Assume formlessness to adapt and thrive in a volatile world
Law 48 from the 48 Laws of Power
Law 48 from the 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene may be the most important reminder for the volatile and unpredictable world we live in today - assume formlessness.
By taking a shape, by having a visible plan, you open yourself to attack. Instead of taking a form for your enemy to grasp, keep yourself adaptable and on the move. Accept the fact that nothing is certain and no law is fixed. The best way to protect yourself is to be as fluid and formless as water; never bet on stability or lasting order. Everything changes.
48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene
Remaining relevant in your field and contributing value depends on your ability to sense change, act urgently, and adapt to the market's needs. Developing these skills is the best remedy for an unforgiving world of change due to forces beyond your control.
Keys to Formlessness
These are some of my highlights from the 48 Laws of Power:
Animals that take to the sea or sky, and that move swiftly and unpredictably, are infinitely more powerful and secure.
But nothing in the world can remain stable forever, and the shell or system you evolve for your protection will someday prove your undoing.
People weighed down by a system and inflexible ways of doing things cannot move fast, cannot sense or adapt to change. Learn to move fast and adapt or you will be eaten.
The best way to avoid this fate is to assume formlessness. No predator alive can attack what it cannot see.
What you are after is not an entrenched position but mobility.
Your speed and mobility make it impossible to predict your moves; unable to understand you, your enemy can form no strategy to defeat you.
Power can only thrive if it is flexible in its forms.
The formlessness of power is more like that of water, or mercury, taking the form of whatever is around it.
The powerful are constantly creating form, and their power comes from the rapidity with which they can change.
The first psychological requirement of formlessness is to train yourself to take nothing personally.
When you act defensive, you show your emotions, revealing a clear form.
Be like a slippery ball that cannot be held: Let no one know what gets to you, or where your weaknesses lie.
The need for formlessness becomes greater the older we get, as we grow more likely to become set in our ways and assume too rigid a form.
We become predictable, always the first sign of decrepitude.
As you get older, you must rely even less on the past.
Be vigilant less the form your character has taken makes you seem a relic.
Rigidity will only make you look uncannily like a cadaver.
Never forget, though, that formlessness is a strategic pose.
It gives you room to create tactical surprises; as your enemies struggle to guess your next move, they reveal their own strategy, putting them at a decided disadvantage.
You use formlessness, not because it creates inner harmony and peace, but because it will increase your power.
Finally, learning to adapt to each new circumstance means seeing events through your own eyes, and often ignoring the advice that people constantly peddle your way.
Rely too much on other people’s ideas and you end up taking a form not of your own making.
The ability to gain victory by changing and adapting according to the opponent is called genius (Sun-tzu, fourth century B.C.)
Reflection
How are you remaining adaptable and relevant in your field?
What actions can you take to strengthen your mobility?
What aspects of your character and style are rigid and predictable?
How can you adapt to new circumstances with curiosity to increase your power?
What acts may surprise people and keep them on their toes so as to not cast their view of you as fixed and predictable?
Embrace change as a source of reinvention and growth that propels you to discover a new aspect of your best self.
- James