The 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene Law number 30: Make Your Accomplishments Seem
Effortless Your actions must seem natural and executed
with ease.
All the toil and practice that go into them, and also all the clever tricks, must be concealed.
When you act, act effortlessly, as if you could do much more.
Avoid the temptation of revealing how hard you work—it only raises questions.
Teach no one your tricks or they will be used against you.
You will often have to use tricks and ingenuity to create your effects, but your audience
must never suspect the work or the thinking that has gone into them.
Nature does not reveal its tricks, and what imitates nature by appearing effortless approximates
nature's power.
In 16th century Japan, Sen no Rikyu was the preferred tea master.
All though not from a noble family, Emperor Hideyoshi found him to be an important adviser
on aesthetic and even political matters.
Rikyu's secret was to appear natural, concealing the effort behind his work.
One evening, while having tea at a friend's house, Rikyu saw his host go outside, hold
up a lantern in the darkness, cut a lemon off a tree and bring it.
This charmed Rikyu- the host needed a relish for the dish he was serving, and had spontaneously
gone outside to get one.
But when the man offered the lemon with some Osaka rice cake, Rikyu realized that he had
planned creating this effect of beauty Rikyu found so desirable.
The gesture no longer seemed spontaneous - it was a way for the host to prove his cleverness,
but he had accidently revealed how hard he was trying.
Rikyu politely declined the cake, excused himself and left.
To Sen no Rikyu the sudden appeareance of something naturally, almost accidently graceful
was the height of beauty.
This beauty came without warning and seemed effortless.
Nature created such things by its own laws and processes, but men had to create their
effects through labor and contrivance.
And when they showed the effort of producing the effect, the effect was spoiled.
Secret Practices Makes Perfect 1.
You must research and practice endlessly before appearing in public, onstage or anywhere else.
2.
Never expose the sweat and labor behind your poise.
Some think such exposure will demonstrate their diligence and honesty, but it actually
just makes them look weaker as if they weren't really up to the job.
3.
Keep your effort and your tricks to yourself and you seem to have the grace and ease of
a god.
... The Book of the Courtier by Baldassare Castiglione speaks of Sprezzatura, the capacity
to make the difficult seem easy.
4.
It is relevant to all forms of power, for power depends vitally on appearances and the
illusions you create.
5.
Your public actions are like artworks: They must have visual appeal, create anticipation,
and even entertain. 6.
When you reveal the inner workings of your creation, you become just one more mortal
among others.
7.
What is understandable is not awe-inspiring — we tell ourselves we could do as well
if we had the money and time.
8.
Avoid the temptation of showing how clever you are — instead conceal the mechanisms
of your cleverness. 9.
Do not give people ideas they can use against you because can’t see the advantages of
keeping silent.
10.
Resist the temptation to want your vanity gratified by having your hard work and cleverness
applauded. 11.
Do not vie for sympathy for the hours it has taken to reach your point of artistry.
12.
Learn to control this propensity to blab, for its effect is often the opposite of what
you expected.
Two Reminders 1.
The more mystery surrounds your actions, the more awesome your power seems.
You appear to be the only one who can do what you do—and the appearance of having an exclusive
gift is immensely powerful.
2.
Finally, because you achieve your accomplishments with grace and ease, people believe that you
could always do more if you tried harder.
This elicits not only admiration but a touch of fear.
Your powers are untapped — no one can fathom their limits.
Word to the Wise - There are also times when revealing the inner workings of your projects
can prove worthwhile.
It all depends on your audience's taste, and on the times in which you operate.
As long as the partial disclosure of tricks and techniques is carefully planned, rather
than the result of an uncontrollable need to blab, it is the ultimate in cleverness.
It gives the audience the illusion of being superior and involved, even while much of
what you do remains concealed from them.
And that is it for this law, as always thank's for watching.