Powerlessness corrupts more than power, you want to have a certain level of control over your life and what's around you. Power is a feeling, an emotion, a sense of understanding and controlling yourself. Don't look to destroy people as they have egos and insecurities that, if crushed, will get mad at you. If you can't control yourself, how can you control anything else and be a leader? Appearances matter even though they shouldn't. Yourself and people play a role in life, it's a game and can/should be fun, just don't confuse who you are in essence. In the work world, you pretended friends aren't really friends. Work isn't about emotions but results, don't mix the two. You can share your vision with your close group, but not in other cases as anyone can be your competitors. You can even share deception ideas and go somewhere else, create mystery about what you're going to do next. Don't just act, be aware and strategic. Public and private life are different. We all have flaws and a touch of narcissism. Seduction is a high form of power as you make people feel things and influence them. People can do what you want without realizing it. A great seducer is outer-directed, is focused on the other person, pays attention, absorbs it and gives back. People want to be recognized. An anti-seducer preaches, is moralizing, isn't generous (of himself, his time and energy). Seduction is about being open to the other person, let them under your world and your vulnerabilities. A tiger isn't seductive, a puppy is. Love relationships require work and effort, you can't be completely yourself. If you take things for granted and don't make effort now, how is it going to be later on? Be creative and thoughtful. Let go of your tightness, especially financial tightness, as it signals cheapness in your spirit. Seduction is not a language of word but of gestures, body language, action. Getting real life sex takes times and energy. Being social is a skill and you must learn social and body language in person to understand signals. Nothing is easy and quick. Radiating comfort, confidence, and relax without being defending is powerful seduction-wise. Confidence can't be faked as people will sense it. Real confidence comes from action and is based on things you've done, and something real so it's hard to be confident when young. Create, reach goal, and have success to be more confident. What you can do make you feel confident. Your body language betrays you if you're faking something. If you don't know how to make things and can't create things that last, how will society continue? It takes time and repetition to build neuro-pathways connection in your brain and reach mastery. If you get used to getting things instantly, you'll never stand doing something for long thus never reaching mastery. To success at anything requires time, effort, boredom, and tedium. It takes 10k hours and more of effort, and passion isn't enough: patience and repetition are also required. Your 20s are the most important years and, if you spend them working on something you love and you're good at and were made for, you success forever after. Not doing the thing you are made for makes you feel deeply unhappy. When starting, go for the job where you can learn the most and have excitement and responsibilities rather than the money and the politics. Be a sponge and absorb the things you must learn, the one you must avoid, etc. You learn by watching someone do it and doing it yourself with your hands afterwards by imitating. Learn through action. Don't take your current abilities for granted as they can be taken away from you at any time (sickness, cancer, stroke, ...), thus enjoy and honor it. Have empathy for people, we all have issues and deal with hard things. Find time daily to be grateful at our unlikely-to-exist life and not thinking about your current problems. Don't feel too sorry for yourself as others have it much worse.
Robert Greene