State of Mind

Cramming in laundry time before a busy week with a last minute trip to San Francisco to bid my sister farewell before she heads off to India. I see Yoshi lounging on one of the dark blue plastic chairs that face the dryers. Ear buds in place. Legs cradled in the wheeled basket in front him. Yoshi is reading "The 48 Laws of Power" by Robert Greene. The book outlines the philosophies of some of the great powers/masterminds such as Machiavelli, Queen Elizabeth I, Henry Kissinger and other similar famous historical figures. Law 1, for example, is entitled "Never Outshine the Master" while other laws show how to "Conceal Your Intentions", and "Crush Your Enemy Totally". Yoshi finds such books fascinating. He also studied Psychology in school back in Florida hence his intrigue with the mind, thought, etc. Now that he has moved to Los Angeles he looks towards the teachings of these books to help pave his path. He moved here in September to attend the Musicians Institute in Hollywood and books like "The 48 Laws of Power" enable him to familiarize himself with the music/entertainment industry's mentality, he says. "This industry is a different animal. It's not so much what you know but who you know. You've got to put yourself out there all the time, network every chance you get. You've got to have skill, know how to talk to certain people who will one day be able to help you in your career." Yoshi shares how some of his instructors are seasoned pros in the music biz. One of them happens to be the guitarist of Earth, Wind & Fire! He feels very fortunate to be part of the program however he knows how competitive it is to make it out here in Hollywood so he's going to get to what he wants by all means necessary! This book is helping him mentally prepare.



When it comes to picking out his books Yoshi likes to just hit up a bookstore and explore the different shelves. He sticks to psych and philosophy books with similar concepts as Greene's works. "It's all about the concepts, not the author." He is not a big fan of novels and sticks to his non-fiction guns. "I'm not a quick reader. I like to take my time with books which is especially important with philosophy books because you've got to absorb the concepts...fully understand them before one can apply the learnings to their own selves."


What philosphy books have you read and/or would recommend? What were some teachings that you took from the books?