MY favorite rapper, E-40, while sitting on a mattress full of dried up pee stain chopping up his candy cane advises: Loose your razor blade use a safety pin. I know, I know, he is giving out advice about cutting up crack cocaine while sitting in a drug house. However, I see much more than that. To me he is telling us to improvise, think outside of the box, and informing us about re-purposing. In the event E-40 was to lose his razor blade, his preferred tool for cutting up crack, he would use a safety pin to reach the desired outcome.
How often have we lost our razor blades? In other words, how many times have you lost access to an avenue of income, or had a particular skill set become antiquated, or had a rule, ordinance or law render, what once was, an asset obsolete? I hope that the loss of your particular razor blade didn’t keep you from being able to chop up your candy cane. If it doesn’t happen often I am sure it has happened at least once in your life. I am also sure you figured out another way to put food on the table.
Prior to going to prison all of my sources of income came from crime. I sold, weed, water, crack and hit licks. Post prison those sources of income were taken off the table. I lost my razor blade. I had to find a safety pin, fortunately I got a job, go figure. In addition, I am laying the ground work for a business centered on intellectual property. I am attempting to think outside of my box and monetize my checkered past as opposed to allowing my background to hold me down.
Recap: If you lose your razor blade, that is, if you lose your primary source of income or the tool you use to make money at that point you need to use a safety pin. A safety pin in this instance is another means to eat or another tool used to put food in your mouth. 
Despite what transpires we have to keep it moving and utilize our tools to make it happen.
One last note, in the song E-40 goes on to say: “I probably wouldn’t quit if they raided my sh#%, as soon as I get out I am right back in it!”
You might interpret this as this rapper being hard headed and returning to his crack house after being arrested in a raid. However, I hear someone encouraging his listeners to keep pushing to reach their goals despite any failures or setbacks.
What I want you to learn from the con:
- Think outside the box
- Utilize your tools
- Stay striving to reach your goals even if you didn’t succeed the first time.
I know this may get posted on Facebook so I need my readers to know that the pictures I used are of macadamia nut and not crack.