"We all have reasons for doing what we do when we're not getting paid."
I often forget to revisit what I would do, and enjoy, if money were no object. If I had earned financial independence for myself and my family. Where, at least financially, we were living a good life.
Sometimes I get caught up in the practicality of life. The planning; searching for threats and fulfilling obligations and not even getting to the part of seizing opportunities, where often a lot of the 'fun' and pushing forward in life is hidden.
Why do I do this? It's not even well known to me yet. I think I know. But sometimes I forget. Maybe I'm too focused. Maybe I'm not focused at all. Maybe I'm focused on the wrong things. Or maybe I'm trying too hard on the right thing.
Who knows. I sure don't. Yet.
I do enjoy making. Creating. Sometimes fixing. Although I can be lazy and appreciate being able to do most of my current income-driving activities behind a computer, I often get the most satisfaction out of the physical labor: wrenching on my car (I do not want to be a mechanic full time), creating (photographer, videography, writing, but again, not so much that it's something I could do full time).
Sometimes the things that I enjoy most that would be nice to do all the time, are simply enjoyable because I'm not getting paid for doing them. I'm simply doing them because I enjoy them. And the moment I 'have' to do it for money, is the moment it becomes a grind.
I'm sure there's a balance somewhere. Where I can optimize fun and income doing something I enjoy. It's so hard to find in life, as a human. We've set up these societal frameworks that help us in so many ways, but also don't help us in so many ways. For the record, I'm much more optimistic and believe in more good than bad.
This was merely a stream of consciousness after reading an "In the Moment" excerpt by Sam Smith, ex Hagerty and Road and Track editor.
The opening line struck a chord in my current life's challenges where I've chased the money, and tried to go after something purely because of the money, and have gotten burned. Running a brick-and-mortar small business is harder than anyone lets on, but also rewarding all the same. That's a story for another time.
Where to now? Back to thwarting threats, fulfilling obligations, and trying to do a better job of seizing opportunities.
I miss the artist in me. 2012 Justin, who just wanted to create. Sharing and views and monetary value were secondary. Like they should be with what I was creating. The act of creating and storytelling was so enjoyable. I truly lost myself in it…hours. Days! What happened to The Artist? I think I know. The Analyst, The Realist killed him. I over-indexed on growing up, and got “too serious” and killed that part of me. Permanently? I hope not. Truly. I hope not. And I don’t think I did. The Artist has come back in small ways throughout the years. Tiny glimpses. He’s still there. But how do I bring him back? (I picked up my phone and checked social media and then realized…) Another killer of The Artist has been The Consumer. He sits on the couch and consumes content because it’s so easy now – Instagram, YouTube, Netflix. The 2012 Artist didn’t have as much of a problem with these easy temptations and cheap dopamine hits that made the current guy so lazy. So, we’ve discovered The Realist and The Consumer are behind the downfall of The Artist. At least we know who the villains are. They’ve been lurking for so long. So discreetly. They took over slowly. They promised security and (cheap) joy. And I let them in. I let them in slowly, with no resistance. They promised virtue, but had a secret agenda. One that would slowly disarm me for over a decade. One that would get me addicted to cheap joys and force me into giving into my lowest-level temptations. Again, that’s all on me. I’m my own worst enemy. Now it seems I have to battle against myself to reclaim the life I want. War! It might take just as long, and as slowly, to defeat The Realist and The Consumer in order to truly revive The Artist. (I’m trying to be the hero in my own story, and right now this couch-potato version of me is boring as hell.) Unfortunately, The Artist might have to start from scratch – be born again. I need to give him (myself) the time and patience to regrow this persona. It would be naive to assume this transition back to The Artist will be easy and not without its own trials and tribulations. Explore yourself again and re-visit what you want. Make sure it’s worth your relentless pursuit. Because you will have to be relentless to make it happen. And perhaps The Artist comes back in a different medium – this medium. The written word. It’s novel in today’s age of reels and feeds. Plus, this feels more pure. It can’t be photoshopped. You read the words and create your own image in your own mind. Perhaps this is the way. Perhaps.
Thank you for momentarily giving this any of your attention.
Continue down this wordy waterfall with me...
When you think about our own existence, it all happens in our minds.
"That's a hell of an abstract sentence, Justin."
It is. My apologies. But if you bear with me, I'll briefly explain.
You and I take inputs from our many senses, and our minds translate those inputs into something that becomes who we are. Our own existence. The world is happening around us, but the interpretation of that world -- our existence --happens in our minds.
And our minds are at the basis of a war because there's a constant fight for our attention. Whoever captivates our attention can deliver any message they please (more on that later).
We're in an era where your attention is monetized, but you don't get paid for it.
If you're like me, you were tricked by social media because the mindless scroll on Instagram and TikTok is where you give most of your attention in your free time, isn't it? Any moment or break in "life" goes to the feed. No longer do we even wait in line without a quick scroll.
It's worth noting that those platforms aren't inherently evil. They're simply designed to be attractive; to be easy and temporarily rewarding to give your attention to.
They offer the quickest and easiest hit of dopamine. Which isn't bad, but if you aren't mindful of how much of your attention you're giving to them...you'll give all of your attention away. For free. And perhaps to things that you wouldn't otherwise care about.
Do you think you're doing social good by projecting your support for the latest injustice in the world in the form of a story, reel, or post? Maybe you are. But maybe you aren't. Either way, do you feel like your content on these topics is worthy of your followers' attention (who likely already think like you)? Maybe it is. But maybe it isn't.
Does it matter? No, not really.
Personally, I'm a "live and let live" proponent.
But I hate seeing people blindly give away their attention (and their voice) for free.
Below are mantras (in all caps) that I try to live by. Below that are a mix of things to where if I embodied or did a mix of those things in a day, then I'd say it was a good day.
I write these often in my journal. The numbered list was a good sign if I was missing something in my life. For example, if I wrote these on a certain day and I was missing #7 and #11 (e.g. couldn't remember them, didn't write them down), then that was a sign to perhaps take a step back and have some fun and be spontaneous. It's not an exact science, but it was often true.
ACTIONS EXPRESS PRIORITIES
DELAYED GRATIFICATION IS ESSENTIAL TO SELF-CONTROL. Self control is essential to discipline. Discipline is essential freedom. Freedom is essential to happiness. Happiness is essential to living a good life.
We escape into TikTok and Instagram. Stories and Reels. For You pages.
We no longer get lost in the woods. Instead, we get lost in our feeds.
We don't hike the trailheads. He crawl into bed, or on our couch, and simply...
...escape.
We escape reality. We turn away from the hardships in life. We don't sit down and think critically.
Instead of being bored and letting our minds' wander, we reach for our phones the moment there's a lull in life -- while standing in line, during a commercial or slow point of your latest show binge, and even while "interacting" with family during the holidays.
Escapism conditions us to avoid reality.
Especially the harsh realities.
When we avoid reality, we can't think critically and engage in real situations to make our reality better. We give up the opportunity to solve the problem head-on before it gets worse -- or become our permanent reality. We don't get to become a better version of ourselves.
We leave so much on the table when we give into escapism.
Be mindful when you reach for your phone and want to "escape".
If you don't, you'll escape into a reality where you're...
...trapped.
You either choose where your attention goes, or it's chosen for you.
And if you let it be chosen for you, are you really free?
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).
@alliechuuu on Pinterest
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).
