XXVI. Aim for Dominance
Almost nothing in the world can resist persistent human energy. Things will yield if we strike enough blows with enough force.
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“Remember — your responsibilities can be broken down into individual parts as well. Concentrate on those, and finish the job methodically — without getting stirred up or meeting anger with anger.” — Marcus Aurelius
This is a short story about The Crow & the Pitcher as adapted from Aesop’s Fables.
In a spell of dry weather, when the Birds could find very little to drink, a thirsty Crow found a pitcher with a little water in it.
But the pitcher was high and had a narrow neck, and no matter how he tried, the Crow could not reach the water.
The poor thing felt as if he must die of thirst.
Then an idea came to him.
Picking up some small pebbles, he dropped them into the pitcher one by one.
With each pebble the water rose a little higher until at last it was near enough so he could drink.
We feel powerless and unworthy when people depend on us to handle a task, be strong mentally and physically, be well connected, or give them a good life under our care, and we fail.
Our inadequacies frustrate the fuck out of us.
But we’ll be more peaceful, eager to get better, and prouder to know that almost every problem can be solved by aiming to get stronger, aiming for dominance — through deliberate incremental practice on every detail our work entails.
The process goes as follows:
We dream of a big project.
Learn and practice the fundamentals and ancillary skills of how to do it in the most excellent way possible.
Implement a system you enjoy to accomplish daily milestones.
Show up daily.
Give yourself time and reflect often on how far you’ve come to get more energy and confidence to overcome obstacles.
To quote Robert Greene,
“What you must understand is the following: almost nothing in the world can resist persistent human energy. Things will yield if we strike enough blows with enough force. Look at how many great people in history have succeeded in this way. ”
Look at how Elon Musk has succeeded in this way.
The beautiful thing about it is that we don't have to make this practice overwhelming by wanting to perfect everything at once.
We’re patient and more focused on the progress we can make right now.
We can pick one area of life where we suck, study the process that goes into making it as excellent as possible, and then apply it in the real world while implementing feedback until we get good results.
Think of entrepreneurship, school work, creating wealth, being social, our job.
Don’t have enough money? Master a skill and market yourself.
Feeling lethargic, unmotivated, and a bit depressed? Exercise, eat well, and optimize your hormones.
Don’t have enough friends? Practice social skills and love people.
Feeling overwhelmed and unfulfilled at work? Automate, learn how to handle stress and your wellbeing, or do less while creating a more fun and rewarding business on the side.
Not feeling respected as a leader? Learn how to control your emotions, build relationships based on respect, and how to subtly nudge people in a direction you want.
Apply this framework to anything — see how you can dominate.
You're not a bad person. Marcus Aurelius says, you just have to,