Mastery

The eagerly anticipated new book from the author of the bestselling The 48 Laws of Power What did Charles Darwin, middling schoolboy and underachieving second son, do to become one of the earliest and greatest naturalists the world has known? What were the similar choices made by Mozart and by Caesar Rodriguez, the U.S. Air Force’s last ace fighter pilot? In Mastery, Robert Greene’s fifth book, he mines the biographies of great historical figures for clues about gaining control over our own lives and destinies. Picking up where The 48 Laws of Power left off, Greene culls years of research and original interviews to blend historical anecdote and psychological insight, distilling the universal ingredients of the world’s masters. Temple Grandin, Martha Graham, Henry Ford, Buckminster Fuller—all have lessons to offer about how the love for doing one thing exceptionally well can lead to mastery. Yet the secret, Greene maintains, is already in our heads. Debunking long-held cultural myths, he demonstrates just how we, as humans, are hardwired for achievement and supremacy. Fans of Greene’s earlier work and Malcolm Gladwell’s Outliers will eagerly devour this canny and erudite explanation of just what it takes to be great. Front Cover......Page 1 Copyrights......Page 5 Contents......Page 7 The Ultimate Power......Page 17 The Evolution of Mastery......Page 21 Keys to Mastery......Page 26 I. Discover Your Calling: The Life's Task......Page 34 The Hidden Force......Page 35 Keys to Mastery......Page 39 Strategies for Finding Your Life's Task......Page 43 1. Return to your origins--The primal inclination strategy......Page 44 2. Occupy the perfect niche--The Darwinian strategy......Page 46 3. Avoid the false path--Therebellion strategy......Page 50 4. Let go of the past--The adaptation strategy......Page 52 5. Find your way back--The life-or-death strategy......Page 54 Reversal......Page 57 II. Submit to Reality: The Ideal Apprenticeship......Page 61 The First Transformation......Page 62 Keys to Mastery......Page 67 Step One: Deep Observation--The Passive Mode......Page 69 Step Two: Skills Acquisition--The Practice Mode......Page 71 Step Three: Experimentation--The Active Mode......Page 75 1. Value learning over money......Page 78 2. Keep expanding your horizons......Page 81 3. Revert to a feeling of inferiority......Page 84 4. Trust the process......Page 88 5. Move toward resistance and pain......Page 91 6. Apprentice yourself in failure......Page 94 7. Combine the "how" and the "what"......Page 97 8. Advance through trial and error......Page 100 Reversal......Page 103 III. Absorb the Master's Power: The Mentor Dynamic......Page 105 The Alchemy of Knowledge......Page 106 Keys to Mastery......Page 113 Strategies for Deepening the Mentor Relationship......Page 119 1. Choose the mentor according to your needs and inclinations......Page 120 2. Gaze deep into the mentor's mirror......Page 123 3. Transfigure their ideas......Page 127 4. Create a back-and-forth dynamic......Page 130 Reversal......Page 133 IV. See People as They Are: Social Intelligence......Page 135 Thinking Inside......Page 136 Keys to Mastery......Page 142 Specific Knowledge--Reading People......Page 147 General Knowledge--The Seven Deadly Realities......Page 150 Strategies for Acquiring Social Intelligence......Page 155 1. Speak through your work......Page 156 2. Craft the appropriate persona......Page 161 3. See yourself as others see you......Page 165 4. Suffer fools gladly......Page 168 Reversal......Page 173 V. Awaken the Dimensional Mind: The Creative-Active......Page 175 The Second Transformation......Page 176 Keys to Mastery......Page 182 Step One: The Creative Task......Page 186 Step Two: Creative Strategies......Page 188 A. Cultivate Negative Capability......Page 189 B. Allow for Serendipity......Page 191 C. Alternate the Mind Through "The Current"......Page 194 D. Alter Your Perspective......Page 198 E. Revert to Primal Forms of Intelligence......Page 203 Step Three: The Creative Breakthrough--Tension and Insight......Page 206 Emotional Pitfalls......Page 209 Strategies For the Creative-Active Phase......Page 212 1. The Authentic Voice......Page 213 2. The Fact of Great Yield......Page 217 4. Natural Powers......Page 226 5. The Open Field......Page 231 6. The High End......Page 235 7. The Evolutionary Hijack......Page 238 8. Dimensional Thinking......Page 243 9. Alchemical Creativity and the Unconscious......Page 249 Reversal......Page 252 VI. Fuse the Intuitive with the Rational: Mastery......Page 254 The Third Transformation......Page 255 Keys to Mastery......Page 261 The Roots of Masterly Intuition......Page 268 The Return to Reality......Page 273 Strategies for Attaining Mastery......Page 275 1. Connect to your environment--Primal Powers......Page 276 2. Play to your strengths--Supreme Focus......Page 280 3. Transform yourself through practice......Page 291 4. Internalize the details--The Life Force......Page 295 5. Widen your vision--The Global Perspective......Page 300 6. Submit to the other--The Inside-out Perspective......Page 304 7. Synthesize all forms of knowledge--The Universal Man/Woman......Page 310 Reversal......Page 316 Contemporary Master Biographies......Page 318 Acknowledgements......Page 323 Selected Bibliography......Page 325 Index......Page 329 Back Cover......Page 343 Robert Greene, The Modern Machiavelli Debunks The Prevailing Mythology Of Success And Presents A Radical New Way To Greatness. The Ultimate Power ; The Evolution Of Mastery ; Keys To Mastery -- Discover Your Calling : The Life's Task. The Hidden Force ; Keys To Mastery ; Strategies For Finding Your Life's Task ; Reversal -- Submit To Reality : The Ideal Apprenticeship. The First Transformation ; Keys To Mastery ; Strategies For Completing The Ideal Apprenticeship ; Reversal -- Absorb The Master's Power : The Mentor Dynamic. The Alchemy Of Knowledge ; Keys To Mastery ; Strategies For Deepening The Mentor Relationship ; Reversal -- See People As They Are : Social Intelligence. Thinking Inside ; Keys To Mastery ; Strategies For Acquiring Social Intelligence ; Reversal -- Awaken The Dimensional Mind : The Creative-active. The Second Transformation ; Keys To Mastery ; Strategies For The Creative-active Phase ; Reversal -- Fuse The Intuitive With The Rational : Mastery. The Third Transformation ; Keys To Mastery ; Strategies For Attaining Mastery ; Reversal -- Contemporary Master Biographies. Robert Greene. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 319-322) And Index. From the bestselling author of The 48 Laws of Power and The Laws of Human Nature, a vital work revealing that the secret to mastery is already within you. Each one of us has within us the potential to be a Master. Learn the secrets of the field you have chosen, submit to a rigorous apprenticeship, absorb the hidden knowledge possessed by those with years of experience, surge past competitors to surpass them in brilliance, and explode established patterns from within. Study the behaviors of Albert Einstein, Charles Darwin, Leonardo da Vinci and the nine contemporary Masters interviewed for this book. The bestseller author of The 48 Laws of Power, The Art of Seduction, and The 33 Strategies of War, Robert Greene has spent a lifetime studying the laws of power. Now, he shares the secret path to greatness. With this seminal text as a guide, readers will learn how to unlock the passion within and become masters. Around the globe, people are facing the same problem - that we are born as individuals but are forced to conform to the rules of society if we want to succeed. To see our uniqueness expressed in our achievements, we must first learn the rules - and then how to change them completely. Charles Darwin began as an underachieving schoolboy, Leonardo da Vinci as an illegitimate outcast. The secret of their eventual greatness lies in a 'rigorous apprenticeship': by paying close and careful attention, they learnt to master the 'hidden codes' which determine ultimate success or failure In this book, Robert Greene demonstrates that the ultimate form of power is mastery itself. By analyzing the lives of such past masters as Charles Darwin, Benjamin Franklin, Albert Einstein, and Leonard da Vinci, as well as by interviewing nine contemporary masters, including tech guru Paul Graham and animal rights advocate Temple Grandin, Greene debunks our cultures many myths about genius and distills the wisdom of the ages to reveal the secret to greatness. With this seminal text as a guide, readers will learn how to unlock the passion within and become masters. Evaluates The Tactics Employed By Great Historical Figures To Offer Insight Into How To Gain Control Over One's Own Life And Destiny, Challenging Cultural Myths To Demonstrate How Anyone Can Tap The Power Of A Love For Doing Something Well To Achieve High Levels Of Success. Studying the behavior of classical and contemporary masters in their lifetime demonstrates a challenging but clear course for reaching one's potential. The author uses biographical vignettes to illustrate proven methods for achieving mastery