you cannot Escape power you can either ignore it or understand it power has a bad reputation people are reluctant to talk about power and ambition for power is considered taboo granted throughout history not everyone who has had power has used it well but the truth is that power is inevitable structures of Power are everywhere and you always play a role within them you cannot Escape power you can only ignore it and fail to understand it but power is so essential that without it you can affect nothing do nothing and change nothing making the search for
Power a taboo is the best way to keep people powerless so you should seek power because that's how you're going to have any impact an agency in life power is a game you're always playing so you should learn how to play this video will explore where power comes from along with three rules to become powerful in your own life so what is power and where does it come from power is the reflection that we need certain things in order to survive whoever controls the things that allow us to live has power power is fundamentally connected
to our needs and to what we want we seek what is useful and what is Pleasant thus we can form our first principle of power power is caused by value that is by what people give importance to power comes from controlling value another way to say this is that power comes from controlling resources resources aren't Only Natural Resources like Land Oil or gold resources can be material such as money food and shelter they can be Professional Resources such as skills that are in high demand and they can be personal resources such as intelligence strength attractiveness
and humor anything that is useful or Pleasant is a resource in other words a resource is anything that directly or indirectly helps make life less painful or more pleasant since resources can assume many forms you can become powerful in different areas of life by becoming a source of those resources be it within your family in your social group inside a company or in the broader economy you can ask yourself what do people value and by becoming a supplier of it you will gain power at the personal level offering value can mean being a source of
pleasant experiences or having useful skills that apply to Everyday Life In The Art of Seduction author Robert Greene says that the key to a successful seduction is to be a source of pleasure you may be an inspirational figure you may be someone people have a good time with you may have skills that people come to you for or your advice and practical wisdom may be something widely sought by your friends similarly at the professional level you can offer value by master and skills especially if they are in high demand at a broader level you can
directly produce value and deliver it by understanding what people want and figure out how to offer it to them this is the principle of business understand the demand and figure out how to supply it again power comes from value by producing and controlling value you gain agency influence wealth popularity the value you offer returns to you in different forms thus the quickest most organic way to gain power and wealth is by becoming a source of value this is the first rule to become powerful learn what people want and give it to them be it in
your business professional or personal life once you are in a position to offer something that others value people will start coming to you and seeking you a network will start forming around you in any area of life where you have become a source of value your next step to power is understanding how to keep your power within your network you want to be the Sovereign the one source of value which everyone seeks to do this we must understand how power Works in Social relationships since power is the ability to control resources that is what people
value power can play out in a social relationship in three different ways one person can offer something that the other wants but the other can't offer anything to the first one one person can offer something to the other and the other can also offer something back this leads to negotiation or no one can offer anything of interest to the other no power plays out between the two parties until someone finds something they want from the other these dynamics of value and power are the basis of any social relationship be it personal professional or political we
connect with friends because we value their company and we do enjoyable activities together we keep in touch with professional contacts because they may provide valuable opportunities or services and countries build relations that mutually benefit them again value is the ability of something to be useful or Pleasant by becoming a source of value people will start coming to you and the network will begin to form around you since you are the source of value in the network you are also the one with power all relationships in the network will be of the first two kinds where
people want something from you and they either have nothing to offer you or they have something that you value of those two relationships your most valuable is the second it allows you to negotiate and reach a win-win outcome where you and the other party both get what you're looking for for example in a group of friends you could be a source of good time or supportiveness people start coming to you for the way you make them feel and help them and in return you can choose to surround yourself with people who make you feel similarly
this relationship of power is how you get what you want while also helping others get what they want however you also want to keep close the other type of relationship people who value you but who have nothing to offer you are useful assets as they will be eager to do what they can for you you can ask them for favors and help in some cases they may even try to get something you want in order to be in a position to negotiate with you this way they do the work for you by surrounding yourself with
people who want something from you you will always have the possibility to negotiate ask for favors and get help additionally since you are surrounded by people who value you you develop an aura of prestige and Status further increasing your value and your influence thus the key principle to build a network where you have power is to ignore whoever wants nothing of you let people come to you because of the value you offer that way you will build a network that you can command needless to say you should avoid at all costs wanting something from someone
who wants nothing of you in such a situation you would be giving all the power to someone else furthermore since power is the ability to control what people value you should never reveal what you value this will allow you to remain free from other people's power and thus maintain your own power intact by keeping your needs and desires a mystery no one knows how to please you and most importantly how to control you you also cultivate an aura of greatness if no one knows what you want it seems as if you are above all human
needs while you build a reputation for the abundance that you can offer to people this will produce a god-like image of you you build an aura of omnipotence abundance and invincibility however there is one exception to this rule to properly negotiate you must reveal what you want from the other party thus only reveal what you value when you are ready to ask for it but never show that you give too much importance to what you value if you want or need something make it seem as something that would be nice to have rather than something
that you absolutely need or want give the impression that you're ready to walk away this way you maintain your aura of invincibility and emanate the idea that you're above what anyone could possibly offer you people will be ready to offer you more for what you can give them so remember power is a game you're always playing so you should learn how to play if you ignore the rules of power you will inevitably lose and be crushed by others power how can you gain power by becoming a source of value becoming resourceful in different areas of
life is the best way to rise to power quickly and organically once a network starts building around you ignore whoever wants nothing of you let people come to you let them be attracted to the value that you produce and the resources that you control then to create a god-like image of invincibility and abundance make it seem as if nothing can sway you never reveal what you value and when you negotiate give the impression that what you want isn't that important to you it is not something you absolutely need but something that would be nice to
have this will help you in your rise to power but once you become powerful can you face the greatest danger of power history shows us tyrants such as kaligula and Nero who succumbed to the immense power they had and with it destroyed themselves and their Legacies but there are also figures who have used their power to accomplish great things and who benefit Humanity to this day Marcus Aurelius Socrates Buddha and other figures have arguably used their power to immensely contribute to human existence how can we like them face the great burden that comes with power
and build a lasting and valuable Legacy this is a topic for the next video
