I often get asked by my clients and other agents in my community how I do all the things that I do , from writing books and creating weekly newsletters to hosting radio shows , running a brokerage , and producing high-level marketing for my listings . One answer to that question is : I ’ ve trained myself to do the work without fear or reservation .
So long as your intentions are good and focused on helping others before you help yourself , then you don ' t need to have everything perfect , you just need to be genuine with your convictions .
Sometimes our minds can slow us down with doubt or the desire to over-think things in an effort to try to produce the best quality product . Of course , I still feel fear and reservations about what I ’ m doing . What helps me is I purposely listen to and read about other entrepreneurs , which always helps to inspire me to push forward .
These other entrepreneurs whom I follow feel like friends . I learn about how they go about their days , their challenges and what they did to overcome them . The more I learn about these successful people , the more they seem human and just like me . Many of them found their stride sooner than I did , which frustrates and fuels me . Of course , some of them — when they examine my life — may get inspired in their own way , as success is defined in a million ways .
I ’ m writing this article at 4:30AM on my couch . My family will be up in a few hours . I used to wake up at the same time as them , but at some point I was inspired by others doing amazing things . Most of them were hustling early each morning so they could accomplish more or so they could have more of a life during the day . I get up early in part so I can be more present with my kids when they ’ re around .
We all have different motivations that increase our hustle . If you ’ re struggling to find your motivation , I encourage you to seek out and learn more about other people who inspire you . You ’ ll find that the more you learn about them , the more you ’ ll understand that they ’ re not superhuman but driven by something . Learning about others can help you tap into your own drive and uncover the internal fuel you need to put more hustle in your pursuits .
I hate it when there is someone working harder than me at the gym . Every time I see it , I feel a jolt of energy inside of me . I may or may not be able to match their hustle that day , but it definitely helps me pick up my pace .
The same thing happens to me in business . If I see others who appear to be out-working me , that internal voice inside me says , “ Oh no you don ’ t !” and lights a fire in me .
When does hustle push over to hustler ?
There ’ s a well-known entrepreneur , author , and media personality named Gary Vaynerchuk . He wrote the best-selling book Crush It and many others . He also hosts a weekly podcast / video-cast called the “ Ask Gary Vee Show ” where he answers questions from other aspiring entrepreneurs and some famous ones . Gary is constantly talking about hustle . He is the definition of hustle . This guy really pushes the level of hustle much higher than most people can fathom . Therefore , his nickname has become “ The Hustler .”
Gary Vaynerchuk is not who I think of when I hear the word hustler . Gary is a household name among entrepreneurs because he gives back more than he takes — meaning he works tirelessly at trying to help other entrepreneurs . For no cost , no fee , no upsell . He just gives back a lot . It is much appreciated and respected . I have learned a lot from him over the years and still listen to his weekly podcast .
So what is a hustler ?
The dictionary defines a hustler as : a person who employs fraudulent or unscrupulous methods to obtain money ; a swindler .
By that definition , I would say every industry has hustlers . There may only be a small number of them , but the amount of destruction they leave in their wake can be massive .
Recently my wife and I watched the movie The Wolf of Wall Street . It depicts how someone with great hustle can become a hustler in the negative sense . What makes the true-life story so astonishing is that this man started with the right intentions . He just wanted to provide for his family and was struggling to do so . Then he fell upon a way he could easily provide for his family through selling penny stocks . He had no idea if the investments he sold were a good or bad investment , and he didn ’ t care . He made good money selling them . So good that he brought in his friends and they were intoxicated by the flow of money .
Soon one hustler became a giant company full of hustlers . It was all about closing , convincing others to spend their money , so they could take a cut of it . Seeing these people transform into hustlers helped me understand how many good people can be swept up into bad behaviors and greed based on a company ’ s culture and what they ’ re being taught they need to do to provide for their families .
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