The 50th Law By 50 Cent & Robert Greene

My Notes

Fear creates its own self-fulfilling dynamic—as people give in to it, they lose energy and momentum. Their lack of confidence translates into inaction that lowers confidence levels even further, on and on.

what separates those who go under and those who rise above adversity is the strength of their will and their hunger for power.

this defensive position of overcoming fears converts to an offensive one—a fearless attitude.

one of the greatest fears that any child has is that of being abandoned, left alone in a terrifying world.

because he had no plan b, because it was either succeed at music or go under, he operated with a frantic, bold energy that got him noticed in the rap world.

the greatest fear people have is that of being themselves. They want to be 50 cent or someone else. They do what everyone else does even if it doesn’t fit where and who they are. But you get nowhere that way; your energy is weak and no one pays attention to you. You’re running away from the one thing that you own—what makes you different. I lost that fear. And once i felt the power that i had by showing the world i didn’t care about being like other people, i could never go back.

there is one thing we can actually control—the mind-set with which we respond to these events around us.

through their mind-set, they convert a negative (unexpected events) into a positive (an opportunity).

the key to possessing this supreme power is to assume the active mode in dealing with your fears. This means entering the very arenas you normally shy away from: making the very hard decisions you have been avoiding, confronting the people who are playing power games with you, thinking of yourself and what you need instead of pleasing others, making yourself change the direction of your life even though such change is the very thing you dread.

he would trust no one; he would conceal his intentions, even from friends and partners; and no matter how high or low life brought him, he would remain the supreme realist, keeping his hustler’s eye sharp and focused.

the greatest danger you face is your mind growing soft and your eye getting dull.

think of reality in the following terms: the people around you are generally mysterious. You are never quite sure about their intentions. They present an appearance that is often deceptive—their manipulative actions don’t match their lofty words or promises.

you want to expand your access to different ideas. Force yourself to go to events and places that are beyond your usual circle.

when you do not get to the root of a problem, you cannot solve it in any meaningful manner.

the further and deeper we contemplate the future, the greater our capacity to shape it according to our desires.

if you have a long-term goal for yourself, one that you have imagined in detail, then you are better able to make the proper decisions in the present.

if you have a long-term goal for yourself, one that you have imagined in detail, then you are better able to make the proper decisions in the present. You know which battles or positions to avoid because they don’t advance you towards your goal.

you must become a better observer of people. This cannot be done on the internet. It must be honed in personal interactions.

looking at people through the lens of your emotions will cloud what you see and make you misunderstand everything.

looking at people through the lens of your emotions will cloud what you see and make you misunderstand everything. What you want is a sharp eye towards your fellow humans—one that is piercing, objective, and nonjudgmental.

your increasing powers of observation must occasionally be aimed at yourself. Think of this as a ritual you will engage in every few weeks—a rigorous reassessment of who you are and where you are headed. Look at your most recent actions as if they were the maneuvers of another person. Imagine how you could have done it all better—avoided unnecessary battles or confronted people who stood in your way, instead of running away from them. The goal here is not to beat up on yourself but to have the capacity to adapt and change your behavior by moving closer to the reality.

when you work for others, you are at their mercy. They own your work; they own you. Your creative spirit is squashed. What keeps you in such positions is a fear of having to sink or swim on your own. Instead you should have a greater fear of what will happen to you if you remain dependent on others for power. Your goal in every maneuver in life must be ownership, working the corner for yourself. When it is yours to lose-you are more motivated, more creative, more alive.

when you work for others, you are at their mercy. They own your work; they own you. Your creative spirit is squashed. What keeps you in such positions is a fear of having to sink or swim on your own. Instead you should have a greater fear of what will happen to you if you remain dependent on others for power. Your goal in every maneuver in life must be ownership, working the corner for yourself. When it is yours to lose-you are more motivated, more creative, more alive. The ultimate power in life is to be completely self-reliant, completely yourself.

curtis had lost not only his money but also his freedom. This new position went against all of the survival lessons he had learned up till then in his short life.