Remember 50 Cent? He, who was “into having sex, not into making love.” He, who was shot a bunch of times back in the day and then reminded us incessantly what a tough thug that made him. And mostly he, who encouraged us all to party like it was our birthdays in the early 2000s.
(Thank you for that one, by the way.)
Lately, 50 Cent has been known for throwing terrible first pitches at baseball games. He’s also (surprise, surprise) been making a second career of sorts at life coaching.
GQ, and writer Zach Baron from the esteemed men’s magazine, decided to tap into 50 Cent’s zest for advising others by having the rapper become Baron’s personal guru for a month, doling out lessons in career, fashion and love.
50 Cent regularly meets with his protege, goes with him to the gym to demonstrate lifting impossibly high amounts of weight and dispenses words that are both funny and profound, letting his stumbles and successes be a touchstone.
Much to the writer’s surprise—and to mine, after reading the full account of the life coaching stint, 50 was an “improbably good” mentor.
His life coaching high points boiled down to the following:
• The importance of using vision boards to imagine and physically show goals and dreams.
This section of the article reminded me of a grown-up version of the collages I used to make by cutting out pretty pictures in my Seventeen and Sassy magazine pages. Together, the images formed a new hodgepodge that made me smile and spoke to my interests.
50 Cent had somewhat of the same idea in mind when he asked Baron to do a vision board, as well as to have his girlfriend do a board of her own. Once both had completed the task it could become the backdrop for a deeper conversation about their relationship and where it was headed. The rapper explained,”The things that end up on your vision board that aren’t in hers are the things that she has to accept. And the things that she has that you don’t are the things that you have to make a compromise with.”
In other words, in a healthy partnership the duo’s differences are really what need talking about. The visually-concentrated vision boards could make that conversation happen.
Unexpectedly, the scenario is precisely what played out between the author and his friends. Tears were shed and a relationship roadmap was delineated stemming from, of all things, vision boards suggested by a hardened rapper.
• Describing friendship as the strongest factor in a romantic relationship.
50 advised: “Don’t ever forget to be friends. And you be conscious. Because there’s a point that your friendship would develop that it has so much value that it would become priceless. And at that point, you should consider marriage.”
Again, I agree. A foundation of being pals is smart, practical and really the only way to proceed for something solid and long-term.
• Sometimes practicing what you preach is hard.
Even 50 Cent will acknowledge his personal life has been inconsistent and all over the place. He’s currently living in a huge mansion, formerly owned by Mike Tyson, yet alone. With loads of money, fame and an album on the way a steady romance has eluded him too.
• Dress the part.
Baron admits that his style is more of a sloppy, casual one. 50 Cent the life coach, though, encouraged him to embody that GQ way by dressing up in a suit on occasion.
He explained that, “When you do it, I bet you people ask you, ‘Hey, you look good! Where you going? What’s going on?’ Because it’s not an everyday thing for you. When you clean up, people notice.”
And guess what? They did.
No matter the perception of 50 Cent—as life coach, hardened tough guy, player or musician—there’s oddly some wisdom in there for all of us.