Everyone Wants Something from You

Everyone Wants Something from You 

no one draws near by coincidence no hand

stretches out without a price tag hidden

in its palm they converge on you friends

lovers strangers rivals not because your

soul glows like a saints but because you

are a buffet of

possibilities status comfort knowledge

cash protection escape validation thrill

even the morbid pleasure of watching you

fail five centuries ago Nicolo Makaveli

slit open this pleasant illusion with a

quill as sharp as any dagger when he

wrote that men are ungrateful fickle

simulators and deceivers avoiders of

danger eager for gain the lesson has not

aged a day if every person hustles for

advantage you must decide today whether

you will be the hustled or the hustler

the currency spent or the banker

collecting interest pause and look

around each smile is a silent contract

each compliment a negotiating chip each

favor an

IOU you are standing in a marketplace

where affection loyalty even pity are

traded like spices in a Renaissance

bazaar your problem is not that people

want something from you that is

unavoidable your problem is forgetting

to charge for what they take the modern

mind numbed by feel-good slogans treats

generosity like a virtue detached from

consequence machaveli scoffs from his

Florentine grave he reminds you that

mercy unguided by calculation is not a

virtue it is an advertisement that the

owner can be plundered for free keep

giving without leisure and you'll

discover too late that virtue unpriced

becomes vice against yourself understand

the algebra of need every approach

equals a desire every desire can be

inverted into leverage the colleague

hungry for your idea he is announcing

your intellectual

superiority invest him in influence the

lover craving your presence she is

confessing that your absence would wound

her charge her in commitment the

relative demanding your time he

demonstrates that your time is worth

more than his demand respect wrapped in

boundaries in the court of power debts

collect interest and interest compounds

silently build the habit of silent

accounting and one dawn you will realize

you own the ledgers of entire

runes people call this cold they display

horror at the suggestion that love

friendship mentorship even charity

possess price tags yet observe them flee

when the well of your usefulness dries

their indignation is camouflage a smoke

screen concealing the raw machinery of

self-interest powering every

handshake machaveli did not invent this

machinery he only polished the mirror

look without blinking the same friend

who wept at your wedding shrugged at

your bankruptcy the same partter who

vowed forever wondered in darker privacy

whether forever still paid dividends

strip away romantic fog and you will

hear the metallic click of transaction

underlying the sweetest

lullaby do not mistake this revelation

for bitterness it is liberation

recognize utility and you become its

architect not its victim begin by

mapping your assets talents networks

resources persona body reputation

secrets list them ruthlessly as a banker

lists commodities then map the hungers

orbiting you who needs a platform who

yearns for status who thirsts for

guidance who aches for belonging connect

asset to hunger and you wield invisible

chains stronger than steel this is not

exploitation it is

equilibrium others already draw from you

food from a tree they did not plant you

are simply measuring the harvest pricing

the fruit and cultivating the soil to

yield power instead of depletion

scarcity is your sharpest blade

abundance breeds contempt scarcity

breeds worship the more available you

are the cheaper you become study how

high-end brands limit supply to inflate

desire mimic them vanish intermittently

return improved enigmatic unattainable

when done strategically disappearance is

not absence it is advertising each

moment you withhold elevates the

perceived value of the next moment you

grant lovers cling harder colleagues

wait longer rivals grow anxious

audiences lean forward you become the

limited edition experience no one can

download for free silence is another

blade modern chatter tricks fools into

spilling their price while they believe

they are networking machaveli advises

princes to mask intentions behind

courteous fog apply the same rule when

someone probes your plan answer with a

question not an explanation when pressed

for details change the subject to theirs

mystique shifts the burden of revelation

onto the other party handing you intel

while revealing nothing information

asymmetry is the first ingredient of

dominance control the narrative of your

own worth perception outruns reality

thus curate reputation like a sculptor

chiseling marble highlight your

uniqueness accentuate your rarity

broadcast your wins cloak your losses

the prince thrived on spectacle

glittering processions decisive

punishments performed in public square

myth seeded into gossip learn the

digital equivalent algorithmic eyes

reward who shouts value with confidence

populate feeds with purposeful proof of

prowess silence critics with undeniable

outcomes not fragile explanations

remember power speaks in results

explanations are for the powerless

begging mercy yet power is not hoarding

it is orchestration gather debts then

redeem them strategically not greedily

cash in favors when the ripple will

multiply one endorsement that secures

five more one introduction that unlocks

a market one discrete secret exposed to

topple a rival and scare 10

imitators the amateur burns goodwill for

petty thrills the strategist harvests it

only when the field is golden learn the

calculus of threats where desire dances

fear lurks sometimes leverage blooms

faster through potential harm than

promised benefit the coworker who

plagiarized you exposes his neck let him

glimpse the blade even as you smile

the partner flirting with betrayal feels

the silent weight of what you know let

her imagination torture itself more than

any

accusation use fear sparingly arsenic

not salt lest you breed vengeance

machaveli counseledled cruelty to be

swift benefits to be prolonged apply

ruthlessness like lightning and

generosity like sunrise do not confuse

manipulation with malevolence to steer

desire is not to harm it is to write the

script others volunteered to act in

people yearn for direction give it and

they will thank you for the privilege

frame your interests as their salvation

offer guidance draped in empathy the

world is noisy clear instruction feels

like mercy lead them where you intend to

go and they will call you visionary

instead of puppeteer

nevertheless anchor yourself in

reciprocal fairness lest cynicism

corrode your own mind charge for value

but deliver value collect loyalty but

reciprocate loyalty until it no longer

serves then sever clean without cruelty

power gained by empty deceit collapses

like straw power built on honest

exchange priced and honored endures even

Machaveli miscast as devil admired

virtue the disciplined excellence that

earns dominion cultivate competence so

towering that people chase you willingly

paying premiums in trust and

tribute audit your circles quarterly

every name must justify its seat at your

table dead weight breeds rot remove

those who drain without return promote

those who propel you forward

replace sentimentality with stewardship

a kingdom protected by nostalgia soon

falls to newer leaner empires your most

dangerous obligations are the ones

signed in the ink of guilt guilt for

outgrowing friendships for succeeding

where family stagnates for enforcing

boundaries guilt is the leash the

powerless clip to your ambitions cut it

harness comparison human nature measures

worth by hierarchy stand near giants and

you look small surround yourself with

the lesser and you appear monumental use

both tactics when fundraising or

negotiating partnership flank yourself

with titans to signal serious league

when addressing the masses showcase your

difference by standing alone on the hill

in either frame you engineer perspective

to magnify your stature time is the

final currency the one asset you cannot

refinance therefore meter it with

merciless precision

people who assume your hours are free

are thieves disguised as innocents bill

them in either money influence or

experience or deny them observe how

swiftly they reveal true colors when the

tap stops flowing their indignation is

confession of entitlement a useful

reveal you can file for future strategy

expect backlash a society hooked on

sentimental platitudes will brand you

ruthless for tabulating debts accept the

label with a smile lions do not lose

sleep over the opinions of gazels let

gossipers expend breath meanwhile you

accumulate capital social financial

psychological in crisis they will circle

back because results silence rumors

deliver value command respect and even

detractors will rent seats in your

theater of success guard against the

intoxication of power the same cravings

you manipulate in others flood your

bloodstream too your ego will whisper

that you are invincible that rules bend

for you recall Cesar Boura Makavel's

idol who mastered Italy's factions yet

fell when fortune shifted fortify your

reign by planning for your own

obsolescence train protes diversify

assets design exit strategies the prince

who anticipates dusk survives to greet

the next dawn practice calibrated

generosity a gift delivered at the

perfect moment can enslave gratitude for

years the trick is proportion enough to

dazzle not enough to equalize keep

recipients feeling indebted not

satisfied governments master this

through stimulus checks too small to

solve poverty yet large enough to win

votes borrow the blueprint at personal

scale give colleagues the tool that

doubles their output but retain the

knowledge that makes you irreplaceable

offer mentees the ladder's first rungs

hold the rest for those who prove worthy

allies master the pivot between warmth

and ice kindness lulls defenses cold

precision enforces

boundaries blend both and you become

unpredictable thus respected imagine a

velvet gloved hand sliding over hidden

brass

knuckles people sense the metal and mind

their manners you rarely need to strike

the possibility

suffices never declare war when sabotage

suffices brutal confrontation attracts

attention breeds martyrdom and wastes

resources better to isolate an enemy's

supply lines his credibility his

alliances his confidence spread subtle

doubt r-root opportunities away amplify

his mistakes when he collapses under the

weight of his own inadequacy your

fingerprints are nowhere the crowd will

thank you for removing a problem it

never traced to you curate mystery about

your origins a story half-told inflames

curiosity perhaps you hint at early

hardships but cloak details listeners

will fill gaps with legends that

arrandise you more than truth ever could

legends once rooted generate magnetic

pulls stronger than any marketing budget

translate every setback into proof of

resilience publicize comebacks louder

than defeats the narrative of

indomitable rise seduces onlookers into

investing loyalty they believe betting

on you safeguards their own ascent

reward them enough to confirm the myth

and each victory multiplies both your

fortunes cultivate asymmetric alliances

partner with those whose strengths

offset your blind spots but whose

ambitions never overlap your throne a

tech genius lacks your charisma a

financier lacks your vision an

influencer lacks your execution muscle

interlock interests so betrayal costs

them more than cooperation

draft agreements in desire not ink

intermittently feed the masses

inspiration power divorced from charisma

decays into tyranny feared but unloved

throw speeches publish essays share

anecdotes of struggle conquered the

audience feeds on hope even if hope

doubles as advertisement for your

personal brand machaveli recommended

appearing merciful while being feared

modern translation motivate while

monetizing buddy exit psychology people

remember

endings conclude interactions on

crescendos a project completed ahead of

schedule a dinner conversation leaving

them craving more a relationship closed

with dignity rather than drama leave

taste buds tingling and doors stay a jar

for your return at higher stakes evolve

relentlessly leverage once extracted

diminishes skills once rare spread

reinvent before necessity humiliates you

today your edge may be knowledge

tomorrow it must be narrative control

next year networks spanning continents

the jungle never stops growing become

the apex predator that adapts faster

than the ecosystem mutates

finally never apologize for mastering

this craft the world runs on forces

indifferent to your feelings gravity

does not blush for pulling bodies toward

the earth nor should you blush for

drawing opportunities toward yourself

remember the core Machavelian creed it

is better to be the sculptor of fate

than the statue weathered by it so keep

the ledger price the favor gate the

access guard the time weave desire into

fetterss fear into fences need into

currency everyone wants a piece of you

good carve each wanting into bricks and

build your fortress your empire your

legend then stand at top its highest

tower gaze over the crowd still reaching

upward and know that you at last have

turned their desire into power but power

once secured is only phase one phase two

is succession turning fleeting dominance

into a dynasty that outlives your single

heartbeat a dynasty can be blood

children trained like living vaults or

it can be

institutional system so interlocked with

your vision that removing you would

crash the machinery everyone depends on

cargi forged libraries in his name

rockefeller birthed foundations modern

magnates embed themselves in the code of

platforms half the planet can't function

without ask yourself now if you vanished

tonight would the structures you built

collapse or would the world still kneel

every morning before an altar bearing

your insignia until you can answer that

with a smug yes your reign is a mortgage

not true ownership

to engineer succession install a gravity

well around your legacy teach proteges

just enough to run the engines never

enough to redesign the blueprints

enshrine rituals weekly briefings yearly

summits proprietary frameworks so that

routine becomes religion the Vatican

mastered this popes die doctrine

persists when doctrine equals you you

never truly die stamp your values into

onboarding manuals brandy guidelines

cultural myths a thousand small

inscriptions add up to an unerasable

scripture simultaneously cultivate

rivals you heard right

cultivate a realm without challenggers

dulls your blade complacency breeds soft

underbellies inviting eventual coups

think of Louis Crotfortees hosting

fractious nobles at Versailles drowning

them in silk and ceremony while watching

them jostle for trivial court favors

controlled rivalry distracts potential

threats channels their aggression

laterally and sharpens your strategic

reflexes the key is calibration

competition fierce enough to keep you

vigilant never fierce enough to unite

against you feed them scraps of victory

a minor contract here a public accolade

there so they taste progress yet still

crave the main feast exclusively you can

grant but beware the slow poison of

vanity applause is addictive and

tyrannical it erodess

perspective implement a council of

brutal honesty three to five advisers

licensed to pierce your ego without

penalty a prince who silences bad news

digs his own grave in blissful ignorance

machaveli cautioned that flatterers

swarm when a ruler lacks checks invite

criticism early reward it

disproportionately then weigh it coolly

against your own judgment

paradox the stronger your throne the

more desperately you need voices that

threaten it in private to protect it in

public next weaponized timing the

untrained lunge at opportunity the

instant it appears the strategist

measures ripeness grapes pick too early

sour pick too late rot wait until

competitors have overcommitted resources

until public sentiment tilts just enough

until technological waves crest then

strike with choreography so perfect it

appears effortless napoleon mastered

this on land warren Buffett does it in

markets you will do it in whatever arena

you claim patience is often marketed as

pacivity but in reality it is loaded

muscle held in elegant restraint for

every public move craft a deniable

shadow play fund think tanks that nudge

policy advantageous to your industries

sponsor cultural narratives that

normalize your agendas seed anominous

case studies extoalling emergent trends

that conveniently align with your

product roadmap

the greatest power acts through proxies

so numerous that when victory crowns you

onlookers declare it inevitable rather

than engineered

remember inevitability is the cloak that

hides manipulation from history books

yet even empires face storms beyond

foresight plagues crashes

scandals anticipate black swan chaos

with antifragile design diversify

holdings across sectors geographies and

currencies stockpile liquid reserves to

vacuum assets on discount when panic

strikes maintain a reserve network

journalists regulators influencers owing

you favors you've never yet called in

crisis approached correctly is a

clearance sale on destiny it embed myth

into your biography myth resists

forensic attack because it lives in

emotion not evidence

steve Jobs massaged his own law college

dropout in a garage birthing a trillion

dollar vision while quietly backed by

investors and engineers invisible to the

legend craft your origin story with

strategic omissions and cinematic beats

an obstacle surmounted a moment of

revelation a symbolic mentor a sacrifice

made the myth must be repeatable in two

sentences complexity dilutes sharability

when skeptics present footnotes shrug

facts are bricks myth is mortar the

crowd sees only the finished wall at

apex altitude practice planned humility

a rare unscripted act of contrition

refreshes your image like rain on dusty

marble it signals humanity while costing

nothing material choose minor errors

misjudged product launch harsh comment

own them publicly overcorrect visibly

then redirect focus to your next triumph

this sacrificial lamb shields the rest

of the herd from scrutiny remember that

the crowd's appetite for outrage is

insatiable but its memory is malleable

feed it controlled drama to preempt

uncontrolled scandal study the

governance of perception in digital

arenas algorithms are gatekeepers

without conscience influence their

judgments optimize keywords harness

engagement loops orchestrate cross-seer

storms that tell the algorithm you are

inevitable shadowban competitors by

flagging their borderline content

through armies of compliant volunteers

commission white papers on user safety

that align suspiciously with features

only you can provide to the average

observer it will look like the platform

simply prefers you because you prefer

the platform first meanwhile refine the

soft science of exit cost the higher the

penalty to leave your ecosystem the

safer your

magnetism apple does this with

proprietary cables Amazon with prime

perks religions with promises of eternal

consequence for you it may be unique

APIs unmatched convenience emotional

resonance or data portability nightmares

customers partners even employees should

glance at the gates calculate the price

of departure and sigh in surrender but

inside your fortress foster a culture of

restless

reinvention kodak owned photography

until it woripped film longer than

customers did blockbuster laughed at

streaming until streaming wrote its

obituary teach teams to cannibalize

yesterday's cash cows before outsiders

do reward experiments that fail

gracefully punish inertia cloaked as

prudence when your own people disrupt

legacy revenue celebrate publicly signal

that no sacred cow is above the

butcher's block as years advance convert

influence into intangible heritage think

Nobel funding portfolios universities

bearing your name humanitarian projects

that sculpt you into a secular saint

cynics will sneer at motives let them

posterity seldom audits spreadsheets of

intent when monuments tower over city

skylines enable real impact yes but

understand that impact advertised

multiplies twice once in effect twice in

perception yet never confuse legacy

planning with surrender a live lion

outranks a bronze statue

maintain personal vigor training regimen

intellectual curiosity spiritual anchor

because a dynasty's pulse echoes the

ruler's heartbeat senica wrote that a

great mind erects its own kingdom inside

regardless of external fortune tend that

inner citadel daily meditation stoic

journaling marshall practice choose

disciplines that remind you you are

still human still mortal still

sharpening when twilight eventually

threatens orchestrate succession as

theater stage the announcement anoint

the heir with rights symbolic enough to

satisfy myth-hungry audiences pragmatic

enough to reassure

markets withdraw gradually adviser today

legend tomorrow avoiding the tragic arc

of rulers clinging past relevance retire

to advantage where you can whisper

advice yet shield reputation from

operational messiness machaveli observed

that a prince should avoid being both

loved and despised a retired prince must

avoid being both forgotten and blamed

finally confront the existential

question beneath all strategy why chase

power at all the honest answer is

brutally simple because in its absence

someone else writes your fate once

you've tasted mastery over narrative

resource destiny you understand that

power is not luxury it is permission to

self- authority with it you sculpt

worlds without it you are raw clay in

others hands so you gather consolidate

deploy not merely for ego but for the

sovereign right to craft the meaning of

your own

life and yet even sovereigns kneel

before time legacy myth dynasty these

are attempts to bargain with oblivion

perhaps they succeed perhaps not

machaveli himself lives only in ink and

whispers of cunning but consider ink and

whispers half a millennium later still

move you now that is victory enough so

spend your years writing indelible

sentences on the parchment of

civilization sentences clear enough to

survive translation sharp enough to

pierce centuries audacious enough to

inspire unknown heirs to curse and thank

you

simultaneously if you achieve that when

the final candle gutters you will smile

into the dark knowing you too joined the

secret league of architects who bent the

desires of the living into monuments for

the

unborn and when the dust at last claims

your bones your name wrapped in legend

documented in treaties etched in

algorithms will continue echoing through

decisions strangers make conversations

they have technologies they trust

ideologies they

adopt that echo is the purest form of

power influence divorced from presence

control wielded from the

grave in that moment you will have

answered the only Machavevelian question

that matters

did the world shape you or did you shape

the world if you followed this doctrine

the world panting will confess it bears

your fingerprints everywhere desire

meets power and that confession silently

repeated forever is immortality