Learning requires a process. It demands patience. Love and dedication. An ability
to endure drudge work that may feel unpleasant and boring sometimes.
The key is to resist that urge to break our focus when things get tough.
To keep our head down and do the work because we love the process.
Robert Greene has written six international bestsellers. His in-depth — and sometimes
controversial— style has made his writings unique, famous, timeless, and quoted by many.
Here are 5 rules from Robert on becoming the best at what you do.
“Make creativity rather than comfort your goal and you’ll ensure far more success for the future.”
Everyone gets excited about something once in a while. But not everyone becomes good at something.
Why? Because sooner or later, that initial excitement wears off.
Drudgery and discomfort sets in. We begin to look for something fresh to stimulate ourselves. All
this happens because, subconsciously, we expect whatever we should be doing to be comfortable.
What differentiates the exceptional from everyone else is what they do after that initial excitement
wears off; when simple tasks become boring and harder tasks appear too complicated.
The best way to handle this is to actively make progress on your priority,
not comfort. As the Neurosurgeon and scientist Rahul Jandial said to Tom Bilyeu on Impact Theory:
“Anything difficult where you have to think is good for the brain…
The diversity and depth of thinking just one level past where you are used to,
is enough to keep the whole garden (the brain) flourishing.”
If architects want to strengthen a decrepit arch, they increase the load they place on it.
Instead of taking the discomfort you encounter when learning as a signal to quit, take it as
a sign that you are becoming stronger. Keep going. Let creativity be the goal, not comfort.
“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.”
It takes a conscious decision to not let the need for attention influence what we do.
We have an insatiable need for recognition. We look at the number of responses we get as the
evidence that we are doing valuable work. But this need for accolades can also ruin our work.
When you focus too much on people’s opinions:
You get frustrated whenever you don’t get the kind of response you wanted.
The longer it takes for you to get noticed, the less passionate you’ll become about what you do.
If you get exposed too early, unfavorable opinions about your work
can make you feel insecure about your ability. You might have a distorted evaluation of your
work since people have diverse tastes. Some people are just mean on the internet.
Instead of worrying over how much attention you’re getting, focus on accumulating knowledge. The more
competent you become, the better you’ll be able to handle the attention when it eventually comes.
We all want to get noticed, but what good will the attention be if what we produce isn’t good
enough? Let our focus be on becoming good at what we do, that’s what we really have control over.
“Alienating yourself from your inclination can only lead to disappointment in the long run,
and a sense that you’ve wasted something unique.” Following our inclinations often entails taking a
risk — what if what we feel inclined to do isn’t so popular? What if people don’t get it or think
the idea is stupid? Our need for certainty is a major hindrance to embracing our inclinations.
However, most of the world’s greatest minds have accredited their accomplishments
to embracing their intuitions. In his self-titled biography,
Steve Jobs described the impact of intuition on his work at the helm of Apple. “Intuition is a
very powerful thing,” he told writer Walter Isaacson, “more powerful than intellect.”
The best way to develop this “gift” as Albert Einstein calls it, is to embrace it.
Learn to listen to it. Get used to adding your personal touch to what you do. See it
as a process of learning to trust yourself more. However, understand that embracing your intuition
isn’t about sitting down all the time, doing nothing,
and hoping that inspiration will fall on you. The great minds who harnessed the power of
intuition immersed themselves in their work. Because the brain is wired to make connections,
they begin to see things more clearly, and from a different perspective.
Harness the power of the intuitive mind by exercising your intelligence.
“To rise to the level of Mastery requires many hours of dedicated focus and practice.
You cannot rise to the level of mastery if your work brings you no joy.”
If becoming good at what you love is a difficult process,
imagine trying to become the best at what you hate. It’s a self-imposed trip to misery.
J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter was rejected 12 times. Stephen King’s Carrie was turned down 30 times.
It wasn’t until his stunning performance as Hoke Colburn in the movie,
Driving Miss Daisy, did Morgan Freeman get his big break as an actor — at age 52!
The only reason these great artists stayed the course was the joy of doing what they
love. The process itself was the reward. Of course, they experienced the pain, doubts,
and boredom as well. But their love for what they do was enough to take them through downtimes.
The joy of doing what we love will determine how we think when we lose.
If you choose a job you hate because it’s secure, you’ll just go through the motions,
enduring your work, living for time off,
and dreaming of the future. There will be no motivation to do your best.
“If you’re just letting the time pass at your job, it’s just dead time and you’ll never get it back.”
In life, we will never have everything happen our way. Sometimes we find ourselves in places or jobs
that appear to not have any contribution to our ultimate goal in life.
For example, Malcolm X was sentenced to ten years in prison; Robert Greene himself worked about
eighty jobs before getting his break as a writer; Nelson Mandela was jailed for twenty-seven years.
In times like this, we are often tempted to choose dead time — to just let time pass.
But time waits for no one. To become good at what we do, we have to harness every bit of time on
our hands — to assume that every situation we find ourselves in has something to teach us.
The lessons Robert learned from dealing with all sorts of people from his previous jobs
were instrumental for his book, 48 Laws of Power, and many others.
Malcolm X transformed himself into a force for good by using his time
in prison to study. Nelson Mandela became South Africa’s first black president after
27 years in prison. They all chose Alive Time. We cannot always choose where life takes us.
But the choice is always ours to make good use of our time.
When you are good at what you do, you impact lives.
You become a part of something bigger. The process may be difficult, but it’s always worth it.
Value creativity over comfort. This toughens your mind to stay the course.
Value knowledge over attention. This helps you cut down distractions and sharpen your focus.
Value your intuition over what’s conventional. This helps you trust yourself more and get
in touch with your uniqueness. Value joyful work over security.
When it’s joyful work, the process becomes easier. Value Alive Time over Dead Time.
Assume that every situation you find yourself has something to offer.