Alive Time v. Dead Time

“Pay attention and absorb as much information as possible. This helps us endure work that does not seem rewarding. In this way, we own our time and our ideas before owning a business.” -Robert Greene, The 50th Law

Some of the best advice I’ve ever got came from Robert Greene.

The advice actually came 3 years before Robert and I ever met. I was in the military and, despite meeting the service obligation of my contract, my superiors stonewalled my paperwork to separate. A non-profit had already hired me. I had to apologize to the non-profit and serve another 3 year tour in the military. The moment felt crushing. Motivational videos became a source of hope. There was one video with a wise voice urging me to take charge of the time I had, rather than expecting better circumstances. A few months later, I listened to the audiobook version of The 50th Law by 50 Cent and Robert and realized that the motivational video had spliced in Robert’s voice from the audiobook.

He said that, “It is always within our power to transform this time from something dead to something alive.” The words rocked me. It was the solution to what I was dreading. Instead of waiting for the next 3 years to go by, I would use them to learn and create things that would serve me for a lifetime.

This is not a new idea. Many great people have embraced this attitude and grown through hardship, imprisonment, and even torture. Viktor Frankl, author of the incredible book, Man’s Search for Meaning refined his ideas about suffering and resilience in a Nazi concentration camp. Admiral James Stockdale was shot down over Vietnam and used his time as a prisoner of war to put his stoic philosophy to practical use.

Will you choose dead time or alive time? It’s the question these men asked themselves. They both chose alive time in some of the most difficult circumstances imaginable.

“Never be a minion, always be an owner.” -Cornelius Vanderbilt

Through my new lens, everything became alive time. Boring staff meeting? Now it was a chance to observe the dynamics of a complex organization. Asked to give a mandatory training? This was an opportunity to overdeliver and surprise an audience. The lifelong motto of Cornelius Vanderbilt became my mantra, “Never be a minion, always be an owner.”

Robert is one of the most productive people I’ve ever interviewed because he practices what he preaches. He’s written six timeless books and already started his seventh, despite having a stroke. For his most recent book, The Laws of Human Nature, he told me in an interview that he read 300 books during his research. In his TEDx talk, Robert shared that he was not always a successful writer. In fact, he bounced around to about 70 different jobs before finding his way and writing The 48 Laws of Power.

Some people would see decades of low-status work as dead time, not Robert. He was doing exactly what he advises every strategist to do

1. Study carefully. Read widely. Observe people. Build a vocabulary of strategies and ideas.

2. Get practical. Try to apply your strategies to small projects. Be strategic about how you deal with other people.

Now you might have your own circumstances. Maybe your job is B.S., but you need the money. Perhaps you’re finishing out a contract, like I was.

We have a choice in this moment. This is a situation not a fate.

Lately, I’ve been dealing with the challenges of having a relatively small audience for my interview show. It can be hard to connect with potential guests who want bigger numbers.

What I do control in this process is how hard I work to meet the right people and provide for them. I control much of the quality of the final product too. What I don’t control is the reaction of the masses.

I’ve done my best to focus on my end of the bargain. Lately, there’s been a big jump in the numbers too. See below

Is this change permanent? That’s out of my control, but the learning stays with me.

We are so future-oriented that we miss huge opportunities right in front of us. I was able to start my interview show with the Navy’s Leadership and Ethics Center (NLEC) because of my contract obligations. Put another way, the frustrating circumstance became a platform for my ambition. Put a third way, the obstacle was the way.

We think, This sucks and nobody else has to deal with [insert problem] like I do. This self-talk does nothing to serve us.

Like Robert says,

“When you prove to yourself that you can get things on your own, then you experience a sense of liberation. You are no longer waiting for people to do this or that for you (a frustrating and infuriating experience). You have confidence that you can manage any adverse situation on your own.”

So do anything that puts you in the owner’s position. Play your cards better. If you’re in prison, clean up your cell.

Resist the temptation to feel sorry for yourself and settle for what’s handed to you. Never be a minion.

Use your situation to express yourself. Become more alive.

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