LAW 29: Plan All The Way To The End

Do you know where you’re going? Or are you just reacting in the moment, never planning beyond the next emerging crisis? Law 29 is all about overcoming this all-too-common tendency and taking a definitive step back to view the bigger picture of your life.

To avoid overwhelm from events and getting trapped in constant improvisation, we need to get a clear sense of our destination, so Jon and Dre set about untangling how to find the delicate balance between powerful planning and retaining the flexibility we need to ‘flow’ with the current of events.

They also dive into political waters and discuss how national education systems are all about indoctrinating children and brainwashing you into being certain kinds of people; they return to the vital topic of a universal basic income versus the idea of ‘proper jobs’; and why failure is always the most likely outcome of every human endeavour.

There’s more on the dangers of pre-worrying, and some debate as to whether you’re heteroflexible(!) Jon reveals how he traps himself in unrealistic projections of the future, while Dre explains how he had to relearn how to even have goals after years being told to drop them as ‘unrealistic’. On which note, they wonder how to avoid paralysis in the moment when you dream really big, as well as how to avoid sounding insane if you tell anyone about those dreams. Dre also takes the time to declare that he’s basically Elon Musk, but just a touch less successful…

As if that wasn’t enough, we preview our forthcoming free eBook on how to put The Laws of Power into action in everyday life… This is a packed show, during which they may or may not have been naked.

FULL NOTES: http://voicesinthedark.world/2016/12/26/plan-all-the-way-to-the-end-exploring-the-48-laws-of-power-law-29/

This episode includes:

• The difficult middle of plans
• The danger of living in the present
• Podcast favourite Otto von Bismarck‘s examples of how to follow the Law perfectly
• The sad reality of how school systems actively discourage intelligence
• Are you a Wantrapreneur or a Wankerpreneur? Here’s a t-shirt for you!
• The need for micro goals
• Why Dan Peña’s famous ‘smell the leather’ practice is often bullshit
• Neil Gaiman’s take on how to make it to your mountain
• How and when to talk about your goals
• The delusion of equality between people

Mentioned in the Episode:

• The troublingly familiar planning powers of South Park‘s underpants gnomes
• Scotland’s ill-fated Darien Scheme
• Steve Jobs on connecting the dots only in retrospect
• Neil Gaiman’s incredible Sandman graphic novels
• The odd TV show Lucifer
• Neil Gaiman’s inspirational commencement speech: Make Good Art
• Aubrey Marcus’s online course – Go For Your Win
• Once again, Captain Picard dropping some knowledge – ‘It is possible to commit no mistakes and still lose. That is not a weakness. That is life.’
• The Alain de Botton quote Jon mentioned: ‘If you want to turn a stranger into a friend, try telling them some of the ways in which you’ve failed.’
• Some back history on Tuberculosis, if that got you excited

Challenge: Write down what you goal is for a year’s time, then write down what you need to do in (1) the next 6 months; (2) what you need to do in the next 3 months; (3) what you need to do in the next month; (4) then what you need to do this week; and, finally, (5) what you need to do today to get to that goal. (Thanks to Peter Sage for this super effective practice!)

 

Be silly. Be kind. Be weird.

Join us as we continue our 48 Laws of Power review, exploring Robert Greene’s provocative and compelling book, in which he lays bare the history, practice, psychology, and philosophies of power that ultimately shape all human relations. Often seen as a handbook for the ‘modern Machiavelli’, we take a closer look, beyond the hyperbole, and discuss how understanding and implementing these Laws can actually enrich your life personally, professionally and spiritually.

Jon and Dre aim to get to the heart of each of the Laws, grapple with their sometimes disturbingly amoral nature, and discuss what the Laws mean in everyday life (often revealing their own experiences – good and bad – when they’ve either observed or transgressed them).