2. Never outshine the master.

Always make those above you feel comfortably superior. In your desire to please or impress them, do not go too far in displaying your talents or you might accomplish the opposite – inspire fear and insecurity. Make your masters appear more brilliant than they are and you will attain the heights of power.

3. Observe human nature and follow the laws.

Robert has always taught me to consider the world objectively. Rather than be overwhelmed by the unethical actions of others, I’ve learned to study their behavior. Embrace your propensity to make unethical choices, while focusing on instead making the right, ethical decisions.

4. Qualities that will help you succeed.

Self-discipline, desire, persistence, focus, effort, patience, energy, obsessiveness, observance, confidence, trust in self, emotional commitment, humility, adaptability, boldness, openness.

5. Qualities that hinder your success.

Complacency, conservatism, dependency, impatience, grandiosity, inflexibility, distractibility, becoming egotistical, close-mindedness.

6. There is value in being a jack of all trades.

Greene had almost 80 jobs before he became an author, including construction worker, translator, Hollywood movie writer, skip tracer and magazine editor. Greene credits these broad experiences with providing countless inspiration for his writing, having brought many of these experiences to his first book, The 48 Laws of Power. . “You want to know as many different people as possible and have broad experiences”.

7. About one in ten people you meet will be toxic people.

You will inevitably encounter them and they will make you miserable. You need to develop social intelligence to better navigate the world and toxic people.

8. The Law of Aggression

See the hostility behind the façade. On the surface, people seem friendly and civilized. But beneath the mask, everyone has an aggressive side. Learn to recognize and manage chronic aggressors, counter passive-aggression, be aware of your own aggressive tendencies, and harness 4 positive aspects of your assertive energy.

9. Credit

Take credit from those beneath you. Give credit to those above you. All powerful people with influence have others do the legwork for them.

10. Entitlement

Get over the sense of entitlement that comes with the power of a leadership position. You have to earn that privilege every single day by what you do and say. The moment you feel you’re entitled, you are doomed. People hate entitlement and want to follow empowering leaders. People who inherit power are usually the worst kinds of leaders.