The Hustler’s Playbook: Hustlers Find Positive Meaning in Misfortune

The way hustlers view the experiences of their lives is very different than the way non-hustlers view those very same experiences.

A hustler believes that the circumstances of her birth are why she is where she is now. The non-hustler believes those very same circumstances are why they are not where they might be.

The hustler believes that their humble beginnings are what shaped them. The fact that their family didn’t have a lot was a driving force in their life, and it caused them to find a way to improve their circumstances. The non-hustler believes that the fact that they weren’t born into a family with means is what prevents them from having more now.

The hustler may have suffered the loss of a parent through divorce, an illness, or an accident. To the hustler, the loss of their parent was as meaningful to them as it is to the non-hustler. The difference is the meaning it provided. To the hustler, it meant they had to stand on their own two feet earlier. Or it meant that had to contribute to taking care of their family. It might have meant they recognized that they had to get moving, that time is short. To the non-hustler, that same loss is a disadvantage that can’t be overcome.

A lot of hustlers never went to college. Many of the hustlers that did go to college didn’t make good marks. Some hustlers felt constrained by college and left to start hustling. The lack of formal education doesn’t prevent the hustler from doing whatever they want to do (or becoming whatever they want to become). The non-hustler views their lack of education as something that prevents them from succeeding.

There is no doubt that hustlers suffer the same misfortunes as non-hustlers. It can’t be otherwise. The hustler defines those misfortunes in a way that empowers them. The non-hustler views their misfortunes as dis-empowering. But the events are exactly the same, and misfortune doesn’t discriminate.