The 50th Law (with 50 Cent)

How to view yourself: As we get older, we tend to place limits on
how far we can go in life. Over the years we internalize the criticisms
and doubts of others. By accepting what we think to be the limits of our
intelligence and creative powers, we create a self-fulfilling dynamic.
They become our limits. You do not need to be so humble and self-
effacing in this world. Such humility is not a virtue but is rather a value
that people promote to help keep you down. Whatever you are doing
now, you are in fact capable of much more, and by thinking that, you
will create a very different dynamic.

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In ancient times, many great leaders, such as Alexander the Great
and Julius Caesar, felt that they were descended from gods and part
divine. Such self-belief would translate into high levels of confidence
that others would feed off and recognize. It became a self-fulfilling
prophecy. You do not need to indulge in such grandiose thoughts, but
feeling that you are destined for something great or important will give
you a degree of resilience when people oppose or resist you. You will
not internalize the doubts that come from such moments. You will
have an enterprising spirit. You will continually try new things, even
taking risks, confident in your ability to bounce back from failures and
feeling destined to succeed.
When Chekhov had the epiphany about the ultimate freedom he
could create for himself, he had what the American psychologist
Abraham Maslow called a “peak experience.” These are moments in
which you are lifted out of the daily grind and you sense that there is
something larger and more sublime in life that you have been missing.
In the case of Chekhov it was sparked by a crisis, by loneliness, and it
led to the sensation of complete acceptance of people and the world
around him. These moments can come from exerting yourself past
what you thought were your limits; they can come from overcoming
great obstacles, climbing a mountain, taking a trip to a very different
culture, or the deep bonding that comes from any form of love. You
want to deliberately go in search of such moments, stimulate them if
you can. They have the effect, as they did with Chekhov, of altering
your attitude for good. They expand what you think about your
possibilities and about life itself, and the memory is something you will
always return to for supreme inspiration.
In general, this way of looking at yourself runs counter to the cool,
ironic attitude that many people like to assume in the postmodern
world—never too ambitious, never too positive about things or life,
always affecting a nonchalant and very false humility. Such types see
the positive, expansive attitude as Pollyannaish and simpleminded.
But really their cool attitude is a clever mask for their great fears—of
embarrassing themselves, of failing, of showing too much emotion. As
with all such trends in culture, the cool attitude will eventually fade
away, a remnant of the early twenty-first century. Moving in the
opposite direction, you are much more progressive.