Chapter 3: Turn Shit Into Sugar – Opportunism (The 50th Law)

[I]N NOOKS ALL OVER THE EARTH SIT MEN WHO ARE WAITING, SCARCELY KNOWING IN WHAT WAY THEY ARE WAITING, MUCH LESS THAT THEY ARE WAITING IN VAIN. OCCASIONALLY THE CALL THAT AWAKENS—THAT ACCIDENT WHICH GIVES THE “PERMISSION TO ACT—COMES TOO LATE, WHEN THE BEST YOUTH AND STRENGTH FOR ACTION HAS ALREADY BEEN USED UP BY SITTING STILL; AND MANY HAVE FOUND TO THEIR HORROR WHEN THEY “LEAPED UP”THAT THEIR LIMBS HAD GONE TO SLEEP AND THEIR SPIRIT HAD BECOME TOO HEAVY. “IT IS TOO LATE,” THEY SAID TO THEMSELVES, HAVING LOST THEIR FAITH IN THEMSELVES AND HENCEFORTH FOREVER USELESS.Friedrich Nietzsche

50 Cent was shot 9 times, including a bullet in his jaw, while sitting in the back seat of a car right after his career was taking off. The record label that signed him canceled their deal with him.

For a while, he was depressed, listening to fake gangster rap. But then he decided to bounce back, and released a single, “Fuck You”, as a response to the people who shot him. He gained popularity again. Instead of losing hope, 50 Cent used the experience as an opportunity.

In his songs, and in the way he markets himself, he emphasized the fact that he was different from other rappers, that he really did deal drugs and was part of a gang and got shot. In fact, listeners can hardly forget it because of the peculiar way he raps because of his jaw injury.

In life, circumstances are neither good nor bad. They are indifferent. Some people take advantage of change, while others are harmed by it. The people who are harmed are those who live in fear, they are dependent on temporary wealth and technology for survival, especially when they live in affluent and secure societies.

These people lose touch with their aggressive and opportunistic sides. They become prey. When you find yourself having to adapt to a new country, you suddenly develop a mental sharpness, because you have no choice but to fight for your survival, even when you have little time.

The message of this chapter is to never lose this survival instinct. Even when things are going well, you should never let your guard down, but should constantly look for opportunities, and to exploit them with the same survival instincts that magically appear in times of distress.

If you are interested in reading books about unmasking human nature, consider reading The Dichotomy of the Self, a book that explores the great psychoanalytic and philosophical ideas of our time, and what they can reveal to us about the nature of the self.

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Related posts:

1. Habit 1: Be Proactive (The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People)
2. Habit 4: Think Win-Win (The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People)
3. Rhonda Perciavalle Patrick (Tools of Titans)
4. Fools Think in Words (Skin in the Game)