People sometimes imagine that they can somehow fight someone or raise an army or just win an election or something and that will instantly grant them power.
What they don't understand is that in order to seize power -- they need to have that power in the first place. The formalization of power is an after-effect. First, they were powerful. Then, they were recognized for it.
Julius Caesar wisely understood this concept. He lived it throughout his life. He didn't seize the "throne" of the empire. He created it. It literally did not exist until he did. When he crossed the Rubicon, "the die is cast" and it had already rolled in his favor. He wasn't gambling -- the game was rigged and he rigged it.
Thankfully Julius Caesar left a detailed journal that describes his rise to power. It describes in detail what he did to obtain it, how he guarded it, and how he grew it. Have you read it?
What is power?
Put simply, it is the ability to command men. You say "jump!" and the men ask "How high?"
More men that follow your commands, especially loyal men who don't even question you, means more power. But how do you get even one man to obey your commands?
That is the question, after all. If you can get one man to obey, then getting 10 or 1,000 is simply a matter of replication. Do that thing 10 times or 1,000 times, and now you have 10 or 1,000 men obeying your words.
So what does it take to get 1 man to obey you? Simply put, they must decide that their interest is YOUR interest, and that you know what's best for them, and most importantly, that you will act in THEIR interest.
Some say you can buy power. You cannot. You can buy people's time, maybe their skills or maybe even their talent. But you cannot buy their loyalty. "Money speaks!" is the phrase you might hear. But it can only say so much, and only for so long. Eventually, your workers go home at night, or say "Enough is enough" and decide to leave you and go somewhere else. You can't pay people to sacrifice their lives for you or your cause or mission.
Certainly, of course, money is important. Poor people don't have much power. Or rather, poor people who figure it out aren't poor for very long.
Some say power can be given. It cannot. Julius Caesar could no more transfer his power to his successor than any other monarch from any other period of time. All successors must gain their own power. Obviously, they get a bit of a head start, but history is FULL of examples of people who failed to seize power from their ancestors.
Roman history is full of great examples of how people tried to pass power on and how those who were successful at it did it and those who were not did not.
What sort of man would you follow into your grave? Why would you gladly die that he might live? Why would you spend every free thought thinking about how you can make his life better? Think about this and you'll start to understand what sort of man YOU need to be.
A strong ruler needs strong men. A stronger ruler needs strong rulers! If you are going to be of any use to a strong, powerful man, it is going to be because you, yourself, are strong and powerful. This is the strange paradox. A strong leader doesn't need weak men. So what must that leader do? He must develop his followers into strong men, or convince strong men to join him. There is really no other way.
I remember reading "How to win friends and influence people" when I was still in high school. I give that book to all of my kids as they transition to adulthood, and we talk about it. The key concept in that book is that simple things you do can change everything. Remember someone's birthday, for instance, and call them or send them a birthday card. Something so ridiculously simple can have a powerful impact on that person for the rest of their lives. Give it a try.
Better yet -- memorize someone's name. Then when you see them, call out to them and show them you took the time to memorize their name. It always surprises me how so simple an act can cause so much joy in someone. (Of course, if you get their name wrong -- that's a different story.)
Simple acts, simple interactions -- not big gestures -- are what steer men's hearts. A giant ship needs only a small rudder to control it's directions in the harshest storms. A real leader controls men with simple acts. Men turn to him because they already know who he is, how much he cares, and how effective he is.
You remember when people used to obsess over "alpha" "beta" and "sigma". "Alpha" was supposed to be the uber-jocks who had won life's lottery and naturally attracted others. "Beta" were those men who could never lead but could follow the alphas. And sigmas? They were the ones who didn't care, who wanted to remain aloof and do their own thing.
Such a simple paradigm, and oh so wrong. Don't try to follow other people's paradigms. Just be who you are, and move forward according to your own will. As a white man, you are a natural "alpha". You already have, encoded in your DNA and your culture and your heritage, the blood and culture of kings and noblemen who commanded millions of people in desperate battles and endless wars. At the same time, you have the "sigma" built in, allowing you to, at times, ignore the crowd and try something new, or walk your own path despite what the world would have you do. And we are all naturally "beta" as well, looking for someone we can look up to, who is worthy to lead us.
Be powerful. Attract more people to your cause. Move mountains with teaspoons and gently breezes. Study this topic and take it to heart.
There are countless examples of great leaders, and many of those leaders gave away their secrets for free. Find their advice, dig whatever gems you can find in there, and put them in your crown.
What they don't understand is that in order to seize power -- they need to have that power in the first place. The formalization of power is an after-effect. First, they were powerful. Then, they were recognized for it.
Julius Caesar wisely understood this concept. He lived it throughout his life. He didn't seize the "throne" of the empire. He created it. It literally did not exist until he did. When he crossed the Rubicon, "the die is cast" and it had already rolled in his favor. He wasn't gambling -- the game was rigged and he rigged it.
Thankfully Julius Caesar left a detailed journal that describes his rise to power. It describes in detail what he did to obtain it, how he guarded it, and how he grew it. Have you read it?
What is power?
Put simply, it is the ability to command men. You say "jump!" and the men ask "How high?"
More men that follow your commands, especially loyal men who don't even question you, means more power. But how do you get even one man to obey your commands?
That is the question, after all. If you can get one man to obey, then getting 10 or 1,000 is simply a matter of replication. Do that thing 10 times or 1,000 times, and now you have 10 or 1,000 men obeying your words.
So what does it take to get 1 man to obey you? Simply put, they must decide that their interest is YOUR interest, and that you know what's best for them, and most importantly, that you will act in THEIR interest.
Some say you can buy power. You cannot. You can buy people's time, maybe their skills or maybe even their talent. But you cannot buy their loyalty. "Money speaks!" is the phrase you might hear. But it can only say so much, and only for so long. Eventually, your workers go home at night, or say "Enough is enough" and decide to leave you and go somewhere else. You can't pay people to sacrifice their lives for you or your cause or mission.
Certainly, of course, money is important. Poor people don't have much power. Or rather, poor people who figure it out aren't poor for very long.
Some say power can be given. It cannot. Julius Caesar could no more transfer his power to his successor than any other monarch from any other period of time. All successors must gain their own power. Obviously, they get a bit of a head start, but history is FULL of examples of people who failed to seize power from their ancestors.
Roman history is full of great examples of how people tried to pass power on and how those who were successful at it did it and those who were not did not.
What sort of man would you follow into your grave? Why would you gladly die that he might live? Why would you spend every free thought thinking about how you can make his life better? Think about this and you'll start to understand what sort of man YOU need to be.
A strong ruler needs strong men. A stronger ruler needs strong rulers! If you are going to be of any use to a strong, powerful man, it is going to be because you, yourself, are strong and powerful. This is the strange paradox. A strong leader doesn't need weak men. So what must that leader do? He must develop his followers into strong men, or convince strong men to join him. There is really no other way.
I remember reading "How to win friends and influence people" when I was still in high school. I give that book to all of my kids as they transition to adulthood, and we talk about it. The key concept in that book is that simple things you do can change everything. Remember someone's birthday, for instance, and call them or send them a birthday card. Something so ridiculously simple can have a powerful impact on that person for the rest of their lives. Give it a try.
Better yet -- memorize someone's name. Then when you see them, call out to them and show them you took the time to memorize their name. It always surprises me how so simple an act can cause so much joy in someone. (Of course, if you get their name wrong -- that's a different story.)
Simple acts, simple interactions -- not big gestures -- are what steer men's hearts. A giant ship needs only a small rudder to control it's directions in the harshest storms. A real leader controls men with simple acts. Men turn to him because they already know who he is, how much he cares, and how effective he is.
You remember when people used to obsess over "alpha" "beta" and "sigma". "Alpha" was supposed to be the uber-jocks who had won life's lottery and naturally attracted others. "Beta" were those men who could never lead but could follow the alphas. And sigmas? They were the ones who didn't care, who wanted to remain aloof and do their own thing.
Such a simple paradigm, and oh so wrong. Don't try to follow other people's paradigms. Just be who you are, and move forward according to your own will. As a white man, you are a natural "alpha". You already have, encoded in your DNA and your culture and your heritage, the blood and culture of kings and noblemen who commanded millions of people in desperate battles and endless wars. At the same time, you have the "sigma" built in, allowing you to, at times, ignore the crowd and try something new, or walk your own path despite what the world would have you do. And we are all naturally "beta" as well, looking for someone we can look up to, who is worthy to lead us.
Be powerful. Attract more people to your cause. Move mountains with teaspoons and gently breezes. Study this topic and take it to heart.
There are countless examples of great leaders, and many of those leaders gave away their secrets for free. Find their advice, dig whatever gems you can find in there, and put them in your crown.