The Hustler’s Playbook: What Hustlers Don’t Do

• Hustlers don’t let anyone tell them what they can–or cannot–do. They don’t accept other’s perceived limitations as their own.
• Hustlers don’t wait for permission to lead. When something needs to be done, they step up and make things happen. They lead when leadership is required.
• Hustlers don’t punch a time clock. They don’t count hours. They count outcomes. Hustlers are engaged in their mission.
• Hustlers don’t wait until they have the requisite experience or some kind of formal permission. They don’t wait until they have a degree or a certificate. They just start.
• Hustlers don’t fear mistakes. They know that they’re going to get things wrong. Hustlers believe that failures and mistakes are just the education they need on their way to success.
• Hustlers don’t set their targets low or take baby steps. They compete. They know most people believe they should only be competing to be better than they were yesterday, but hustlers want to stand toe-to-toe with the best in the world. They measure themselves against greatness, even when that greatness is way out in front.
• Hustlers don’t give up, give in, or go home. They persist long beyond the point that non-hustlers have packed it in. Their stubborn, pig-headed determination is one of the primary reasons they succeed.
• Hustlers don’t scrimp when it comes on investing in themselves. They know that they are the single most important asset they will ever own, and they work to improve themselves–even when they have little money to invest. They believe that the reason they don’t have more money is because they haven’t yet invested enough in themselves.
• Hustlers don’t hang with complacent, conformist crowd. They don’t spend time with people who aren’t moving and shaking. They don’t spend time commiserating.
• Hustlers don’t make excuses. Hustlers don’t blame anything or anyone else for anything. They know that they own their failures every bit as much as they own their successes.
• Hustlers don’t criticize other hustlers. They admire them. They acknowledge people who are the best at what they do, and they learn from them.
• Hustlers don’t take no for an answer. Hustlers don’t even hear the word no. They try over and over again. They try a new approach. Once a hustler sets her mind to something, regardless of the time, effort, or approach required, they achieve their goal.