The Greg V Miller Blog Spot

“True ownership can only come from within. It comes from a disdain for anything or anybody that impinges upon your mobility, from a confidence in your own decisions, and from the use of your time in constant pursuit of education and improvement.” – The 50th Law

I recently finished reading The 50th Law, written by Robert Greene and 50 Cent. For those of you who are unfamiliar with either of those individuals Robert Greene is an author who writes books focused on war, strategy, and seduction. 50 Cent is a very successful rapper and entrepreneur. Greene’s previous work, The 48 Laws of Power, has been a favorite among many hip hop artists, including 50 Cent. He tapped Robert Greene to colaborate on a book and this is how The 50th Law was born. The book is centered around the life and upbringing of 50 Cent aka Curtis Jackson and how the lessons he learned growing up in the streets, drug dealing, and hustling has lead him to become one of the most financially successful hip hop artists to date. It is these lessons and core principles that both Robert and 50 break down in The 50th Law in order to help us apply them to our everyday lives and achieve the same success that 50 Cent has garnered.

The quote posted above is from one of the most hardest hitting chapters in the book entitled “Make Everything Your Own”. (You can read a more detailed excerpt here) I say the hardest hitting because it directly correlates to where I am right now in my career and life and can hit home for others who are looking to start new ventures because they want to work for themselves or want to move in a different route that includes learning something new or self improvement. While this excerpt in particular is very inspiring and hard hitting, it can leave you wondering if it is possible for us all to make everything our own?

It’s never been easier as it is at this point in history for people to  embark on new ventures given the growth of the internet and the access to information at our disposal. Being that we’re all capable of forming new ventures and striking out on our own, I don’t think there’s a question of whether or not someone can make everything their own and be their own boss or run their own enterprise. It’s more of a question of do they really want to. While The 50th Law isn’t covering any new ground here with preaching the entrepreneurial spririt and being completely yourself, this is the first time I’ve read from such a realist and blunt perspective. The book reads:

” 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.”

Some people are very content with their lives and career. They love getting up every morning, going to the office, mingling with their co-workers. That can be the best part of their day. I once had a co-worker who was very content with his job and I would joke with him that he’s a lifer at that company, he’d deny and say he wouldn’t be there to much longer, but almost 3 years after I left, he’s still there. When I entered the workforce I thought that this was it, I knew what I wanted to do and I’m going to grow and learn and i’m set. How wrong was I. One of the ways that we can make everything our own in life is to keep learning and to keep growing. It’s great to get up and go to the office and work in a place where you’re contributing to something that’s bigger than yourself. But that’s not what we’re talking about. We’re talking about ownership and power. How can you truly be who you are when for 40 plus hours a week you’re being goverened by another entity. You’re playing office politics, getting wrapped up in other’s drama and games. Sometimes instead of spending your energy on actually contributing, it gets spent on foolishness and unnecessary conundrums. And at some point you will say to yourself, there’s gotta be more to it than this. And there is.

The point i’m trying to make is this. If you are unhappy with your work or where you’re working, change it. If you are not getting the money that you think you deserve, change it. If you are not happy with your spouse, change them. If you are not happy with the direction of your life in general, CHANGE IT!!! And I know what some of you are thinking. “Easier said than done?”. Sure, everything is easier said than done. So go ahead and keep being unhappy, go ahead and keep being paid less money, go ahead and keep being unhappy with the direction of your life because I’m willing to bet that the position that you landed yourself in didn’t happen overnight, so therefore the steps required to change the situation won’t happen overnight either, and it won’t be easy. But it will be necessary unless you like being unhappy.

Here’s an exercise. No matter how old you are right now reading this, whether you’re 18, 28, or 78. Think back on the last 5 years of your life, then the last 10 years. And if you’re in that older age bracket maybe even go back 20 years. When most of us do think back, we sometimes think of all the things we did and the mistakes we made, but instead I want you to think about all the things you didn’t do that you wanted to. And once you have them in your head, no matter what age you are I want you to ask yourself what’s stopping you from doing them now. And once you have an answer to that question, I want you to think about the next 5 years, or 10 years, or even 20 years of your life. Come full circle of where you could have been right now if you had done those things years ago, and where you could be in the future if you still embark on those ventures.

I’m trying to make everything my own because when I think back on even 2 years ago, I wonder why I didn’t start. But I’m starting now. Will I fail? Maybe. Am I scared? Of course. Will it be easy? Absolutely NOT! But I’d rather die trying then not try at all.