You begin your speech. Everyone is focused on you. You take the attention away from yourself and start to toast a few people who deserve the honour. You speak about your foundation and cause, you turn to who you believe is the man of the hour, Harvey. 

Harvey is the modern-day saint, you make him the star of the show, your charms and charisma command everyone’s attention and you can make it go in any direction you want. You make it all go to Harvey. He is the man of the hour. You make his contributions public, which are beyond kind. The party gives a sudden clap, you join in but your clap is slower and more precise, almost as if you’re in awe of Harvey. He blushes from embarrassment and gives a few half-waves of acknowledgement. 

“Harvey”, you say pointing right at him but speaking to the audience, “the man of the hour, all that he’s been doing for this organisation, and you know what… with his kindness and generosity, this is the face of our bright future.”

You prepare to clap, “To Harvey.” Everyone follows your lead and starts clapping. The party begins again. 

In his Joe Rogan Podcast episode, Guy Richie said, “Don’t hate the game. Love the game, cause you’re in it, mate. So, own the game. Accept the rules, and move on into the rules.”

Own the game, he says. 

It’s not enough to play the game of status. If you want to stand out you have to own the game. You have to own your game. You’re not in competition with anyone else but yourself.

Competition is for losers.  

How do you own the game? There are many ways. Some play dirty, some play sly, some don’t play at all, some have no game and some are too scared to start. 

Don’t charm people with your own ideas and show yourself off. We think we must make ourselves stand out like Michelangelo’s David, focusing all the attention on ourselves and then we come off as a narcissist. The road to owning the game is actually going the opposite way.

“Put the focus on others. Let them do the talking. Let them be the stars of the show.” - Robert Greene, The Daily Laws

People are so hungry for attention. Give it to them, especially in the attention-driven economy we live in now people crave it more than anything they can’t get enough of it. It’s a drug. An addiction. “People are so hungry for it [attention], that giving them such validation will lower their defence and open their minds to whatever idea you want to insinuate.” Robert Greene, The Daily Laws

Make people feel special. Make them feel like the only person in the world.

Do that, and the world is your oyster.

Until next time,

Brody