As of August 2017 — subject (and likely) to change.
I created the diagram above after Trae Robrock (CTO, Green Bits) expressed difficulty in assessing during interviews if a candidate had “hustle”. I suggested asking the candidates for their definition of “hustle” because if they can define it — and explain its description, meaning, relevance, and value— you can get an idea of how they will act with it. Here’s my attempt at going through that exercise and defining “hustle”.
I’ve heard the term “hustle” used more frequently lately. Gary Vaynerchuk, for example, often speaks about “hustling harder” and is quoted as saying “success in general is a well-balanced blend of luck, DNA, confidence, and hustle.” Additionally, you’ll often find a theme of “hustle” in the many WeWork office locations (currently where I work out of).
After researching the definition of “hustle”, I realized it didn’t list a description I anticipated.
By definition, “hustle” means:
When I read these, I didn’t interpret “hustle” as a distinction I would want to identify with. It seemed harsh; unpleasant. That’s when I began suspecting that the definition Gary Vaynerchuk, WeWork, Casey Neistat, and many others use for “hustle” differs from what is listed in the dictionary.
And that’s ok.
Inventing a new definition for a word allows it to create new actions — new possibilities. Below is how I would define “hustle”, and why.
I suspect that’s how are others are defining “hustle” today too.
If your definition differs — please share how you define “hustle” and why. Additionally, how do your actions demonstrate “hustle”?
Here’s my definition of HUSTLE:
A relentless commitment to fulfill an ambition.
Here’s why.
I define RELENTLESS as:
Constant or aggressive — meaning occurring continuously over a period of time and pursuing one’s aims and interests without fear of failure.
The part I want to expand on is “without a fear of failure”. I currently work at a growing startup and if there’s one thing I learned from starting my own businesses and being a part of this one, is that you need to wipe the term “failure” from your vocabulary — and especially not be deterred by it. For me, once I started thinking of everything in terms of results, I was much more effective (successful in producing a desired or intended result) in achieving my career and personal goals. “Unlimited Power” by Anthony Robbins frames this well.
In order to produce a result, there are always a set of actions that lead to that result. If you produce a result you do not desire, you can change the set of actions to produce the result that you were seeking. For example, if someone is overweight and doesn’t want to be, they need not get down on themselves for producing the result of being overweight. They can think about it as “what set of actions did I take to produce this result —e.g. being overweight? And what new set of actions do I need to take to produce the result that I desire…perhaps being healthier or losing weight?”
I define COMMITMENT as:
A pledge, promise, or undertaking.
No one who achieved anything great did so by accident —in other words, there is no accidental success.
Anyone who is successful planned to be that way. They made a promise to themselves and committed to a goal or ambition that they wanted to achieve. For those afraid of commitment, but want to be successful, now’s the time to get uncomfortable and commit to what you want to achieve.
I define FULFILL as:
To bring to realization and the achievement of something desired or anticipated.
This part is essential because it requires ACTION and action is the key to accomplishing anything. The greatest music artist can have the next big hit in their head, but if they don’t take action — write it, or sing it, or produce it, etc. — then nothing will ever come of it.
With “hustle”, there must be action because without action, there are no results. In order to achieve anything, you have to know what you want to achieve, take action, measure your results, and iterate as needed.
I define AMBITION as:
A strong desire to do or to achieve something, typically requiring determination to achieve success.
I define strong as “possessing skills and qualities that create a likelihood of success.” I define skills as “the ability to do something well; expertise”.
I define determination as “firmness of purpose; resoluteness”. I define resoluteness as “set in purpose or opinion”. And I define purpose as “an intended or desired result; end; aim; goal”.
I define success as “the accomplishment of an aim or purpose”. I define accomplishment as “the successful achievement of an objective”. And I define objective as “something that one’s efforts or actions are intended to attain or accomplish; purpose; goal; target”.
AMBITION is important — meaning there are consequences in not giving “ambition” your attention since it is likely to have a profound effect on your success, survival, or well-being.
In order to achieve anything, you need to know what you want to achieve. In other words, you need a target to aim at if you’re going to hit the bullseye. Without a goal, you can’t score.
Additionally, people who have “hustle” also have an ambition — and they surround themselves with people who have ambition as well. No one can achieve anything significant alone. For example, there are no $1B one-person companies. Steve Jobs, Elon Musk, and Mark Zuckerberg all surrounded themselves with people who had ambition + hustle to help them achieve their own ambitions.
How have I used my definition of HUSTLE?
This is one (my) interpretation of “hustle”. And it’s likely to evolve as I continue to engage in the world, learn, and grow.
In my 3 years since graduating college, I have used this definition to start two businesses, invent my role at Green Bits, and produce more tactical-achievements like design a content strategy with a 10x return, increase overall site traffic 66% YoY, lead integration process for strategic partnerships, and secure press and media coverage (TechCrunch, Forbes, Entrepreneur, and more).