Mastery by Robert Greene

Recently someone in our ward has organized a book club to discuss various books that the members of the club voted on.

Some of the members of this club are former Bishops & some are ordinary members of the ward. It is a nice cross section.

Some can be generally classified as “liberal” & others “conservative”. Some in between. The club is not connected with the

church other then we are all members.

The first book is titled: Mastery by: Robert Greene.

The introduction really grabbed me. It reads as follows:

There exists a form of power and intelligence that represents the high point of human potential. It is the source of the greatest achievements and discoveries in history. It is an intelligence that is not taught in our schools nor analyzed by professors, but almost all of us, at some point, have had glimpses of it in our own experience. It often comes to us in a period of tension— facing a deadline, the urgent need to solve a problem , a crisis of sorts. Or it can come as the result of constant work on a project. In any event, pressed by circumstances, we feel unusually energized and focused. Our minds become completely absorbed in the task before us. This intense concentration sparks all kinds of ideas— they come to us as we fall asleep, out of nowhere, as if springing from our unconscious . At these times, other people seem less resistant to our influence; perhaps we are more attentive to them, or we appear to have a special power that inspires their respect. We might normally experience life in a passive mode, constantly reacting to this or that incident, but for these days or weeks we feel like we can determine events and make things happen. We could express this power in the following way: Most of the time we live in an interior world of dreams, desires, and obsessive thoughts. But in this period of exceptional creativity, we are impelled by the need to get something done that has a practical effect. We force ourselves to step outside our inner chamber of habitual thoughts and connect to the world, to other people, to reality. Instead of flitting here and there in a state of perpetual distraction , our minds focus and penetrate to the core of something real. At these moments, it is as if our minds— turned outward— are now flooded with light from the world around us, and suddenly exposed to new details and ideas, we become more inspired and creative.

Greene, Robert (2012-11-13). Mastery (pp. 1-2). Penguin Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.

Is anyone familiar with this book or author?

I am pleasantly surprised by what I’ve read so far.