Adapting to Adversity: Robert Greene's Journey of Resilience

Robert Greene, author of "The 48 Laws of Power," overcame a stroke by mastering the art of assuming formlessness, adapting to circumstances.

### Robert Greene's Insights on Overcoming Adversity and Transforming Negative Experiences
* 🧠 Robert Greene believes that you must analyze and deal with your dark side, as he has used his dark emotions to **fuel his work and success**.
* 🎙 Reflecting on his recovery from a stroke, Greene emphasizes the importance of having a **dream** and **relentless perseverance**.
* 📚 Greene's books, such as "The 50th Law" (with 50 Cent), "Mastery," and "The Laws of Human Nature," have provided him with **valuable lessons and principles** to lean on during challenging times.
* 💔 When facing adversity, Greene suggests asking yourself if the situation could have been worse, what **lessons you can learn from it**, and being **future-oriented**.
* 🎭 According to Greene, finding a balance between **understanding and controlling your emotions** is crucial, as **repressing or overindulging them** both have negative consequences.
* ⚖ Greene's favorite law from "The 48 Laws of Power" pre-stroke was "**Never outshine the master**," which he learned from personal experience, and his favorite law from "The Laws of Human Nature" was **difficult to pinpoint**.

### Robert Greene: The Power of Dark Energy, Imagination, and the Sublime
* 😈 "Confront your dark side and make it **work for you**."
* 💭 "The idea that I want to plant in people's brain with my next book and in general is **things don't have to be the way they are** because you're in this situation in the present doesn't mean it has to be that way in **two months or a year from now**."
* 🪄 "Imagination is **extremely powerful** and **extremely important**."
* 💔 "Out of pain, anger, resentment, and frustration is a **greater power to create** over love."
* 📚 "The ability to alchemize something, having an idea that then we can **transmute into real life and creation**."
* 🚪 "The sublime is **opening your mind up as far as possible, as wide as possible**, and **opening your mind and your spirit like that** makes you more creative, makes you more energized, makes you a better human being."
* 📖 "Machiavelli was the inspiration for the 48 Laws. Somebody I've always loved because he's such a **realist**."

### Robert Greene: Mastering Human Nature, Empathy, and Overcoming Doubt
* 📚 Robert Greene admires historical figures like Machiavelli for his **honesty and multi-faceted personality**, and Leonardo da Vinci for his **genius and forward-thinking ideas**.
* 🧠 Greene believes the most crucial skill for 20 to 30-year-olds to learn is "**to get inside the minds of other people**," as it opens up **endless opportunities**.
* 😌 To develop this skill, one must shift the focus from oneself to others, treating them as **fascinating characters like in a movie**.
* 🔍 Asking subtle questions about people's childhood is an effective way to **understand them without being intrusive**.
* 😨 Greene's biggest fear is "**deathly afraid of failing [his] readers**," which drives him to **keep pushing himself**.
* 🎯 Overcoming doubt requires taking action and experiencing the fear, as **avoiding it only reinforces the fear**.
* 🌍 Greene predicts a "**revolutionary generation**" led by young people will emerge due to the **need for change and vitality**.
* 📈 To prepare for this change, one should **embrace it and be open to the new opportunities it brings**.

WHY SUCCESS Comes From MASTERING Your DARK SIDE | Robert Greene & Lewis Howes

Lewis Howes is a 2x New York Times best-selling author, 2x All-American athlete, keynote speaker, and entrepreneur. The School of Greatness shares inspiring interviews from the most successful people on the planet—world-renowned leaders in business, entertainment, sports, science, health, and literature—to inspire YOU to unlock your inner greatness and live your best life.

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Lewis Howes

Overcoming Adversity and Finding Strength

Robert Greene, the New York Times best-selling author, discusses his experience with overcoming a massive stroke and the two-year recovery process.

Despite the struggle, he remains driven and determined to keep going, showing a positive attitude and resilience.

Greene emphasizes the daily battle and hard work involved in his recovery, highlighting the importance of patience and perseverance in the face of adversity.

Overcoming Adversity and Transforming Negativity

The speaker discusses how they have overcome fear through relentless determination and pushing past their limits.

They have also learned the power of repetition and the impact of attitude on shaping one's life.

The conversation emphasizes the importance of transmuting negative experiences into a positive outlook on life, as well as the legacy one leaves behind.

Embracing Tragedy as an Opportunity for Growth

Experiencing a major disruption in life, such as a stroke, can be seen as a devastating bomb, but it also provides an opportunity to rethink one's life, values, and goals.

Tragedy can serve as a catalyst for reorientation and self-discovery, leading to a deeper appreciation for life and a newfound motivation to pursue meaningful endeavors.

Failure and defeat are powerful teachers, offering valuable lessons that success often cannot, as they provide opportunities for learning, growth, and self-reflection.

The Importance of Self-Reflection and Attitude Adjustment

Self-reflection is crucial for attitude adjustment and personal growth, helping to consider the worst-case scenario and the lessons to be learned from it.

Being future-oriented and patient is key to overcoming challenging situations and moving forward positively.

While expressing emotions is important, repressing them or letting them overpower you both have negative consequences, so finding a balance is essential for mental well-being.

Riding a horse requires a balance of control and freedom, similar to managing emotions.

Repressing emotions can lead to later outbursts, while letting them run wild is also unproductive.

Understanding and guiding emotions allows for better control and use of their energy.

The interviewee shares a personal story related to the "Never outshine the master" principle from the "48 Laws of Power," emphasizing the impact of not maintaining the balance of control in a work environment.

Dealing with insecurities and egos in the workplace is a fundamental aspect of human psychology.

"Law number one" emphasizes the importance of being aware of other people's insecurities to avoid unintentionally feeding into them.

The concept of "Assume Formlessness" from the "Laws of Human Nature" is crucial for adapting to circumstances and being fluid in life, especially in the face of challenges like a stroke.

The key to success is being open to different experiences and mastering various skills over time.

It's important to have a fluid and evolving approach to life, allowing for growth and diversity.

Choosing challenges that are slightly above your current skill level is the optimal way to learn and stay engaged.

The author emphasizes the need to confront and utilize the dark side, drawing from their personal experience of using anger and bitterness as a driving force for their work.

They discuss how dark energies can have a more powerful impact on creation than love, especially in a society where repression is common.

The conversation also explores how athletes, like Kobe Bryant and LeBron James, harness their dark energy and competitiveness for success, but the ultimate goal is to achieve fulfillment and give back to the community.

Channeling Dark Energy for a Greater Cause

Using frustration and anger to drive social change and help others is the key message.

Martin Luther King's experience of injustice and anger was channeled into a greater cause, inspiring others.

The importance of maintaining energy and focus on the ultimate goal to prevent social movements from losing momentum is crucial.

The Power of Imagination and the Sublime Experience

Robert Greene emphasizes writing for expression rather than for profit.

He discusses the concept of the sublime as a threshold, particularly focusing on the experience of death.

His near-death experience has transformed his perspective on mortality, which will heavily influence his next book.

The limitations he faces due to his health have shifted his approach to the book, now emphasizing the power of imagination and its ability to create meaningful experiences.

Robert Greene is inspired by Machiavelli for his realism and Leonardo da Vinci for being ahead of his time.

Machiavelli's honesty and diverse talents fascinated Greene, while da Vinci's superior thinking and empathy for animals intrigued him.

Cleopatra also captivated Greene with her intelligence, seductive skills, and theatricality.

Mastering the skill of understanding people's minds is the most crucial for people in their 20s and 30s, according to Greene.

Developing empathy involves shifting focus from oneself to others, showing genuine interest in their thoughts and feelings.

This skill allows for a deeper understanding of people's motivations and inner lives, leading to better connections and opportunities.

Empathy also helps in not taking things personally and understanding even the most challenging individuals, like a psychotic boss.

Nurturing Childhood Connections in Interviews

Building emotional connections through childhood experiences is a powerful interviewing technique.

Mirroring the interviewee's experiences and showing vulnerability can effectively establish rapport.

Preparation is the key to reducing nervousness and insecurity in interviews, as demonstrated by Alfred Hitchcock's approach to filmmaking.

Overcoming Fear and Insecurity for Success

Facing insecurities and fears is crucial for personal growth and success, starting at a young age.

Avoiding the first step due to fear can lead to intense pain and regret in the future.

Exposing oneself to fears and insecurities is key to turning them into strengths and avoiding the remorse of not trying in later years.

Overcoming Fear of Failure and Embracing Ambition

The key to overcoming doubt and depression is to pursue projects that bring a sense of achievement and fulfillment.

Despite his success, the fear of failure still haunts the author, driving him to continually strive for greatness.

He emphasizes the importance of maintaining ambition and not letting go of childhood dreams, while also acknowledging the societal pressure to succeed.

Robert predicts a revolutionary generation based on historical patterns of crisis and change.

He believes that young people will drive cultural, political, and social movements, leading to a significant outbreak of transformation.

To prepare for this, he advises embracing change, being open to new opportunities, and getting excited about the future.