3 Reasons Your Hustle Game Ain't Strong

A hustler’s motivation is to win. Winning could mean getting money, getting the girl, getting the car, getting the big payout and progressing to a better life. Having a hustler’s mentality means possessing a certain passion in doing whatever it takes to execute and win. At ten years old I was one of the youngest salespersons alongside a group of mostly middle school kids. Our sales station consisted of a card table and a mountain of Christian biblical books to sell for my church. We would set up outside of the local grocery stores, two salespeople at each post, spread our books across the table like a salad bar, and we would cold hard sell books to every person walking in and out of the store. The reward for standing out in the hot, dry weather every day between six and eight hours was that I could keep a 50 percent cut of the total dollar amount that I sold each day. I was averaging about one hundred dollars in sales per day, which meant I was bringing home, on average, fifty dollars per day, at ten years old; I was BALLIN.

I honestly don’t remember having any set goals or wanting to be the highest seller. What I do remember, is I wanted money and bragging rights over the big kids. I listened to how they boasted about the new Jordan’s and school clothes they were planning on buying with the money they earned and I wanted to do the same with mine. So I put in the work, all of my energy, time, and efforts went into selling one book or getting a donation from every potential customer I approached. Most people who get up and work everyday claim to be working "so hard” and "hustling" to make a better life, which is great. But not everyone’s perception matches their reality; the truth is, you may be working towards a better life, but you could be missing the mark of hustling. Hustlers go hard at all times; you don’t settle for second best. Even if you lose, you dust yourself off and come back harder just to prove your worth. The question is, are you putting in the hard work that you ‘think’ you are? If your not, are you willing to put in the hard work it takes to create a better life? What are some habits that could be holding you back from reaching your goal?

Because you are lazy, being lazy is common among many people in the workplace. If you have been doing the same thing for the last five years, its possible you have gotten bored, so you don’t go above and beyond anymore. It’s easy to get complacent, bored and lack the motivation necessary to produce top notch work. It’s even worse if you feel like the work you produce is undervalued, and no one cares. More people, thank you think, notice you are coming in late and leaving early every day. For you to reverse your lazy perception or to avoid laziness, take the initiative to learn new things and continually improve yourself. Reinvent yourself by analyzing new problems, collaborating with new people, and proposing new ideas and solutions. Initiative is how you assert your leadership and prove your value in any industry.

Because I am a procrastinator, procrastination is when you know damn well you are supposed to do something that holds some level of importance. Instead, you choose to watch TV, surf the internet or social media and talk to friends, the point is that we do everything we possibly can to stay busy instead of focusing on the important task at hand. If you are wasting time at work, more than likely your work is rushed or sub-par with inaccuracies. We all have downtime at work, but it is your responsibility to make sure you’re not crossing the line of taking a break over wasting time. Wasting time includes engaging in office politics and gossip. Not having the ability to keep sensitive information confidential is one of the acts I have observed most people struggle with. It is important that your professionalism sets you apart from the office gossipers and maintain a high level of discretion at all times. There is always someone watching, don’t let the only times you are on your best behavior be when you’re in the presence of your manager. Your character is defined by what you are doing when no one is watching you.

Because you are a perfectionist, but that’s not a bad thing, right? Well, that could depend on your reasons for perfectionism. Having extremely high standards for your life and your work is good, it is also a plus that you don’t conform to being normal, always seeking and wanting better for yourself and others. I consider myself a huge perfectionist, I am working on dialing down my perfectionist tendencies even writing this blog; I write it, edit it, and re-write it before I post it. A big part of my perfectionism is because of my passion for wanting to make sure I give more than my very best in everything that I do. I struggle with not wanting to compromise for good work when I know I am capable of more, and I don’t let excuses get in the way of producing high-quality work. I also contribute my perfectionism to being an overachiever. Being an overachiever is what got me through graduate school, performing well in my corporate career, and motivated me to accomplish my personal goals. On the flip side perfectionism is part of the reason I have waited so long to walk in my purpose. I had the vision a long time ago, but I allowed my illusion for perfection to make me obsess with everything needing to be perfect before I was ready to take the first step. The more I delayed taking action on fulfilling my vision the more I experienced episodes of unhappiness and depression. I struggled with the long list of things I needed to get done, but I refused to seek out the help of others. Other perfectionists that I know of have told me about their struggles with delegating things to others and letting go of situations from their day or interactions with people get played over and over in their mind, constantly thinking of ways the conversation could have gone better. Carrying this kind of baggage on your shoulders day in and day out can only lead to high-stress levels, anxiety, and even depression. This type of pressure is self-inflicted and will continuously drain your life and the life of others around you.

Making money and getting promotions is a good thing, but let’s be real this isn’t hustling. It took me years to understand that surrendering to a life of 9-5, ten to six or two jobs to survive is not a dream. I was working hard, but I was a long way from hustling, and so are you. You have to declare all of your will power into realizing your dreams. Make sure you are doing your plans at your pace but don’t fall victim to laziness, procrastination or perfectionism if you want to win. You need to be willing to sacrifice, and suffering is apart of that; lose some sleep, work long hours, and stay out the club. All of your competitors are in the club, and if your hustling you should want to go extra hard on your opponents by consistently producing high-quality products, developing your business, and you can't let up on your hustle until you are declared the winner.

There are some golden rules to hustling, be humble, foster valuable relationships with people who make you and your hustle game stronger and better, always be respectful but stand up for yourself, show gratitude and don’t take anything personal.

Hustling is all about the legacy you will leave behind, by not having a dream, goals, standards, belief, and determination, you won’t hold anything in your life to the level of importance or urgency that a hustler’s mentality requires. Don't become a victim of bad habits and miss out on opportunities to obtain your dream. If you don't hustle for anything else, hustle for your legacy.

Thank you for reading and if you know someone whose hustle game could use some motivation, recommend this post to them.