Ross Simmonds once gave a famous answer on Quora.com to a question filed under: “Career Advice: How do I become a hustler?” Here is his own revised answer to that question that is definitely worth a gander.
Be sure to check out the full post and Ross’ website here.
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hustler: n. someone skilled at turning a profit no matter what the enterprise.
[The following post is a revised version of my answer to a question re: Career Advice: “How do I become a Hustler?” on Quora]There is a fundamental disconnect between the way most people see a hustler and what a hustler sees when she or he looks in the mirror. On a bad day, a hustler sees themselves as someone who needs to improve drastically. On a good day, a hustler sees themselves as someone who could have done something different to improve their hustle. The consistency is the fact that a hustler always strives to be better.
The Art of a Hustler is not simple. In fact, it’s quite complex and the combination of a variety of different attributes are what truly make a hustler in the modern sense of the word an outstanding professional and the key to many organizations success and growth.
The first piece to recognize is that there is key difference between wanting to be a hustler and becoming a hustler. This is an issue sweeping North America as young professionals are sitting back watching others live life to the fullest without making the steps to achieve a lifestyle that they truly want. Many of these individuals have amazing and inspirational aspirations but that’s all they have. They don’t have the results or the resume to support the fact that they are actually out there chasing these ambitious goals.
As a result of having unfulfilled goals – These people find themselves in a depressing and an often anxious state. From here, they begin to make excuses on why they are unable to achieve the goals and dreams that they truly want. A true hustler however, doesn’t make excuses. They show up. And by showing up I mean they make the effort and put in the hours to get closer to achieving the life of their dreams. As Abraham Lincoln said,
Things may come to those who wait, but only the things left by those who hustle.
The combination of aspirations and ambition is truly the fuel that drives a Hustler. A hustler has a vision (although often blurry) of what they want their legacy to look like when they leave this world. In this scene from the movie, Pursuit of Happiness we find a father providing his son with hustler-esque advice regarding ambition and aspirations:
Hustlers also strive to achieve excellence in negotiation. I won’t highlight this point in detail here but click here for more information on how to negotiate like a pro.
—> Value Hardwork
The opposite of a hustler is someone who doesn’t give their 100%. Unconsciously these people don’t put in 100% because if they fail their talent can be questioned. However, by putting in 80% and failing they can look at those around them and say: “If I would have worked harder, I would have succeeded.” This is not the mentality of a hustler.
A hustler takes personal responsibility for failure more often than they will take responsibility for success. A hustler puts in the blood, sweat and tears with one intent – success. They don’t see failure as an option and will do all they can to achieve their goals. This determination is the driving factor behind their obsession with working hard. A hustler strives to perfect their craft daily and doesn’t flinch when someone tells them their idea is crazy.
Solid work. Thanks for passing along.
Cheers
Good stuff. I’ll pass it along.