HUSTLE! I am sure anyone who is reading this blog has heard the word in one form or another. It is what coaches say to their players when they want more out of them. It is something we do when we are in a hurry. It was a dance phenomenon in the seventies and today it is associated with work.
In today’s vocabulary it is all about how we go about producing a livelihood for ourselves and families. It is how we approach our J.O.B. Or it is something we do on the side for some extra income ( a side HUSTLE.) And…. right now for me it is reading a great Audible book called HUSTLE by Jesse Warren Tevelow. A great book on the many facets of being an entrepreneur and what it takes to make it all work and how our definition of work and the shape it takes is no longer the 8-5 the generation before us, or before them knew it.
I have had several occasions as of late to reflect on what work is and how it plays in my life and how I can use it as an income generator to create the life I want to live. That is all a job is, really. It is an income generator to allow us the life we want to live. How we go about it is flexible and if it is the same end result, it doesn’t matter how you go about paying your bills (as long as it is legal!!!…BIG caveat there!!!!!) How we view a job, career, side gig…whatever, is a crazy combination all about training, education, opportunity, gumption and flat out GOING FOR WHAT YOU WANT!
My oldest son recently graduated from college and with that his plan was to relocate to a country outside of the US and begin his career. With the many immigration stipulations he confronted, the language barrier and expense, things initially didn’t play out as he had planned. So he had to go to plan B. Which was NOT on his list of how things should play out to land his first job out of college. But, he saw the opportunity to work for a great start up and went for the opportunity before him. He saw a chance to create a rich learning experience for himself. He stepped outside the line and embraced plan B. He hustled to get his life lined up so he could be available to jump on an opportunity to infuse the life he wants to make colorful! He hustled. And he continues to hustle. Learning new things everyday. New company. New language. New city. LOTS of new.
So this morning just before sunrise, I hopped on my bike for a quick ride. I love the mornings for exercise because the city is still quiet and I can think. I was riding in my neighborhood and took a trellised pathway to the next neighborhood. As I came through the trellis and out the other side a whole new world opened up! New roads, houses, trees, sidewalks….new. New experience that is. And I thought to myself ” WOW! just feet away from my daily routine lies a whole new experience! ” How many of us do the daily grind just to find our perspective tarnished and worn out?
Reading Hustle had made me realize that we can hustle at our J.O.B. and step outside of the line to a “new something” to give us a breath of fresh air we need to invigorate our souls. We can learn a skill that will make us better at our current J.O.B.. In that process we are building ourselves. We can investigate a side hustle; a hobby turned money maker to help create the life we want. We can leave a job entirely in pursuit of something new. All of this takes hustle. It’s what we do. Our DNA calls us to protect ourselves. And we think we should do the same thing every day to do just that. But what if survival comes from stepping outside the lines of that box and doing something different? How does that look? It looks different for everybody. I know for me, right now I am hustling with a major corporation that is allowing me to hustle on the side and still provide financial security and major growth for my retirement. That is my goal. I was willing to step outside the lines and work “in” one while I work “on” another to create the life I want! I LOVE the hustle that comes with stepping outside the line…