The 3 Books That Changed My Life

Hello Everyone, happy new year and may 2017 do us all real good, Amen. Been away from blogging but since I need to get out of this writer's block that is making Sister Joy send me midnight greetings, I've decided to rev the brain up a bit.

In my over 35 years of working (yes you read right - I'm due for retirement), three books have made profound impact on me like never before.  I’ve always been drawn to books around strategy and unusual thinking and had just finished reading The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli in 1989, when I stumbled on The Art of War by Tun Tzu.

If you are deeply interested in military strategy and understanding political power, or you are a political junkie like me, then the The Prince will speak to you. Most people  hold that it is the handbook for a would be tyrant, but indeed understanding it within context of your existing situation is important. Machiavelli took a rational approach in analyzing government and politics. The effect of his writing are still found today. People still need virtue in order to be a good ruler or manager. Success is still to those who can make quick and intelligent choices. The government is still supported most by its own amount of power. Two quotes have refused to go away in my head: 

“Because there are three classes of intellects: one which comprehends by itself; another which appreciates what others comprehend; and a third which neither comprehends by itself nor by the showing of others; the first is the most excellent, the second is good, the third is useless.”...... Niccolo Machaivelli, The Prince

“Everyone sees what you appear to be, few experience what you really are.”   ........Niccolo Machiavelli, The Prince

The Art of War is not a book on war, but can be said to relate to life, business and general human relationships that require understanding how the human mind works, how to hone and deploy skills, and how to manage and elevate human relationships.

It changed my thinking about comfort zones and how to see conflict in a different light than it being negative. I also learnt from it that knowing ‘your stuff’ and knowing it well is a key critical element to success. The book was, for me, a comprehensive analysis of how to navigate the different wars we fight in our lives every day. Most importantly, the book spoke to certain areas of my life that I needed to pay attention to and I since have.

Being reckless – which can lead to failure, over-soliciting other people’s opinions, not managing my temper and most importantly the art of laying low and not being overly exposed. 

More often than not, we tend to view power almost exclusively in negative or oppressive terms and as a force that is ancient. We must understand that power is everywhere; it is dynamic and very multidimensional; and most importantly, power is about relationships.  

It is critical to understand that not all the laws of power apply to each and every situation. There are laws in the book which starkly contradict each other. The book inverses some by flipping them on their head and showing how a reversal of a law can be just as, if not more effective than the law itself. It is up to your analytical mind to deduce whether or not the law should be applied as it is presented or if the nuances of the situation at hand would benefit you more if you were to instead reverse a law. It is your responsibility to understand the situation you find yourself in and how you must behave in regard to that.

Either way, you learn a lot from reading this book. You now have to decipher what works and doesn't work and where and how to apply them. Most people give away power without even realizing they had it in the first place and this is one of the lessons I learnt from this book. 

I am currently reading My Vision: Challenges in the Race for Excellence by Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Ruler of Dubai. 

I’m still gunning to read Seeds of Fire: China and the Story Behind the Attack on America by Gordon Thomas. It’s been a fascination for me to try to understand the drive behind China’s rise. 

So share with me what you think and what books have made an impact on you and which book you are reading now and will recommend.

Enjoy your week.

Just my musings,

Ini