Book Recommendation:

The 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene

Before explaining THE LAWS OF POWER, Greene opens by pointing out there is always a powerful person and around this powerful person a court will assemble, trying to get a sweet slice of that power.

We can see what Greene is talking about here:

• King or queen with their court

• President and their cabinet

• CEO with their other C’s, VP’s and directors

• Oprah and her chef, relationship counselor, and spiritual adviser

Like the above image, there will always be a king and people like weeds will try to crop up around them. This means games will be played to get power. Now it might be smaller stakes like jockeying for a middle management position at work,  but people will still be playing those power games hard! You could even see someone worshiping God for this same reason, they realize they have no power and want to try to get close to the person with the most power, and seek to graciously speak on God’s behalf.

If you accept this reality then Greene challenges us to make a decision about how we want to play. The laws are ideas for “good” ways to play the game. Good in quotes because many of laws are terrible ideas of acting if your goal is to be a person of integrity and truth. But the book, to me, is written tongue-in-cheek because I don’t think most of us are Frank Underwood striving for an unassailable legacy of power.For most of the laws there’s a fun historical story, many of which I’d never heard before and those stories illustrated the laws and well and made the book an enjoyable listen.

Favorite Laws

Law 25, Re-Create Yourself

“Do not accept the roles that society foists on you. Re-create yourself by forging a new identity, one that commands attention and never bores the audience. Be the master of your own image rather than letting others define it for you.” – The 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene

If we realize that we will be recreating ourselves several times throughout our lives, perhaps we will spend less time on trying to get our self creation just right and more time on learning a new role.

Law 29, Plan All the Way to the End

“The ending is everything.

Plan all the way to it, taking into account all the possible consequences, obstacles, and twists of fortune that might reverse your hard work and give the glory to others.” – The 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene

I think just the briskness of the phrase, “The ending is everything”, which in mind I shorten to, “The End is Everything“, has stuck in my mind a lot lately.

A couple of reasons. This law is an echo of the second habit, from The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey, “Begin with the End in Mind”, it’s always nice to be reminded of the 7 habits.

Also, another book I recently finished was Living Forward by Michael Hyatt & Daniel Harkavy, where a template is outlined for writing a life plan. The first step of writing a life plan starts with writing your eulogy. As people share at my funeral about the impact I made in their life, what do I hope they will say?

I feel like it can’t be stressed enough, “The End is Everything“.

Law 40, Despise the Free Lunch

“What is offered for free is dangerous – it usually involves either a trick or a hidden obligation. What has worth is worth paying for. By paying your own way you stay clear of gratitude, guilt, and deceit. It is also often wise to pay the full price – there is no cutting corners with excellence. Be lavish with your money and keep it circulating, for generosity is a sign and a magnet for power.” – The 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene

Growing up, you might have heard, “there is no free lunch”, which was taught to me as the world doesn’t owe you anything. What I like most in this law is the word, dangerous, warning us against the temptations of an easily acquired skill, friendship or accomplishment. This goes one step beyond the “there is no free lunch”, to “lunches will try to present themselves as free, run away.”

-SRS

Disclaimer:

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