Do you think you know yourself? Like, really know yourself? Have you taken the time to reflect and think about everything that you are? It’s amazing to think that your unique DNA has never been and will never be again in the history of the universe. Isn’t that insane to think about? You are destined for greatness through your uniqueness!
It’s always a good day when I get to have Robert Greene back on the show. He was my very first interview on this podcast, and I’ve had him back several times since then. He is a best-selling author who’s written a new book called, The Daily Laws: 366 Meditations on Power, Seduction, Mastery, Strategy, and Human Nature.
I think a lot of people feel like they are powerless right now. They don’t feel like they have a sense of control over what’s happening in the world today. They don’t feel like they have the power to overcome their circumstances and achieve greatness within themselves.
In this episode, we discuss how to find your inner power when you feel like you’ve lost it, why you should embrace your inner weirdness, what conversations you should be having with yourself to become successful, the skills you should master, the things that are wasting your time, and so much more. Let’s get into it!
Who Is Robert Greene?
Robert Greene is a world-famous American author known for his books on seduction, strategy, and power. He has six international bestselling books to his name including the New York Times bestsellers, The 48 Laws of Power, The 33 Strategies of War, Mastery, The 50th Law, and The Laws of Human Nature. His new book, The Daily Laws: 366 Meditations on Power, Seduction, Mastery, Strategy, and Human Nature, offers a daily dose of concise and refined wisdom through easy-to-digest lessons readers can learn each day.
Growing up in Los Angeles, Robert attended the University of California, Berkeley before finishing a degree in classical studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. After finishing college, Robert worked many jobs, from a construction worker to a magazine editor and translator, to a Hollywood movie writer before eventually becoming a bestselling author.
Through his written works, Robert Greene teaches readers how to detach themselves from their own emotions and master self-control. He also shows them how to look behind people’s masks, how to develop the empathy that leads to insight, how to resist conformity to develop their own sense of purpose, and how to find their inner power.
How to Find Your Inner Power
Robert expressed in the interview that a lot of people don’t know themselves very well and that that is the core of a lot of problems in our society. I asked him how we can find that inner power?
“It all starts with something very simple, which is the power over yourself. If you have no power over yourself, then you’re at the whim of everything else in this world. So what does that mean to have power over yourself? Well, … it begins with something very simple, which is: You have to know who you are.” – Robert Greene
Robert explained to me that when you’re untethered to yourself, everything else will affect you in a way that you cannot control, and you end up wandering through life being triggered by things that are not important. Everything will start to affect you personally, and you’ll get grumpy, insecure, bitter, and resentful.
He says our phones are a big distraction. We are listening to what other people are telling us is cool on Instagram, Tik Tok, and Facebook.
“We’re … creatures of the media. We’ve been programmed. We don’t really know what drives us anymore. We are so tuned to what other people are telling us is what we should be interested in. [To know who you are] takes some reflection, it means you have to be able to step back and be alone with your thoughts. Meditate and reflect on your childhood, on who you are, on the mistakes you made, on the wrong career paths you’ve taken, and the wrong relationships. Then you can begin to construct an image of that real secret inner you that lies buried deep within all the bullsh*t.” – Robert Greene
Robert learned these life lessons through his own journey of failing, feeling lost, and then getting back up again. He didn’t really have anything to show for his life until he was about 40 years old when he published The 48 Laws of Power. Before that, he had wandered around Europe trying to write the next great American novel, tried and failed at journalism, tried and failed at screenwriting, and couldn’t sell any of his work.
But all of that rich life experience lent itself well to talking about finding your power and going your own way with boldness. He pitched the idea of The 48 Laws of Power, wrote a proposal that would get his publisher excited, and finally something worked. Twenty years later, this book is selling more than ever.
