Robert Greene

"No moment is wasted if you pay attention and learn the lessons contained in every experience."

— Robert Greene

American Writer / Speaker

1959 -

Commentary

Have you ever said that you were bored?  Or maybe your teenage son or daughter claimed to be bored?  Boredom is a state of mind in which we choose to be.  Life is full of opportunities if we are awake and listening.  As writers and artists we need to always be alert to what is happening around us.  No moment will be wasted if we pay attention.

Have you ever had to wait in a Doctor's office?  Or stood in line at a grocery store or bank?  Or waited in line at a fast food restaurant?  Were you bored and daydreaming?  Or were you paying attention to the details around you.  What can you take from the experience and put into your writing?  What details would you put into a painting?  Can you imitate the cashier?  What dialogue can you steal from the mouths of strangers?  

When I go shopping with my wife, I have developed the habit of taking my journal with me.  I find a place where I can write while she shops.  I have written in grocery stores, department stores and large malls.  There are always opportunities to write or draw if you are open.

Life is finite.  There are only so many years, days and hours that we each are given.  Don't waste them being bored.  Life is full of opportunity if we choose to pay attention.

Creative Practice

This week while you are waiting in line, take the opportunity to observe the world around you.  What do you see or hear that you can use in your creative work?  If you are waiting for someone, pull out your journal and write a few notes, draw a picture, create a poem or outline a story.  Learn something new from the world in which you live.

Biography
Robert Greene was raised in Los Angeles. He attended the University of California at Berkeley and the University of Wisconsin at Madison. Greene estimated that he worked at 80 jobs, including construction, translation, and editing, before becoming a writer. His first book, The 48 Laws of Power, was published in 2000 and has sold over 1.2 million copies in the United States alone. His fifth book, Mastery, was published in 2012. Green speaks five languages and is a student of Zen Buddhism.

Robert Greene

"At your birth a seed is planted.  That seed is your uniqueness.  It wants to grow, transform itself, and flower to its full potential.  It has a natural, assertive energy to it. Your Life's Task is to bring that seed to flower, to express your uniqueness through your work."

Robert Greene

American Writer/Speaker

1959 -

Commentary
What makes you unique?  What is your life's work?  Are you doing your life's work?  Have you found your passion?  What is the reason you were born?  What are the gifts that you have been given?  What skills do you need to master?

I think my life's work has been to inspire others to be better than they are.  The seed for my life's work found expression when I was young in my desire to be a preacher.  Later, the seed was expressed in my desire to rid the world of racism and war.  Ultimately, my life's work found expression in my speaking and training within health care.  I've touched people's lives through my voice and the telling of motivational stories.

Creative Practice
This week write about your life's work.  What is your purpose for being here?  If you don't know why you are here, then use this writing exercise to help you discover your purpose for being.

Biography
Robert Greene was raised in Los Angeles.  He attended the University of California at Berkeley and the University of Wisconsin at Madison.  Greene estimated that he worked at 80 jobs, including construction, translation, and editing, before becoming a writer.  His first book, The 48 Laws of Power, was published in 2000 and has sold over 1.2 million copies in the United States alone.  His fifth book, Mastery, was published in 2012.  Green speaks five languages and is a student of Zen Buddhism.

A Book Review

Mastery
by Robert Greene

Mastery is a great inspirational book that every creative leader, who wants to master a skill or a talent, should read.  If you want to be a writer, an artist, or a musician, you should read this book.  If you want to own your own company, or be president of a company, or be a successful employee, you should read this book.  If you want to start a new career, become a doctor or a mechanic, or run a marathon, then read this book.

Robert Greene shares the stories of people who have become masters in their fields.  Using the stories of both dead and living masters, Greene reviews what it takes to become a master in a field of endeavor.  He shares the stories of Charles Darwin, Leonardo da Vinci, Albert Einstein, John Coltrane, Martha Graham, Buckminster Fuller, Zora Neale Hurston and Wolfgang Mozart to name a few.  He also shares the stories of living masters like Yoky Matsuoko, Freddie Roach, Daniel Everett and Santiago Calatrava.  From these inspirational stories, Robert Greene identifies the keys to mastery.

This book is a must read for anyone who wants to become a master of some skill or talent.  Pick up a copy today and change your life.

Video

Here is Robert Greene discussing creativity and mastery at Google.