The Hustler’s Playbook: Hustlers Spread the Hustle

It is naïve to believe that there isn’t a massive–and growing–gap between the Haves and the Have-Nots. The gap has always existed, and religion, philosophy, governments, nor economic systems have ever eliminated this disparity. Western capitalism is the only thing that’s even put a dent in economic disparity (Cronyism isn’t capitalism, and that disease seems to infect all governments and all economic systems, not just ours).

There are a lot of Haves that spend a lot of their time and money trying to help the Have Nots. And there are a lot of Haves that don’t. There are a lot of Have Nots that believe that they are owed something. And there many Have Nots who don’t believe they are owed a thing, but only need an opportunity.

As interesting as all of this, it ends being politicized, and not much gets done. So let’s deal with it another way.

Believers and Doers

There are some people who believe that they are capable of succeeding. They believe that they can become whatever they wish to become, that they can do whatever they want to do, and that they can have whatever they want to have.

The Believers act on their beliefs and, eventually, their beliefs become their reality. Their beliefs drive their actions, actions that they wouldn’t take if they didn’t believe that they could eventually succeed.

A lot of Believers and Doers were born Have Nots. For some, that adversity was itself enough to give them the beliefs and the intestinal fortitude to do something. Some Believers and Doers were fortunate enough to have a head start and a good example.

Believe-Nots and Do-Nots

The Believe-Nots do not believe that they can succeed. They don’t believe that anything that they could dream could ever become their reality. They believe that someone would have to give them permission to try, that they somehow aren’t good enough, and some Believe-Nots think they don’t deserve success.

Without the belief that they can succeed, the Do-Nots do nothing. This doesn’t mean that they couldn’t succeed, that they lack the talent, or that they aren’t deserving of something better. They’ve mostly been infected with a diseased mindset, mostly due to the circumstances of their birth.

Making Haves

We don’t do very much to help the Have-Nots become Haves. Charity is important, and it helps people with too little survive. But it doesn’t make them Haves. Government aid also helps people to survive, but it has also never created a Have. Both have helped some people survive long enough to eventually catch fire and become a Have.

To make Haves, you have to help infect someone with the belief that they can be more, do more, and have more. You have to help them obtain a bigger vision of themselves. You have to nurture the small spark until it becomes a roaring fire in their belly.

As a hustler, you know that everything I have written here is true. You may even recognize yourself in part of this story. If you want to give back, if you want to make a contribution, help someone by infecting them with the beliefs that have served you, and inoculate them against what the world would infect them with.