A Little Known Thing Called The Hustle
There’s a little known thing called hustle. You may have heard of it. The people grinding to feed their families know about it. The people putting in the extra hours to make ends meet know about it. The people taking on extra classes to finish school early know about it. Do you know about it?
Hustle is a mentality that drives you to do whatever it takes to achieve success and make sure you handle yours. It is either something you have or something you don’t. It is hard to explain to people who don’t understand that level of work and the mentality you need to facilitate that level of grind.
In my life I have done everything from getting cheeseburgers thrown at my face while working at McDonalds, to doing hours and hours of prom makeovers at the MAC counter. I have cleaned horse corrals in 115 degree heat for hours on end. I have gotten on airplanes to foreign countries with less than 24 hours notice because the work had to get done. Hustle is the ultimate sacrifice you are willing to make to get the job done.
I understand the meaning of hard work. 100 hour weeks with no sleep. 5-6 hour commutes everyday. Events where you are working 24 hours straight. Stretches of time where you went a month without a day off. I've watched Mr. Soul Makeup work 20 hours straight everyday for three weeks straight.
Do you know what it feels like to hustle that hard?
Growing up with two parents who were both entrepreneurs, I witnessed hustle day in and day out. My dad and I used to go on adventures to see what we could find to buy. Now this process entailed us driving around for hours on end staring into peoples yards looking for things of value.
Now as an adult, I understand how creepy this is but as a kid I thought it was the coolest thing ever. We would buy cars for a couple hundred bucks, fix them up and sell for $10K+. My dad was the master at trading up. He once traded our motorhome for a pool and a $1000 boat for a $7000 Sea Doo. He was the master! I watched him constantly create money from nothing. It was like magic but he hustled to find his product, create a better offer and a large return on investment. His work ethic and grind was instilled into me and I cherish that because not a lot of people truly understand the meaning of that level of grind.
Living this hustle life style fueled me for a long time until it almost killed me. I wouldn't be surprised if it is slowly killing you too.
When I launched Soul Makeup, I decided the time had come to end the hustle. I slowed down. I stopped overworking. I ended my relationship with the grind. And in doing so, built my business upon the foundation of rest and self care.
There is no going back to hustle culture for me now that I have had a taste of true freedom.
There is no more killing myself to get the job done & prove myself.
There is no more life fueled by burnout.
Instead - I live a life of sufficiency & satisfaction. This tastes so much better than the hustle...
xo
PS: FRIENDS - I want to hear from you! What is the farthest you have gone to get the job done? Or what is the hardest you have ever worked? Pop your stories in below! Can’t wait to see what you other hustlers are up to!