I am sure there must be some hustlers who were born with a silver spoon in their mouth, but none comes to mind. All of the hustlers I know were in some significant way shaped by adversity.
Hustlers Born of Adversity
Lots of hustlers were born in poverty. They will tell you stories about living with the fear of not having enough. Their hustle is a response to the circumstances of their birth.
As many hustlers did poorly in school and were told they weren’t smart enough or that they would never amount to anything. They were told they were inadequate. They responded by proving that those assessments were wrong.
Some hustlers faced the adversity of physical or emotional abuse. Sometimes that abuse was simply neglect, and the hustler found their way into work or some other environment where they were able to thrive.
Some hustlers lost a parent. Or they lost a parent to divorce. Or they grew up never knowing one of their parents. Hustling was the key to survival.
The challenges these hustlers faced made them who they are. It formed them.
But now there is a more dangerous form of adversity for many who would be hustlers. That adversity is the lack of adversity.
Your Adversity is Your Lack of Adversity
You weren’t born poor. Instead you were born middle class or upper middle class. You’ve never gone without anything you wanted (at least not for very long). You were given a head start on a lot of hustlers, if you’ll take it.
You were never told you that you were inadequate, that you weren’t enough, or that there is something that you can’t do. You’ve been instilled with healthy beliefs that give you a massive jump on the game, if you take it.
You never suffered any physical or emotional abuse. The worst neglect you suffered was two parents that worked hard to take care of you and to ensure you had the life that you have known. That isn’t so bad. And you are fortunate to have been taken care of.
But this lack of adversity is a deficit. You haven’t yet been tested. You don’t have some compelling set of events that instilled the inborn need to hustle. And this will work against you, unless you recognize that the lack of adversity is your adversity. This is your challenge if you would be a hustler.
The adversity you are going to have to overcome is complacency, comfort, and expectation. Your challenge is to find some fire burning so brightly inside you that you dream about it at night and wake up excited and anxious to take action.
Why are you going to hustle?
