I didn’t want to like it, but I did. I actually loved some parts of it.

Generally speaking, I don’t care for rap. I’m not much of a categorical music lover. I may not follow a group even if I like some of their songs. As a youth, I had to come up with a rule that a cassette(album) had to contain at least 2 good songs on it, preferably 3, before I was willing to pay for it. Yeah, I said that, cassette.

Back to rap. Curtis Jackson, aka 50 Cent, barely lived to tell his tale. After being shot something like 9 times and growing up in truly the toughest neighborhoods imaginable, he has achieved impressive success. Makes the man worth listening to IMO. I still may not listen to his music but his business perspective is astoundingly raw – and right.

I read 50 Cent’s book “The 50th Law.”

“All human activities involve a process of mastery. You must learn the various steps and procedures involved, proceeding to higher and higher levels of proficiency. This requires discipline and tenacity—the ability to withstand repetitive activity, slowness, and the anxiety that comes with such a challenge.”

“Understand: the real secret, the real formula for power in this world, lies in accepting the ugly reality that learning requires a process, and this, in turn, demands patience and the ability to endure drudge work. It is not sexy or seductive at first glance, but this truth is based on something real and substantial—age-old wisdom that will never be overturned.

The key is the level of your desire. If you are really after power and mastery, then you will absorb this idea deeply and engrave it in your mind: there are no shortcuts. You will distrust anything that is fast and easy. You will be able to endure the initial months of dull, repetitive labor because you have an overall goal. This will prevent you from short-circuiting, knowing many things but mastering none of them. In the end, what you really will be doing is mastering yourself—your impatience, your fear of boredom and empty time, your need for constant fun and amusement.”

“This is the dilemma we all face: to accomplish anything worthwhile in life generally takes some time—often in blocks of years. But we are creatures who find it very hard to manage such long periods. … In that long period of time that we need to reach a goal, we are assailed by a thousand distractions and temptations that seem more interesting. We lose sight of our objectives and end up following some detour. This is the source of so many of the failures in our lives. To force yourself past any obstacle or temptation, you must be persistent. … Remember: anything will give way to a sustained, persistent attack on your part.”

I am walking my talk. I’m learning outside of my comfort zone and finding astounding perspectives. Whether my business coaching clients live in Edmond, OK, or not, I encourage them to read outside of their neighborhood.

Business owners and entrepreneurs are invited to take my Free Online Assessment on the main page of the 7th Gear Website.