The 50th Law (with 50 Cent)

Understand: The story of Michael Eisner is much closer to you
than you think. His fate could easily be yours, albeit most likely on a
smaller scale. The reason is simple: we humans possess a weakness
that is latent in us all and will push us into the delusional process
without our ever being aware of the dynamic. The weakness stems
from our natural tendency to overestimate our skills. We normally
have a self-opinion that is somewhat elevated in relation to reality. We
have a deep need to feel ourselves superior to others in something—
intelligence, beauty, charm, popularity, or saintliness. This can be a
positive. A degree of confidence impels us to take on challenges, to
push past our supposed limits, and to learn in the process. But once we
experience success on any level—increased attention from an
individual or group, a promotion, funding for a project—that
confidence will tend to rise too quickly, and there will be an ever-
growing discrepancy between our self-opinion and reality.
Any success that we have in life inevitably depends on some good
luck, timing, the contributions of others, the teachers who helped us
along the way, the whims of the public in need of something new. Our
tendency is to forget all of this and imagine that any success stems
from our superior self. We begin to assume we can handle new
challenges well before we are ready. After all, people have confirmed
our greatness with their attention, and we want to keep it coming. We
imagine we have the golden touch and that we can now magically
transfer our skills to some other medium or field. Without realizing it,

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we become more attuned to our ego and our fantasies than to the
people we work for and our audience. We grow distant from those who
are helping us, seeing them as tools to be used. And with any failures
that occur we tend to blame others. Success has an irresistible pull to it
that tends to cloud our minds.
Your task is the following: After any kind of success, analyze the
components. See the element of luck that is inevitably there, as well as
the role that other people, including mentors, played in your good
fortune. This will neutralize the tendency to inflate your powers.
Remind yourself that with success comes complacency, as attention
becomes more important than the work and old strategies are
repeated. With success you must raise your vigilance. Wipe the slate
clean with each new project, starting from zero. Try to pay less
attention to the applause as it grows louder. See the limits to what you
can accomplish and embrace them, working with what you have. Don’t
believe bigger is better; consolidating and concentrating your forces is
often the wiser choice. Be wary of offending with your growing sense of
superiority—you will need your allies. Compensate for the drug-like
effect of success by keeping your feet planted firmly on the ground. The
power you will build up in this slow and organic way will be more real
and lasting. Remember: the gods are merciless with those who fly too
high on the wings of grandiosity, and they will make you pay the price.
Existence alone had never been enough for him; he had always wanted
more. Perhaps it was only from the force of his desires that he had regarded
himself as a man to whom more was permitted than to others.
—Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Crime and Punishment