Any change in peoples fortune is merely the deep preparation over time.
The Key to Transforming Yourself
Robert Greene
Key Takeaways
We humans tend to fixate on what we can see with our eyes. When we look at the changes and transformations in other peoples lives, we tend to see the good luck or visible signs of opportunity and success.
What really allows for such dramatic changes are the things that occur on the inside of a person and are completely invisible.
The slow accumulation of knowledge and skills, incremental improvements in work habits and ability to withstand criticism. Any change in peoples fortune is merely the deep preparation over time.
By essentially ignoring this internal and invisible aspect, we fail to change anything fundamental within ourselves. In times we reach our limits once again, get frustrated by craving change, grab something quick and superficial and we remain prisoners forever of these recurring patterns in our lives.
The key to the ability to transform ourselves is simple—stop fixating on what other people are saying and doing: money, connections, outward appearances. Look inward, focus on the smaller internal changes that lay the groundwork for a much larger change in fortune. It is the difference between grasping at an illusion and immersing yourself in reality. Reality is what will liberate and transform you.
We are all fundamentally unique, one of a kind—your DNA, particular configuration of your brain, life experiences. In early childhood, this uniqueness manifested itself by the fact that you felt particularly drawn to certain subjects and activities “Primal Inclinations” You cannot rationally explain why you felt so drawn into these activities.
As you get older, you often lose contact with these inclinations from listening to parents, teachers, friends. At a certain point, you almost become a stranger to yourself, so you enter professions that aren’t suited to you emotionally and intellectually.
Your life task is to return to those inclinations or uniqueness. At whatever age you find this out, you must reflect back at those early inclinations, look at those subjects in the present that continue to spark that childlike intense curiosity in you. You must look at those subjects and activities that you have done in the past that repel you or have no emotional resonance.
Based on these reflections, you determine the direction you must take. You now have a loose overall framework which you can explore and find those angles and positions that suit you best.
Listen closely to yourself and your internal radar. Move on from what doesn’t feel right, slowly narrowing your path, all the while accumulating skills. Most people want a straight path to success, but instead, you must welcome wrong turns and mistakes. They make you aware of your flaws, widen your experiences and toughen you up. Nothing in this process is ever wasted. In any event, the goal that you are after is learning and the acquisition of skills, not a fat paycheck.
Now look at what happens to you when you adopt this internal driven mindset. Because you are headed in a direction that resonates with you personally and emotionally the hours of practice and study do not seem so burdensome. What excites you is the learning process itself, overcoming obstacles, increasing skills. You are immersed in the present instead of constantly worrying about the future.
Without forcing the issue a point is reached where you are thoroughly ready from within. The slightest opportunity that comes your way, you will now exploit and you will now draw opportunities to you because people will sense how prepared you are.
The way to transform yourself is through your work. Through our work, we can actually connect to who we are, instead of running away. By entering that slow, organic process, we can change ourselves from the inside out.
This process involves a journey of self-discovery that can be seen as spiritual. The end of this process we can contribute something unique and meaningful to our culture through our work.