The 48 Laws of Power in Practice

Law 30: Make Your Accomplishments Seem Effortless

Never let people know how hard you work for it. Let them be impressed by what looks like your miraculous natural talent. Otherwise, they will cease to be impressed or may even use your tactics against you.

Application-

Imagine meeting a very beautiful person, but then finding out that they had a lot of plastic surgery to help them look that way. Or a famous comedian that has a whole team writing all of their jokes. In both cases, you find out that their "natural talent" is attributed to something else.

If you didn't know their secrets or how hard they had to try, you would probably respect them more. Whereas when you meet someone who looks like they are not even trying, you may think they have even more untapped potential.

Signs You are Trying Too Hard–

My parents were immigrants chasing the American dream. They instilled in us the value of hard work; that you can achieve anything with the right effort. I took this quite literally and applied it to everything. Eventually, I learned there was such a thing as trying "too hard". If people sense it in you, it doesn't help you win friends or respect.

Here are 10 ways people try "too hard". I admit I've been guilty of several.

They buy clothes they really can't afford.

They use big words without knowing their meaning.

They agree with everything everyone is saying.

They laugh really hard at their own jokes.

Their social media posts are full of pictures trying to look rich or cool.

Everything is a competition to them.

They change their behavior and the way they talk to get along with different groups.

They make themselves too available for romantic interests.

They talk constantly about how great their relationship is.

They hate all the popular things, just to appear to be different.

Please leave a comment if you can relate. Let me know if these are things you have witnessed in others, or have been guilty of before!