The benefits and drawbacks of being a hustler
First things first, when I say hustling, I don’t mean being sly or deceiving, I mean HUSTLE! You know, the same hustle that Gary Vaynerchuk talks about on a regular basis. The same hustle that business people like Chris Brogan and hiphop stars like Paul Wall showcase in their daily activities. The hustle inside of you is what can make or break your freelance business and even though people talk about hustling in a positive light 99% of the time, today I’m going to showcase both the benefits and the drawbacks of hustling.
Benefits of Hustling
Having a massive amount of hustle in your blood can bring you things in your business that you would have never dreamed possible. It’s the drive and determination that you possess that will get you steps ahead of your competition who don’t have a hustlers spirit. Below are some of the benefits of being a hustler.
- Name recognition – The immediate benefit of being a hustler is that you’ll be in everyones face so often that they won’t be able to forget you. People like Gary Vaynerchuk who use Twitter as much as they do are hard to forget and easy to think about when you’ve got something that needs to be done and that person is someone in the industry who can do it.
- Work Load – When you hustle and can pull 16-20 hour days on a consistent basis, you’re going to be able to do the work of two of your competitors who are only working for 8 hours a day each. This means you’ll be able to get more client jobs done, build your own passive income streams and keep connected with everyone through social media sites.
- More Money – The more you work, the more you make. It’s simple logic but something that gets lost in the minds of those who want the quick fix in life. Hustling will get you more money, which will in turn allow you to better support your family and do things you would otherwise never be able to do with a normal 9-5 or a lackluster freelance career.
Drawbacks of Hustling
Even though the life of a hustler might seem like a glamorous life and something everyone should do, there are downsides of being a hustler which you should also be aware of so you can make a conscious choice if you are a hustler or not.
- Burnout – You hear people talk about burnout all the time in the freelance world because it’s true (for most of us) and it does happen. At some point when you’re working for 18 hours a day and sleeping for 2-3 hours a night, three months will go by and you’ll crash and burn. A couple things to help keep burnout to a minimum is to do a job that you truly love so you never get bored or tired of doing it and being an insomniac isn’t bad for it either.
- Stretching Yourself Too Thin – When you take on 10 or more jobs at one time, you’ve got to be a really good juggler in order to keep up with everything you’re doing for each of your clients. Stretching yourself too thin when you’re in your Mega Hustle mode might just creep up on you and cause clients to get mad that deadlines may not be met or you may forget important items on their items to do which makes your business look less than professional. A way to keep this at a minimum is to keep great to do lists and make sure you’re fit for the challenge of multitasking your life.
- Your Health –
I personally couldn’t see how freelancers wouldn’t want to hustle their way to success. If it takes 10,000 hours to be a master at your craft, wouldn’t it seem smart to run like hell towards that finish line? Plus, the more you hustle and the more work you get, the more money you make and the more you can support yourself and your family as well as buy the extra things you wouldn’t be able to get if you weren’t out there busting your ass on a consistent basis.
Hustling is in your blood and if you have the hustle gene, you’re definitely going to know it. It’s not something that everyone has, but it’s something that everyone can get if you want it bad enough.
Below is a video to a song by Paul Wall that I listen to on a daily basis. It gives you an inside look at a hustlers mind and will motivate you to do more.
Please be aware that the above video does have foul language in it but we still feel that it should be played at a high volume 
Are you a hustler?
