The 50th Law (with 50 Cent)

force multiplier—the greater the connection to the cause, the higher
the morale, which translates into greater force. Such an army can often
defeat one that is much larger but less motivated.
We can say something similar about your life: operating with a high
sense of purpose is a force multiplier. All of your decisions and actions
have greater power behind them because they are guided by a central
idea and purpose. The many sides to your character are channeled into
this purpose, giving you more sustained energy. Your focus and your
ability to bounce back from adversity give you ineluctable momentum.
You can ask more of yourself. And in a world where so many people are
meandering, you will spring past them with ease and attract attention
for this. People will want to be around you to imbibe your spirit.
Your task as a student of human nature is twofold: First, you must
become aware of the primary role that a sense of purpose plays in
human life. By our nature, the need for purpose has a gravitational pull
to it that no one can resist. Look at the people around you and gauge

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what is guiding their behavior, seeing patterns in their choices. Is the
freedom to do what they please their primary motivation? Are they
mostly after pleasure, money, attention, power for its own sake, or a
cause to join? These are what we shall call false purposes, and they
lead to obsessive behavior and various dead ends. (For more on false
purposes, see the last section of this chapter.) Once you identify people
as motivated by a false purpose, you should avoid hiring or working
with them, as they will tend to draw you downward with their
unproductive energy.
You will also notice some people who are struggling to find their
purpose in the form of their calling in life. Perhaps you can help them
or you can help each other. And finally, you may recognize a few
people who have a relatively high sense of purpose. This could be
someone young who seems destined for greatness. You will want to
befriend them and become infected with their enthusiasm. Others will
be older, with a string of accomplishments to their name. You will want
to associate with them in any way possible. They will draw you upward.
Your second task is to find your sense of purpose and elevate it by
making the connection to it as deep as possible. (See the next section
for more on this.) If you are young, use what you find to give an overall
framework to your restless energy. Explore the world freely,
accumulate adventures, but all within a certain framework. Most
important, accumulate skills. If you are older and have gone astray,
take the skills you have acquired and find ways to gently channel them
in the direction that will eventually mesh with your inclinations and
spirit. Avoid sudden and drastic career changes that are impractical.
Keep in mind that your contribution to the culture can come in
many forms. You don’t have to become an entrepreneur or figure
largely on the world’s stage. You can do just as well operating as one
person in a group or organization, as long as you retain a strong point
of view that is your own and use this to gently exert your influence.
Your path can involve physical labor and craft—you take pride in the
excellence of the work, leaving your particular stamp on the quality. It
can be raising a family in the best way possible. No calling is superior
to another. What matters is that it be tied to a personal need and
inclination, and that your energy move you toward improvement and
continual learning from experience.

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In any event, you will want to go as far as you can in cultivating your
uniqueness and the originality that goes with it. In a world full of
people who seem largely interchangeable, you cannot be replaced. You
are one of a kind. Your combination of skills and experience is not
replicable. That represents true freedom and the ultimate power we
humans can possess.