The Hustler’s Playbook: On the Right Side of the Dirt

Here’s a true story: One non-hustler says to another non-hustler, “How’s it going?” The second non-hustler says, “I am on the right side of the dirt.” The first non-hustler says, “Well, that’s as good as it gets.”

No. That is not “as good as it gets.” “It” gets way better than just being on “the other side of the dirt.”

What You Tell Yourself

Non-hustler’s make very poor language choices. Those choices provide a clear view into their mindset, and the language they use puts them in a disempowered state. Words like, “I am on the right side of the dirt,” or “Any day above ground is a good day.” That’s not setting the bar very high, is it?

If you ask a non-hustler how they are, they’ll say, “I’m okay.” Why on Earth would you want to be “Okay.” They’ll tell you that they “hate Mondays,” “can’t wait for Fridays,” that Wednesday is “hump day,” and that you shouldn’t “work too hard.” Who wants to be “okay?” That sounds like mediocrity, doesn’t it?

They’ll also tell you they are “living the dream,” but said in such a way to make sure you know that they aren’t deeply engaged with what they’re doing and that they are cynical. This is how non-hustlers identify each other.

Empowering Words, Empowered Mindset

Hustlers are different. If you ask them how they are, they will say something like,“Excellent,” or “Wonderful.” They tell you that they are “killing it,” or that they are “crushing it.” This is a very different mindset than that of the non-hustler, and so it comes with very different language choices.

The hustler doesn’t notice anything different about Mondays and Fridays. On both days, they’re engaged with their work and their life. Because they are engaged in their lives, they don’t see Wednesday as being significant because it is half way to the weekend; they like all the days.

You’ll never hear a hustler say, “Don’t work too hard,” or that they are “just happy to be on the right side of the dirt.”

Your brain is designed to keep you alive. That is its primary function. But that doesn’t mean that your goal should be simply survival. You are capable of way more.

You are here to do something meaningful, to passionately engage with life, and to thrive.