The Hustler’s Playbook: 4 Things the Hustler Fears

Hustlers are driven. They are motivated to make a life of their own design. They are motivated to make a difference. And just like non-hustlers, they are motivated by their fears.

Not Doing Enough

Hustlers are motivated by the fear that they are not doing enough. They worry that they are not taking enough action, even when they are doing 5 times as much as anyone else. Hustlers fear that by not doing enough, they won’t succeed in reaching their goals, whatever those goals may be. So they respond by doing more, by taking more action.

The non-hustler is also motivated by fear. But where the hustler’s activity is fueled by fear of not doing enough, the non-hustler is paralyzed by their fear. They fear taking action because they’re not ready, they might fail, or that other people might judge them. The non-hustler’s fear ensures that they never take enough action.

Not Going Fast Enough

A hustler doesn’t only fear not taking enough action, they fear not doing all that needs to be done fast enough. The hustler fears that if they don’t move fast that someone else will. They worry that if they don’t take advantage of the opportunities presented to them, the opportunity will disappear. This fear fuels the hustler to move with a sense of urgency.

The non-hustler prefers to move slowly, cautiously, to let things come to them. They say, “If it’s meant to be, it will come to me.” They are afraid of moving, let alone moving fast.

Being Out-hustled

Hustlers worry about being outhustled. They worry that somewhere out there, someone has got the jump on them. They worry that someone is working harder or working smarter. They fear that someone is doing something more or something better. This fear drives the hustler to bring her A-game and to always remain a student. The hustler is motivated by and learns from this fear.

The non-hustler doesn’t worry about being out-hustled because they are always and everywhere being out-hustled. They’re very comfortable with the fact that others are working harder, working smarter, building the life they really want, and making a contribution.

Legacy

Hustlers don’t fear their legacy. The fear running out of time to do all of the things that they can do to build that legacy. Your legacy isn’t built on what you do for yourself. No one ever says, “Look at how wonderful he was. He made a fortune and bought himself a yacht and big house.” Hustlers know that a legacy is built on the contribution you make while you are here. Legacy is built on what you do for others.