If you are human and haven't been entirely brainwashed, getting what you want as well as being who you want to be, for yourself and others, is relevant to you. For most of us, it's important to be in charge of our own life and destiny. Also, many of us are aware that, in situations when we don’t have the power to control our life and aren’t fully able to steer it in whatever direction we deem fit, blaming the circumstances only affirms our impotence. To live with purpose, we need to come from a place of power and capability. Whenever we cannot be in that place and therefore have a hard time acting in accordance with our values, goals, and aspirations, we need to get to the bottom of it and take care of things. Therefore, no matter what your life revolves around right now, influence, power, and empowerment are crucial topics that you're well advised to face.
Every movie that strikes a chord with the audience and pulls in millions from ticket sales touches upon the human struggle between power and powerlessness, if only between the lines. Also, the economic players that drive modern civilization, as well as the rich and glamorous who keep the masses entertained, have their own commandments of power engraved in the shiny walls that safeguard the temple of mainstream mentality. Power concerns everyone of us on a daily basis and in many respects. In a sense, your whole life story is testament to the fact that, countless times over, you’ve been on the giving and receiving end when it comes to power and influence.
Throughout the upcoming chapters, I address power from many different angles. Right now, you might feel that you have a handle on how you live your life. After reading this, you’ll have more handles. And, more ways to leverage them.
Historical research tells us that the first book on power was written around 2,400 years ago by a high-ranking political advisor during the Egyptian Fifth Dynasty. More recently, the most iconic blockbuster bestseller in this category has been “The 48 Laws of Power” by Robert Greene. In the intervening centuries, great minds like Plato, Sun Tzu, Miyamoto Musashi, Machiavelli, Carl Von Clausewitz and many others have pondered and extensively written about power. This raises the question: Who am I to add my name to such a list?
First of all, I’m not adding my name to that list. What lies ahead of you, is by no means another manifesto on power and influence, let alone a historical review on the evergreen pursuit of world dominance. Rather, it’s an invitation to an extensive and somewhat intimate conversation about power and self-empowerment that you and I are going to have in your head. A conversation where I expect to offer you at least some crucial insights into yourself and others that nobody else has given you so far. Second, who I am will become clearer to you with every page you’ll read. I’ll give you an abridged version of my background in the preface following this author’s note. Beyond that, what will get you acquainted with me on a more profound level are the perspectives I’ll introduce and some personal stories I’ll bring up throughout the upcoming pages.
I’m publishing this book, piece by piece, here on FiftyShadesOfPower.com while I’m writing it. To avoid missing out on those chapters that I haven’t written and published yet, you’ll have to revisit this website, likely more than once. Also, since this book is freely accessible, you can easily recommend it to anyone. I greatly appreciate the support you give me by letting others know that this book exists. So, if you like what you read, I’d love for you to spread the word.