ROBERT GREENE: Yes and others, I`m trying to focus you very deeply on the other person you`re dealing with. The biggest problem faced by anyone in this area of persuasion or manipulation is that they are self-centered. The center of their attention is internal, so I have to sell this product. I have to earn money for my family. I like that. The other person must also like this. That is, projecting something other than something of yourself and not focusing on the social environment, what people think, their needs, etc. All of my books are just a way to get you out of that constant egocentrism like a yoga pose and get you to focus in a way that you really, really, really understand where that other person is coming from. Once you have this understanding, you can begin to lower your defenses.
You can start getting them to go in your direction, whatever it is. At the extreme, you can manipulate them and I show this extreme in “The 48 Laws of Power”. I will come back to this and show you that very powerful people are often very manipulative, can often be, and here are some of the laws they apply in this area. You can either use this knowledge to defend yourself, or if you really need it, you can use it. Uh, and this would be kind of extreme, but the connection that ties all these things together is your ability to step out of yourself and focus deeply on the other person. Once you do that, a strange kind of magic can begin. You can begin to understand other people. You will never fully understand the person you want to sell to. There is always an element of mystery. It`s a fringe game.
When you`re able to increase your margin of intelligence and know it, from 5% to 20%, a kind of magic happens suddenly where you`re able to align your interests and figure out what`s going to seal the deal or whatever you need, and that`s really what my books are about. What happens first always seems better and more original than what comes after. If you follow a great man or have a famous relative, you will have to perform twice as well to put them in the shade. Don`t get lost in their shadow or get stuck in a past you didn`t cause yourself. Establish your own name and identity by changing course. Kill the arrogant father, denigrate his inheritance, and gain power by shining in your own way. NARRATOR: This program is produced by The Hartman Media Company. All rights reserved. For distribution or publication rights and media interviews, please visit www.hartmanmedia.com or email [email protected] Nothing in the program should be considered specific personal or professional advice. Please consult an appropriate tax, legal, real estate or business professional for personalized advice. The opinions of the guests are their own and the host acts solely on behalf of Empowered Investor, LLC.
If you hold back, you don`t tolerate anger, but a kind of respect. You immediately seem powerful because you make yourself incomprehensible instead of succumbing to the group or relationship, as most people do. Conserve your powers and energies by keeping them focused at their strongest point. You earn more when you find a rich mine and mine it deeper than when you rush from one shallow mine to another – intensity defeats that extend every time. If you are looking for sources of strength to lift yourself up, you will find the only key boss, the fat cow, which will give you milk for a long time. Draw attention to yourself by creating an unforgettable, even controversial image. Legal scandal. Do everything you can to look larger than life and shine brighter than the people around you. Don`t differentiate between types of attention – notoriety of any kind will bring you power. It is better to be slandered and attacked than to be ignored. Every momentary triumph you think you can achieve through reasoning is actually a Pyrrhic victory: the resentment and ill will you arouse is stronger and lasts longer than any momentary change of opinion. It is much more powerful to get others to agree with you by your actions without saying a word.
Demonstrate, not explain. JASON HARTMAN: Yes, it makes sense, it makes sense. Tell us a little more about mastery and I love how you include so much history and so many historical figures in your books. Every person in the business world likes to quote and talk about power and talk about the art of war. Some like to refer to Napoleon. Thoughts on some of the historical connections and perhaps some examples? ROBERT GREENE: No. Yes, you say powerseductionandwar.com. There will be links to the championship, etc. Well, I think it`s just that these are books that are intended, you know, they`re longer. It`s not an easy read like a lot of self-help books, but if you take the time, they`re all very practical and read them, you don`t need to read them [unrecognizable]. You can skip the chapters that seem more irrelevant, but it sticks to you. I try to change your mindset, your life and your success.
I`ll try, we talked earlier about making you less self-centered. It`s a process and I`m trying to change your mindset, and I think reading the book in that sense has incredible practical value if you give it time. It`s kind of [imperceptible] Striking images and large symbolic gestures create the aura of power – everyone reacts to it. So stage shows for the people around you, full of captivating images and radiant symbols that increase your presence. Blinded by appearances, no one will notice what you are really doing. Reputation is the cornerstone of power. You can intimidate and win by reputation alone; However, as soon as it slips, you are vulnerable and attacked from all sides. Make your reputation unassailable. Always be alert to potential attacks and thwart them before they happen.
Meanwhile, learn how to destroy your enemies by opening holes in their own reputation. Then stand aside and let public opinion hang them. If you allow people to feel that they own you to some extent, you lose all power over them. By not engaging your affection, they will only make more efforts to convince you. Stay distant and you gain the strength that comes from their attention and frustrated desire. Play as the virgin queen: Give them hope, but never satisfaction. ROBERT GREENE: Well, Mastery is basically a book about what I think is the ultimate form of power that a human being can have in this world. I think we are in an incredibly competitive and challenging environment.
Very few people still have some kind of job security. Competition is globalized. It`s intense. It`s trivial. You can never let your guard down and I have found that in all my years of searching for very powerful people, this level of intelligence is achieved. It is not an intellectual intelligence, it is a practical intelligence. They reach this high level where they dominate their field. Um, you can visualize it in a way where, say, you`re professional with chess, that`s just a metaphor. But after 10, 15 years of failures, you are now like a grandmaster and no longer think about the chessboard. It is internalized.
You have an idea. Create yourself in a character of power. Working on yourself like clay should be one of your most important and enjoyable tasks in life. Make your masters look brighter than they are, and you`ll reach the heights of power Given the importance of the idea of intelligence to most people`s vanity, it`s important never to accidentally insult or challenge a person`s brain power. Don`t accept the roles that society imposes on you. Recreate yourself by forging a new identity, which attracts attention and never bores the audience. Be the master of your own image instead of letting others define it for you. Incorporate dramatic means into your public gestures and actions – your power will be enhanced and your character will appear larger than life. ROBERT GREENE: Well, you know, you`re referring to my previous books. It`s just kind of a topic, uh, a theme in everyone.
It is not so much a question. Manipulation is a loaded word. You can also use the word influence, persuasion. Can we convince other people? Can we get them to do what we want them to do, or can we get them to do something that doesn`t hurt us? And of course we can. Otherwise, we would be wretched and helpless creatures. ROBERT GREENE: Uh, and basically, it was an interesting process where we spent about five or six months together and I interviewed him intensively and together we shaped the book and so the process uh, more or less collaborative and it`s an amazing story. I`m not a celebrity. I really didn`t care about Leonardo DiCaprio.
I`m more interested in ordinary people and how they get along in their lives, but 50 years is an amazing story, it`s a very real person. He doesn`t have all this celebrity around him and there are a few things we can learn from him. First of all, the total American story of someone who comes from the absolute worst environment and how he is then able to rise from that terrain to a very rich and very powerful individual. It`s an incredible story and it has incredible lessons. The other thing is that I`ve discovered that there`s a quality in him that`s the source of his power, and that`s what I call what we call fearlessness, but it`s not fearlessness to take people, ah, to beat people or to be aggressive, or for weapons or whatever.