6 Steps To Greatness
NEW YORK (WLNY) -- Can we really attain greatness in just six steps?
Author Robert Greene says yes, we can.
He outlines the plan for tapping your full potential in his latest work, "Mastery."
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He's studied some of the world's notable people - from Napoleon Bonaparte to Henry Kissinger, and he's worked with some of the most recent successes. For instance, Greene just wrote a book with 50 Cent.
"I've been spending the last 16 years researching the most powerful people in history," he said. "I've also worked with some very powerful people...I've noticed that they all have this ability, where they can almost feel what's coming next in a situation. They can see trends, the things that we're not even seeing, they can kind of pick up."
"They have a feel for their field that I call mastery," Greene said. "These people went through a process."
1. DISCOVER YOUR CALLING: THE LIFE'S TASK
We all possess an inner force that seeks to guide us toward our Life's Task - what we are meant to accomplish in that time that we have to live. The first move toward mastery is always inward - learning who you really are and reconnecting with that innate force. Knowing your life's task with clarity will allow us to find our way to the proper career path and everything else will fall into place.
2. SUBMIT TO REALITY: THE IDEAL APPRENTICESHIP
After formal education, we must enter the most critical phase in our lives - a second practical education known as The Apprenticeship. Before it is to late, we must learn the lessons and follow the path established by the greatest Masters - a kind of Ideal Apprenticeship that transcends all fields. Through an apprenticeship process, we will master the necessary skills, discipline our mind, and transform ourselves into independent thinkers.
3. ABSORB THE MASTER'S POWER: THE MENTOR DYNAMIC
Life is short, and our time for learning and creativity is limited. Without any guidance, we can waste valuable years trying to gain knowledge and practice from various sources. Instead, we must follow the example set by the Masters throughout the ages and find the proper mentor. Our goal is to always surpass our mentors in mastery and brilliance.
4. SEE PEOPLE AS THEY ARE: SOCIAL INTELLIGENCE
Often the greatest obstacle in our pursuit to mastery comes from the emotional drain we experience in dealing with resistance and manipulations of the people around us. We misread their intentions and react in ways that cause confusion or conflict. Social intelligence is the ability to see people in the most realistic light possible. We must navigate smoothly through the social environment so we have more time and energy to focus on learning and acquiring skills; Success attained without this intelligence is not true mastery, and will not last.
5. AWAKEN THE DIMENSIONAL MIND: THE CREATIVE-ACTIVE
As we accumulate more skills and internalize the rules that govern our fields, our minds will want to become more active, seeking to use this knowledge in ways that are more suited to our inclinations. Instead of feeling complacent about what we know, we must expand our knowledge to related fields, giving our minds fuel to make new associations between different ideas. We will turn against the rules we have internalized, shaping and reforming them to suit our spirits.
6. FUSE THE INTUITIVE WITH THE RATIONAL: MASTERY
All of us have access to a higher form of intelligence, one that can allow us to see more of the world, to anticipate trends, to respond with speed and accuracy to any circumstance. This intelligence is cultivated by deeply immersing ourselves in a field of study and staying true to our inclinations. This is what our brains were designed to attain, and we will be naturally led to this type of intelligence if we follow our inclinations to their ultimate ends.
