Rule #3: Conceal Your Intentions

 Law 3

Conceal your Intentions

"Keep people off-balance and in the dark by never revealing the purpose behind your actions.  If they have no clue what you are up to, they cannot prepare a defense.  Guide them far enough down the wrong path, envelope them in enough smoke, and by the time they realize your intentions, it will be too late."

Good afternoon everyone, hope everyones doing well, i've been busy with school and work but here I am to talk more about the principles of power, based on some of my own examples and using some useful quotes to illustrate my points.  Thanks again for all your great comments, I really hope that you are all learning something from reading this blog that you can apply to your everyday life to achieve a greatest sense of power within.  Writing about this helps me too, and I truly appreciate all the great comments and even the criticisms.

Look forward to a new and improved domain where I will be putting all of my blogs, perhaps adding a few more, of course, I will make them interesting and fun to read!  This is probably going to be my longest post, so tell me what you think, what you like/dislike, and I will continue to try and improve!

C O N C E A L     Y O U R     I N T E N T I O N S

We live in a world where if you ask anybody if they are fine, they will, 99% of the time, reply with a "Yes."  Even if your not fine, and feeling sad or depressed, or even angry about something in your everyday life, there is usually little point in revealing to your friends that you feel this way.

Concealing your intentions is a crucial aspect of building power, and one of the most neglected ones in my opinion.  It may sound terrible, and evil, to even consider this as a rule of power, but even those who speak out against it are often the ones who are most adept at its practice.  

Have you ever heard of a chessmaster who revealed his strategies to his opponents before a major tournament?  Or a general who announced his battle plan before waging war on his enemy?  Why do you think celebrities think of so many ways to gain publicity through seemingly random occurrences, when in fact they are creating a smokescreen to draw attention away from their true motives?  When you meet a girl that you like, you never go straight up to them and tell them directly that you love them and want to be with them, you have to learn how to play the rules of the game, and that often involves concealing your true emotions and motives.

"Keep people off balance and in the dark by never revealing the purpose behind your actions.  If they have no clue what you are up to, they cannot prepare a defence.  Guide them far enough down the wrong path, envelop them in enough smoke, and by the time they realize your intentions, it will be too late."

Everyday when you meet people, most of them are like an open book to be read, I personally feel that at least 85-90% of the population fails to practice this law, and thus brings them a lot of stress, misfortune, and potential failure.  There are times when honesty is the right way to go about things, but it is dangerous to be too honest, since it is a "blunt object" which "bloodies more than it cuts."

Imagine, you have great plans for the future, everything is going your way, and success seems within your grasp, yet your friends and allies are doing poorly.  If asked, "How are you doing," and you go on and spew out all your plans and reveal the whole truth, whether it be to a friend or a stranger, you are actually alienating them more than anything.  Being truthful all of the time with your motives makes you predictable and altogether too familiar, and people will not respect nor inspire any fear from your actions.

Instead, you should tell people what they want to hear, tell them anything except for your true goals.  Again, this may sound perverse, evil, and perhaps cruel, but these tactics are being used against you every day, unwittingly by some, but there are other people who are naturals and will strengthen their own power base while confusing you by using these tactics.

I'm going to use the courtship example again, to try and illustrate this point.  Imagine you find a girl that you are attracted to at a club, and she is with her little group of friends.  If you go straight up to her, try to seduce her, you are very likely to fail, unless you are famous, or are really, really, damn sexy.  Instead, you should go up to her 'less pretty' friends, and strike up a conversation with them, and keep your motives hidden, which will confuse her and make you seem more radiant.  The pretty girls at the club are used to guys hitting on them and being open about their emotions, thus creating the "hot girl" force field that repels most guys easily.  If you can penetrate (no pun intended) this barrier, by applying the laws of power, you can be more successful in dating and finding partners that you are actually compatible with.

Also on a final note, since I have to go to class soon, remember that most of these laws have a reversal where applying them can lead to a negative effect.  Use your judgement and apply the laws as you see fit, but do not go overboard with our actions.

"Hide your intentions not by closing up (with the risk of appearing secretive, and making people suspicious) but by talking endlessly about your desires and goals -- just not your real ones.  You will kill three birds with one stone:  You appear friendly, open, and trusting; you conceal your intentions; and you send your rivals on time-consuming wild-goose chases"

Thanks for taking the time to read this and your continued support and comments are very much appreciated. Make sure to check out my other blogs, i'll try and update them as much as I can with the limited time I have between school and work and always keep it interesting and relevant!

If necessary, i'll add and edit more to this post depending on the comments and questions you have!



Happy blogging

Laws of Power in Poker

Writing a post before I go to sleep.  I've been playing poker more frequently in the past few months and am starting to play Online Poker cash games, with limited experience playing with friends and practicing online before as well.  When it comes to the real deal, and money is on the line, or your playing tournament poker, it becomes different.  

Before I start, want to thank everyone for all the great comments, reading some great blogs and will reply back to everyone soon.  I'll try and keep it interesting...  Check out my other blogs if you haven't already on my My Profile, may start a few more blogs soon, going to make the blogs cleaner and run them on a domain soon, thanks for all the support!

Laws of Power in Poker

Serious Poker players, and i'm talking about the professionals in both types of games, since it requires a high level of discipline, timing, patience, and luck.  Everyone has a different style, even if you practice the same strategy, and that is why I personally believe that is why some people win more than others, can grind their bankroll higher, and thus become a more powerful player in the game.

In other words, they play tight and aggressive and fold most of their hands, and play tight on the button, when they are at the most powerful position.  Those who play poker probably know what i'm talking about, but for those who don't, i'll try and rephrase that.  Basically your utilizing a system that requires a strict discipline in the hands you play, depending on your position on the table.  Minimum bets called blinds force the players to make bets on the pot (prize money) before each hand is dealt.

I'm not a very great player yet, but I know that it takes commitment to study and learn the game before being able to grind to a higher bankroll, meaning winning and making money and playing in higher stakes games.  Theres a lot of resources online for beginner poker players who want to raise their next game to the next level, and that is how powerful poker players end up playing consistently throughout tournaments and also sometimes cash games.

I bet there are a lot of principles that could be applied to the game, depending on your style of play, and how you are successful.  Poker is just one way that people earn their living, and it's not really a very large population.  The only way the industry can be successful is if people are losing... The fish in the ocean getting eaten by larger sharks.  It's a rat race to the top, but the spoils could be rewarding, if of course, you have the patience to learn and improve upon every game.

Poker is a game susceptible to constant change in the flow of the game.  Players must be able to try to predict their opponents hands, a skill known as card reading.  Percentages are involved in the calculations a player must make before determining if his card will be stronger than the opponent.

As human beings, many of us like to gamble at times, and if unwatched, can become an addiction, basically like everything else.  Learning the rules of poker is the most important at first, then applying the laws of power that govern the game and using that to create consistent and winning strategies.

I think we could learn a lesson or two from the discipline practiced by professional poker players, sometimes the decisions faced on the table are very tough ones, and it takes a powerful amount of inner strength to keep composed and let emotions affect judgement.

This exemplifies game theory, something you might know about.  It's a zero sum game, in the end its a winner takes all the opponents money, therefore its all about outlasting your opponent.  Winning at poker is probably possible for most people, just like it is with making money from blogging, or starting an online business.  We hear about it and think, "Oh hey, it would be great to win doing something like that, but its going to be tough."  The "problem" is that it takes a certain amount of work and dedication, different for each peron.

Nothing really comes easy for most people, even if you are already rich, or famous, you still have to be constantly applying the laws of power in your everyday decisions to maintain, improve, and live your life.


Phew, that took a while to type, and to those who asked me, I usually spend around half an hour writing these posts, and directly come from my own experiences.  Look forward to future posts, make sure to check out my other blogs on my profile.




Thanks for all the great comments, i'll be checking out your blogs again soon and returning comments and/or questions.  I'll try and update my pages soon, would be more organized under one website and with a more smooth appearance.  Thanks.

The Radical Essence of Power

I'm going to stray away from using Robert Greene's laws and write a post based on my own thoughts on power. For different people, power comes in different shapes and forms and it can be solid and visible, or fluid and hard to detect, yet the properties are nearly always the same.  This is going to be a long read, I can't sleep since I drank coffee at 1am, but I'll try and keep it interesting, as always.

For example, a professional fighter uses his physical strength and stamina as his main power source, the essence of his power comes from the hours of training and physical exertion to overcome his opponent who is working hard on the same thing.  The winner is decided when these two powers clash and only one man is left standing.

Similarly, in chess, the essence of power comes from the mind, and the player who can foresee many moves ahead and anticipate his opponents strategies will become the victor.  If you think about it, power comes in many shapes and forms, but we have the choice on how we manipulate it to benefit us.

In each era, power is leveraged through different means, and is constantly evolving each and every day, many times unnoticed by most of the general population.  Since 10% of the people have 90% of the power in this world, you might be asking yourself, how can I be one of the 10% and not part of the manipulated masses?  This is a question that will yield a different answer depending on each person.

The first advice I have to give is: Play to your strengths, but don't neglect your weaknesses.

We all have natural strengths and weaknesses, that is the beauty of the essence of power.  Some people may seem overpowered and unnaturally powerful, and that is because they have mastered many of the laws of power and play to their strengths while guarding their weaknesses carefully.


Our weaknesses are what leave us vulnerable to attack, and we have all heard of the Greek hero, Achilles, who met his downfall when an arrow struck him in his only vulnerable spot, his heel.  We all have our own Achilles heel, and it is important to protect it with all our might and never let your enemies realize what it is.

There are a few ways to go about this, and will also be discussed further in future posts.


First of all, make yourself seem larger than life, always enter actions with boldness, and not with timidity.  People are honoured in every generation, every culture, for being bold, brave, and keeping their head up high even when faced with defeat.  Your weaknesses will be masked if you create a smokescreen for your enemies and plant fake weaknesses which if they try and attack, you can readily counter.

Secondly, always remember that the essence of power means that you have to be constantly scanning and adapting to your environment, since nothing is permanent, and change is everywhere.  By doing this, you are guarding yourself for a potential ambush by your enemies, and even if this may sound a bit outdated, it is still extremely relevant in our world today.

It may seem like we are at an age where power is more insignificant, and we can get by with the ideals of a new and softer generation, but often times this is not the case.  We are now in an information age where the ones who will succeed are the ones who can adapt and leverage information at the fastest speeds possible.

Imagine, half a century ago, stock markets were purely based on trader's actions and the flow of information was slow, often inaccurate, and plagued with corruption.  Now, stocks can be bought and sold with a click of a button anywhere around the world on your mobile phone, and prices can be checked instantly through access to the internet which holds an insurmountable amount of information.

The reason why I describe the essence of power as "radical" is because it is signifies change.  A radical idea is something that is different from the norms of society and is usually regarded as dangerous or evil.  Think about it, nearly everything that we do nowadays would seem radical to people from the past, and even more so as you go back deeper and deeper.

Those who can grasp this essence will instantly be more intuitive to the changes around the world and be able to act accordingly to their own skill sets and further increase their chances for success in their quest for power.  Radical ideas now will soon become a normal part of society, and we are seeing signs of this in movies, books, fashion, and more.

Anyways, thanks for reading this post, its nearly 5am now, and I'm going to try heading to sleep now.

Thanks for all the great comments yet again, always glad to hear positive feedback and also criticisms.

Rule #2: Never put too Much Trust in Friends, Learn to use Enemies

Law 2

Never put too Much Trust in Friends, Learn how to use Enemies

"Be wary of friends-they will betray you more quickly, for they are easily aroused to envy.  They also become spoiled and tyrannical. But hire a former enemy and he will be more loyal than a friend, because he has more to prove.  In fact, you have more to fear from friends than from enemies.  If you have no enemies, find a way to make them."

This was the second rule written by Robert Greene and a very important one that should be practiced by those who want to maintain their power.  It sounds very harsh when you first think about it, "Why shouldn't I trust my friends?  They're always there for me."  Actually, in reality, it can be dangerous game to play since if you rely on your friends too much to build you power, you end up losing a lot of it in most times to disappointments which actually may end up breaking your friendship.

" Thus for my own part I have more than once been deceived by the person I loved most and of whose love, above everyone else's, I have been most confident.  So that I believe that it may be right to love and serve one person above all others, according to merit and worth but never to trust so much in this tempting trap of a friendship as to have cause to repent of it later on. "

Baldassare Castiglione
1478-1529

Learning to use your enemies instead of your friends gives you a whole new degree of power, and this is why: Enemies are at least truthful in the fact that they dislike you, and are likely to show their emotions openly towards you.  Friends, on the other hand, tend to brush thing under the rug about the qualities they dislike to soften the harshness and avoid conflict.  Do we really know our friends as well as we believe?  Sometimes we laugh extra hard at each others jokes to keep each other happy, and act happy when they succeed, but deep down feel envy eating away inside.  

Basically, when you hire your friends, they will very likely limit your power because they feel like they are condescending to your whim, which is the very last thing they want to do.  "Keep friends for friendship, but work with the skilled and the competent."  If you lucky and your friends are both skilled and competent, then go ahead, but still be wary of the complications that may ensue in the struggle to obtain a balance in power.

"Your enemies, on the other hand, are an untapped gold mine that you must learn to exploit."  There are many lessons in history that dictate this point, and it also occurs regularly in movies, novels, video games, and more. The reason why this has always been a key to power is because you are essentially killing two birds with one stone.  By befriending your enemy, he no longer becomes a danger to you, and he can also further your cause further in your quest for power.

For instance, Kobe and Shaq were enemies in the past, they hated each other and it seemed that they would not be able to play well as team mates.  After overcoming this obstacle, they went on to win championships and proved this laws effectiveness yet again.

Remember that in your quest for power, it is sometimes difficult to discern between your friends and your enemies, but you can always reap benefits from either party if you are careful and not let your emotions cloud your judgement.

Rule #1 : Never Outshine the Master

Law 1

Never Outshine the Master

Always make those above you feel comfortably superior.  In your desire to please or impress them, do not go too far in displaying your talents or you might accomplish the opposite – inspire fear and insecurity.  Make your masters appear more brilliant than they are and you will attain the heights of power.


This is the first rule that Robert Greene talked about, and it is an important rule that should be observed that can be applied in many everyday situations. The master could be anybody, you never know who you might be "serving" in the future, and it is important to be prudent when faced upon such situations.

Basically, the thing to remember is that everyone has their insecurities and if you flaunt your talents around with reckless abandon, you create a rift between you and the people who might potentially be able to help you further your cause in the future.  People may OOH and AHH but in reality, they are thinking of ways to outshine you, even if that means getting rid of you in the process.

Things have not changed very much since the times of the Kings and Queens, and people are still as envious and jealous of each others abilities as they ever have been.  The only difference now is the rate in which people can communicate with each other.  It is so easy to slander someone when you have your cellphone, social networking, blogging, and more.  Even if you are extremely talented at something, remember that "There can only be one sun in the sky at a time," and if you are a smaller star shining brighter than another larger star, it will surely consume you without you even realizing it.

Welcome to the Principles of Power

I'm sure some of you have read my blogs already, and I hope you are coming here with an open mind and heart and ready to learn about the laws of power.  I will do my best to make each post interesting, informative, and applicable to your everyday life.


I will draw my information from many sources, mainly from some of my favourite books like: Nicco Machiavelli's " The Prince, " as well as Robert Greene's  "48 Laws of Power"


The goal of this blog is to study the laws of power and how they govern all aspects of life, whether it be playing World of Warcraft, trying out for the Basketball team, and basically anything you can imagine.  Now you might think that power is "evil" or "manipulative," but the truth of the fact is that we all cannot live without establishing a power base, and history has shown this repeatedly.


I will also use examples from Ancient history from many different civilizations in the past including our own modern era, and perhaps dicussions that may lead into the future.

The flow of power is constantly changing around us and if we learn to apply the principles, we can improve our lives, overcome our problems, and create an environment which we can truly love and enjoy.

We all feel powerless at some times in our lives, yet it is undeniable that each and every single one of us has potential to succeed in some aspects of our lives, and realizing our own power is the key to unlocking the paths in which we desire to tread upon.