The 50th Law – Part 1: Becoming Fearless - a podcast by Jon & Dre

When the hip-hop phenomenon 50 Cent asked to meet Robert Greene after reading his phenomenal bestseller, The 48 Laws of Power, it was only a matter of time before the two collaborated on a project.

They immediately found similarities that transcended background and ethnicity – not least, the ability to truly see and analyse the power games that people constantly play and the multifarious ways they manipulate others.

50 Cent came from the violent streets of Southside Queens; he never knew his father and his mother was murdered when he was eight. He rapidly learnt to depend only on himself, and rose from small-time hustling to become a worldwide branding machine with a portfolio ranging from precious metals to platinum albums; clothing lines to videogames; boxing promotions to young adult novels.

As Robert puts it, Fifty is the ‘hip-hop Napoleon Bonaparte’. What distinguishes him from everyone else is the core of The 50th Law, and which, as we explore, is also the fullest realisation of Robert’s Laws of Power in action.

The 50th Law is all about fearlessness: how to cultivate it, how to embody it, and how to live a life neither afraid, nor merely being brave in spite of some fear. No, the goal is to transcend the need for bravery by becoming fearless in all things.

Historical and contemporary examples combine to illustrate deep and vital insights into social psychology and human nature. In this first episode, we dive need into why people are so scared of being themselves and spend so much of their time trying to become someone else… and the price they pay for doing so.

We tackle the toxic effects of rolling TV news and obsessing over social media; which vested interests and old business models are ripe for disruption and destruction; and we elucidate the crucial difference between cooperation and outright relying on others.

Things get personal, too. We talk about the how the fear of feeling embarrassed holds us back from becoming and expressing ourselves; how Dre overcame fear and reset his shame ‘zero point’ wearing only his underwear; and Jon shares a disturbing personal story of when he was assaulted in Russia.

This Episode Includes:

• Diversifying your portfolio to never be beholden to others
• Identifying and resetting your ‘zero point’ of fear and shame
• Should you give yourself a News Diet?
• Choosing an active rather than passive mode to our lives
• The crucial limitations of a ‘mind over matter’ approach
• How to train the brain to be ready for the unexpected
• Avoiding the trap of using weary cynicism to hide from your fears

Mentioned in the Episode:

• The TV show, Entourage – another world of courtly intrigue
• Tim Ferriss’s lifestyle design phenomenon, The Four-Hour Work Week
• Our exclusive interview with mindset and muscle coach, the former soldier Jamie Alderton
• Brené Brown’s book, Daring Greatly, plus check out her TED Talks: One and Two
• Are we allowed to say ‘Fiddy Cent’? The man himself breaks it down

 

Be Silly. Be Kind. Be Weird.

Further episodes of Voices in the Dark

Further podcasts by Jon & Dre

Website of Jon & Dre