Hello everyone!
Here is your weekly shot of “Roguish Musings,” a list of what I’m reading, contemplating, or practicing.
Book I’m reading:
Mastery by Robert Greene. I’m a big fan of his work on power, persuasion and war. This book serves as the capstone to his quadrology. Here’s the description: “Each one of us has within us the potential to be a Master. Learn the secrets of the field you have chosen, submit to a rigorous apprenticeship, absorb the hidden knowledge possessed by those with years of experience, surge past competitors to surpass them in brilliance, and explode established patterns from within. Study the behaviors of Albert Einstein, Charles Darwin, Leonardo da Vinci and the nine contemporary Masters interviewed for this book. The bestseller author of The 48 Laws of Power, The Art of Seduction, and The 33 Strategies of War, Robert Greene has spent a liftime studying the laws of power. Now, he shares the secret path to greatness. With this seminal text as a guide, readers will learn how to unlock the passion within and become masters.”
What I’m practicing:
Playing the long game in my professional life. I’m taking the eagle-eye perspective on what I want do for the next ten years. I cannot keep teaching tons of classes each week, without some sort of larger project in my life. This website is a part of that project: getting some exposure of my work, engaging with students, teachers and other like-minded individuals, and sharpening my writing skills. I’m also shifting more towards work with branding, consulting and marketing.
Something I am doing:
I’m getting ready to move next week. I’m throwing out a bunch of old papers, books, clothes, and other human detritus. It feels remarkably amazing to just get rid of things that have accumulated. It feels like I am cresting more space in my life. James Altucher wrote a great article on living a minimalist life. The New York Times did an interesting critique of minimalism. Enjoy the dialectic!
New blog post on experimenting with your practice:
Quote I’m pondering:
“A podium and a prison is each a place, one high and the other low, but in either place your freedom of choice can be maintained if you so wish.” -Epictetus, Discourses, 2.6.25
