I remember, when I was studying economics
about 4 years ago and I had to write this 50-page dissertation on a one-month internship. I was working at a construction site and it
wasn't really an internship, to begin with. I wasn't treated preferentially in any way
and I had no one showing me around or explaining just about anything, so I mostly worked long
days of pure physical labor with only half an hour of lunch time. Now, while the other students of my class
were sitting in an office comfortably complaining about having nothing to do, I was outside
by 30-something degrees with an obligatory helmet on my head that seemed to absorb and
contain all the sunbeams in case I wasn't already sweating profusely. However, I preferred it to the other half
of the time, when it rained like I was standing underneath a waterfall, but the weather was
really just a minor thing. My fellow classmates could start at 9 am and
go home at 3 pm, whereas I had to work twice as long and x-times as hard. Ironically all of us were avoiding checking
the clock, so time would pass sooner, but I wished it was out of boredom. After that one month, what could have initially
been my summer holidays, the last thing I wanted to do was write a 50-page dissertation. It did not help, when school started again
about 2 weeks later. All the homework, new assignments, weekly
exams, demanding projects - all of it was too important to neglect and of immediate
priority. So the deadline approached with remarkable
speed. And all of a sudden, we had one week left
to turn it in. (All of a sudden, right? I totally have myself to blame and would act
differently today, but that was the mindset I was in 4 years ago.) I did not even manage to start Saturday, it
was so much, that it paralyzed me. I did not know where or how to start and so
I chose to waste the whole day in denial. Predictibly irrational behaviour. On Sunday, I managed to create a structure,
a table of content, that would match all the objectives and ended up writing four quality
pages, not that much. I soon realized that my biggest problem was
the time I had to spend additionally on researching. I had had no time to take notes, since I had
been lifting heavy shit & operating machines all day. Nobody on the construction site had the time
or even the expertise to explain the business side of things to me. With about 2 & a half hours of sleep I went
to class on Monday and as it turned out, I wasn't the only one in this self-imposed predicament
and we all knew what we had to do. Throughout the whole week, whatever time window
we had, we would work on our dissertations. In every class with access to computers, of
which we didn't have many, in every 15 min break once a day and even a class or two where
we managed to escape without consequences. My day and night cycle was ridicioulous. I'd get home, completely exhausted, sleep
for 3 hours and then work through the whole night. I worked on it until it was time to get on
the bus again or until I felt so tired that I read the same sentence 5 times and it still
didn't make any sense to me. Like I couldn't read the alphabet anymore. The words just became a meaningless pulp of
symbols and every few minutes I would realize my mind had wandered off into a completely
unrelated thought process and I had lost track of what I was doing. If that was the case I usually took a quick
2 hour nap to continue where I had left of. Surprisingly that 2 hour nap was enough to
revitalize my energy. I was forcing the words to come out, I had
never written so creatively and professionally before. We have to turn it in by Friday, 12 am or
we'll lose 20% of the possible points. A disastrous punishment. The whole week passed very quickly, but at
the same time it felt like 2 months. On Friday 11:30, 30 minutes before I had to
hand it in, I was ready to print the damn thing and the fucking printer doesn't work. I almost started panicking & then something
took over, I saw the world in slowmotion and we figured it out. I ended up reaching it in on time, but it
felt like the whole week, every time I resisted falling asleep or giving up and I kept struggling
and used every time window imaginable contributed to me making it. As I've mentioned in an earlier video, I call
this forced creativity, when you have no other option, you start seeing solutions that weren't
there before. You become inventive and inspired and conquer
impossible odds. The whole week is a blur to me, like a night
out you've completely forgotten through consuming too much alcohol and then you slowly recover
some pieces of the puzzle, but you're not able to put the whole picture together. Months later we were called in student by
student and the teacher, who was notorious for being the biggest asshole on campus, gave
me the best mark possible and even asked if he could use the last part of my work for
future teaching. We're talking about a guy who would rather
cut his own foot off, than give an undeserved good mark and big words of admiration. That dissertation to this day is one of my
best works and even reading it feels strange. It's like someone with far superior skills
wrote it, I don't even remember writing many of its parts, but I did write them. I know that as a fact, because I can remember
the emotions I felt. Anxious that I wouldn't make it, completely
stressed out, but at the same time like I was achieving something great and a sort of
pride that it wasn't a big enough challenge for me, that I could not only make it, but
make it great. Believe me, when I say. If I had done what seems to be the right thing,
to work a month in advance and invest an hour every day, I would probably never have reached
that sort of focus, dedication and creativity. It would not have been an A+, that's for sure. I remember that on Monday I felt the full
weight of what was on the line and I made a decision, I was going to hustle. Not like I was arrogantly proud, more like
"Even, if it all went down in a fiery blaze of hell, at the very least, I would've tried
and given it my all and it worked out perfectly. Robert Greene has told a very similar story
to this one about experiencing Mastery, ironically, when his agents gave him a strict deadline
to finish writing Mastery. Now, I'm not comparing my writing skills to
Robert Greene's. He is my favorite author and his skill is
impeccable. I'm comparing the situation, but even there
- the period of time, he was in that state, was something around 8 weeks. No wonder he says writing his books almost
kills him. He literally said I thought I was going to
die. As Greene said himself, the first 2-3 days
he felt anger and didn't want to accept the situation, sort of wasting that time, but
then he realized what was on the line (his book wouldn't have been published, a fucking
disaster) and decided to give it his best, to try and make it happen and he did and it
worked out perfectly. That's one way to be put on Deathground, whereas
I had noone else to blame but myself. But when I read Mastery for the first time,
I could relate so much, because I had come to same conclusions Robert Greene had. I was reading part of my own thoughts in a
much more eloquent and reasearched way. However and this is where we get to the bottom
of things. What I just described is a glimpse of what
Mastery looks like, I immediately went back to being normal, there was no deadline, no
need for taking on such a huge workload in a challenging period of time. Imagine, for a second, if Mastery, if how
I handled that situation was my regular way of living, but I wouldn't feel drained of
energy and eventually burn out that way. That sort of laser-like focus, determination
and speed would be the norm. I would have the feeling that I have a greater
command of reality, other people and myself at all times. That would be true Mastery. I'm working on it and I hope you are, too. Mastery by Robert Greene is by far one of
the best books you will ever read. Mastery explains how you can become a leader
in any given field by examining the lives and pathways to success of historical masters
such as Mozart, Einstein, Benjamin Franklin and Darwin, as well as 'living' masters Greene
has interviewed. So for all of you struggling with connecting
the historical examples to today, there's a lot to be learned by contemporary masters
who are crushing it in life right now. For all you power-hungry folks out there. Understand this: the ultimate form of power
is mastery. As a master you are at the height of your
power and most people, not you, because I believe in you, as you are in fact watching
a self-development video right now, but most people won't ever achieve mastery in anything. So the question is - why? "Everyone holds his fortune in his own hands,
like a sculptor the raw material he will fashion into a figure. But it's the same with that type of artistic
activity as with all others: We are merely born with the capability to do it. The skill to mold the material into what we
want must be learned and attentively cultivated." - Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
That's the answer. All of us can, but few of us will, because
it's hard. It's difficult, but it wouldn't be worth doing
otherwise. Let me tell you why most people feel really
fucking bad about themselves. They're miserable, because everytime they
face resistance they have two options. a) Do something about it. Solve the problem. Attack it head on. Work hard. or b) choose the easy way. Choose immediate gratification that will work
against them in the long run, and not to forget, blame everyone & everything else. Take no responsibility whatsoever and just
wait for things to happen. And that same kind of mindset makes them believe
they're not capable of doing great things. Fact is they are capable, but it's so much
more comfortable to sit around and do nothing while blaming your made-up, self-imposed inability
forced on you by the rich & famous, who want to keep you down and are constantly conspiring
against you improving yourself. Please, for your sake and mine. Don't think like that and internalize "Only
a break that is earned is worth taking." It will make you so much happier. Keys to Mastery
Everyone can achieve Mastery / It is not a lack of innate talent, superior genetics or
whatever else you blame it on. This wrong notion that the successful people
have something you don't is comfortable thinking as it doesn't require you to take action. No more excuses, mastery can be achieved by
anyone. I'm looking at you. You are a future master, if you decide to
put in the hours it takes to get there. That's good news and you should celebrate. Nothing beats hard work. Winning the lottery for example, it's a small
fucking chance for that anyways, as far as I'm concerned, it's a government driven scam,
playing on your fantasies, but let's say you actually win the lottery. That doesn't magically give you any valuable
skills, you'll have the money, sure, but becoming a master at something you love doing is so
much more, than finding a way to make good money with it. And waking up everyday being able to do whatever
it is you want will only make you happy if you've got a purpose. What's your why? Why do you get up in the morning? If the answer is, because you have to... that's
not a good answer. To me, becoming a little bit better every
day is the main reason I got the motivation to jump out of bed in the morning with a smile,
because I'm constantly transforming as a human being to becoming a better person and if I
can help others, like you, by doing so, that will only make me a happier person. Now, this is a personal mantra of mine. Born a peasant die a king. Do not accept the roles society foists on
you. That's you born as a peasant, right here,
see? No offense. Aaaand this is a crown, it implies that this
guy right here is a king, that can be you. Be royal in your own fashion. Rediscover your inner child's fascination
/ As children we tend to be drawn to something naturally. It is through school, friends and parenting
that we get pushed into the opposite direction. We're told to become lawyers and doctors,
we're told to go to college/university and pursue the jobs that pay the highest salaries. We're told to fit in and our uniqueness is
buried. No one asks us what we as individuals would
love to do. But here's the catch, we can only truly master
a field, if we're genuinely driven by positive, core emotions like love and passion for our
craft. How else, could you expect to be happy? You won't have the necessary drive to make
it, if you hate every living second of whatever it is you feel forced to do. Sorting through bland business documents all
day in some office cubicle I think is the last thing anybody wants to do. Following your heart will be an emotional
rollecoaster and the one and only essential thing that will make you push through the
hardships that you will definitely live through is true, geniune passion for what you do. While reading through Mastery I made a bunch
of notes that I compiled into the next 20 lessons I felt are the most important. I know it's a long video, but stick with me
here, I'm convinced you'll find it helpful and if not I congratulate you for you must
have already mastered everything. 1) Know thyself, what kind of vocation or
career do you feel drawn to as an individual. You absolutely have to figure that out. 2) Seek out mentors, commit to apprenticeships,
in which you'll undergo years of humble observation, skill acquisition and making your own reference
experiences, instead of basing all your knowledge on theoretical studies. 3) Revert to a feeling of deep humility and
open-mindedness, eager to learn from everyone. 4) Cross the threshold past the initial, fatiguing
stages of learning. Embrace resistance and pain, dismiss of limiting
comfort and false sense of security latching on to what's familiar. 5) Once you've completed your apprencticeship,
make a shift. Take bold, self-secure actions and apply your
skills, connecting new ideas and letting your own creativity free. 6) Learn to handle criticism and failure,
be grateful for the chance to grow and improve through your mistakes. 7) The main separation of true masters to
others is not an intellectual, but an emotional component. To quote Eric Thomas "In school there were
guys way smarter than me. [...] Most of them aren't doing what I'm doing,
why? Cuz you gotta have heart." 8) Social intelligence is key to your way
to the top. Your ablility to emphasize with people, see
and understand their perspective will prove most valuable. Again, you gotta have heart, not just for
what you do, but for yourself and other people. 9) We tend to be judgemental, idealize or
even demonize people, chances are you might not understand something they do. Be a neutral observer when learning, don't
project your own thoughts, emotions and insecurities onto others. 10) At the same time people will do that to
you. They could hinder your progress through their
envy, conformism, rigidity, narcassism, laziness, irresponsibility and passive aggression. Learn to dodge those vices like the potentially
deadly bullets they are. 11) Acta non verba. Speak through your accomplishments, your point
is proven, you can't be sabotaged. Almost nothing good comes from talking about
your future projects to people who don't have the same values, the same wordlview, as you
do. 12) Your ego will get in the way from time
to time. It's important to know you're not your thoughts,
your actions matter most. Hence try to distance yourself emotionally
from your ego, see yourself through the lense of others and work on your flaws and shortcomings. 13) Don't take criticism personally from people
who don't know what they're talking about. Likewise, when criticizing someone, choose
your words carefully, make it constructive and talk like an expert only on subjects you're
familiar with. 14) Remember how energetic and full of life
you were as a child? The sense of wonder and endless curiosity
about everything? Relearn to see the world through that lense. It will stimulate your creativity like nothing
else. 15) Dispel of all your preconceived notions
about the world. Dismissing of all limiting beliefs and releasing
your imagination will prove powerful beyond measure. Be as fluid as water and think outside the
box. 16) Change is good, unconventional approaches
are what starts innovation. Having unpopular beliefs is a sign, you're
onto something. To quote Mark Twain "Whenever you find yourself
on the side of the majority - it is time to pause and reflect." Challenge and question popular ideas. 17) Learning is a gift on its own, soon enough
you'll be connecting a wide array of ideas from different fields of study and disciplines
coming to conclusions on universal truths. Take Josh Waitzkin for example. Once he mastered the chessboard, he was able
to transfer what he learned onto his brazilian jiu jitsu and master the sport within a much
shorter period of time. 18) What's your why? You have to visualize, write down and repeat
what you're living for, what's your purpose, what's your destiny? Feel conciously connected to it and you won't
be able to wait to get up in the morning, see what new challenges you'll face while
pursuing your dreams. 19) Picture success as a heavy rooftop and
the pillars to support it are self-discipline, passion, persistence, concentration, sweat,
self-reliance, observance, confidence, self-trust, commitment, modesty, formlessness, fearlessness
and openmindedness. 20) There's also ways to make that rooftop
lighter by dismissing of hindrances such as complacency, conservatism, helplessness, impatience,
grandiosity, inflexibility, distractions, egotism and overall negativity. In closing, I wholeheartedly recommend reading
the book yourself. No amount of animated videos would be able
to serve as a substitute for it or the other books for that matter. It's probably one of the most important one's
you'll ever read. If you haven't realized by now Robert Greene
is one of the top authors living today, I guess there's no saving you. I'm joking, of course, but then again every
joke has a little bit of truth in it. As always thanks for watching. Don't miss out on my mentoring and subscribe
for more supplementary animated video book summaries which will serve you on your own
way to becoming a true master.
