Do the Hustle
In today’s distracted and unfocused world, many people are just going through the motions in their lives. Instead of taking meaningful action to get on track for success, they get stuck because they lack ‘hustle.’ We all know the negative connotations associated with the term, but there’s a big difference between having hustle and being a hustler! Hustle is a positive force of action or persuasion. It’s a very powerful thing that has been one of the key ingredients for success in my life. Here’s how you can hustle your way to success this year:
Pick up the Pace
Will Rogers once said ‘Even if you’re on the right track, you’ll get run over if you just sit there.’ Often, people are on the path to success, but they don’t have enough hustle so they get run over by the market, disruption, the competition or even their own negative thoughts. When you’re feeling stuck, think about areas in your day where you can pick up the pace. For example, I have a power hour every day when I close the door, shut off my phone and email and really get after the priorities I want to accomplish. You can’t have 24 power hours in your day, but having even one will really help you pick up the pace and increase your hustle.
Create a Sense of Urgency
Anyone who is very successful has a sense of urgency about what they want to achieve. As Jim Rohn once said, ‘Without a sense of urgency, desire loses its value.’ It’s not realistic to have a sense of urgency about everything, of course, you have to prioritize what it is you’re trying to accomplish but having this mindset does change everything, especially in the area of service. When it comes to providing exceptional service to your customers, and thinking about their needs, there’s no room for complacency.
Increase the Heat, Without Burning Out
Many of us have bucketloads of desire and drive, but we don’t know how to manage either properly and we burn out. To avoid this, you must:
- Be intentional
When it comes to your goals, not everything is of equal value. Determine your true priorities by dividing your goals into ‘have to haves’, ‘love to haves’ and ‘like to haves.’ Then intentionally apply heat in each area in proportion to your desire.
- Remember that life is a series of sprints
Managing your energy is key to success. The highest achievers go hard, then take a break, go hard, then take a break. Taking regular rests like this means the risk of burning out lessens dramatically. If you want to sustain high performance, you need to give yourself time to renew and recover.
- WIN
Keep Lou Holtz’s powerful mantra in mind: What’s Important Now or WIN. Ask yourself – what’s important now to help you win in every area of your life – business, financial, health and relationships? Once you figure this out, you must then make choices based on your greatest values, not the habits of others.
If you want to be a force for good, you’ve got to have a force for action. Do the hustle this year and you’ll be on your way to a lifetime of success!
Listen to the latest episode of “It’s a Good Life” to hear more about doing the hustle.
