HUSTLE:
- to move or work in a quick and energetic way
- to play a sport with a lot of energy and effort
- to convey forcibly or hurriedly
- to urge forward precipitately
- to obtain by energetic activity
- to sell or promote energetically and aggressively
- to make strenuous efforts to obtain especially money or business
- to play a game or sport in an alert or aggressive manner
I remember playing Little League baseball when I was growing up. Those were some of the best memories of my childhood. I couldn't wait to get to the field and when it was time to go I hated the thought of leaving. But of all the experiences I had during those years, there is one that stands out: every single practice I went to, and every single game I played, I heard at least one of the coaches every day yelling at someone on the team to "Hustle..! Hustle out there! Get the lead out!" (or something along those lines) This happened when the coach thought one of us wasn't putting out as much effort as he thought we could have, or should have. More often than not, the kid being singled out by the coach really was doing his best. All the yelling wasn't going to make him run any faster or work any harder. It usually had the opposite effect; the kid would get discouraged and not knowing what else to do, he'd eventually quit.
Now I'm not going to bash on those coaches I had growing up because when I became a coach years later I did some of the very same things with the kids I taught. But I did notice something the kids I coached had in common with the kids I played alongside many years ago. The ones that wanted to hustle did...the ones that didn't want to hustle did NOT. I realize that sounds obvious, but it really isn't. Let me explain.
There are two sets of players on every team: the ones that want to be on the team and the ones that don't. One set doesn't want to be there, they just go through the motions. They're no different than kids in a car on a long road trip who "Are we there yet?" every five minutes. They only show up because someone told them they had to be there; someone ordered, begged, whined, pleaded, threatened, even bribed the kids to get them to show up, but in truth, they really don't want to be bothered. They feel like they're wasting their time. They'd rather be somewhere else, doing something else, even if it means just sitting around watching movies, playing video games, watching paint dry...whatever. They go through the motions, but their body language says, "Are we done yet...???" Their attitude brings to mind a popular saying, one which I like to say a bit differently: "You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him WANT to drink."
"A man convinced against his will is of the same opinion still." - Benjamin Franklin
By contrast, the ones that do want to be on the team are the ones who can't wait to get to the field, the ones who can't wait to get started, and they're the last ones to leave because they're having so much fun. You do not have to tell them to hustle, you have to tell them to slow down at times because they're borderline out of control, they're so excited. They've got the "no place else I'd rather be" attitude, and not surprisingly, they're the most fun to be around. They have an enthusiasm that's contagious, and a disposition that's sweeter than the icing on a cake.
You can find these kinds of people in every walk of life, not just sports. I've worked with people over the years who have displayed similar attitudes. If I have learned one thing from all I have observed it would be this:
Hustle is not an act, it's an attitude. You can't manufacture it, and you can't fake it. Either it's there or it's not. You cannot force anyone to hustle any more than you can drive a square peg into a round hole. Those who are forced against their will to do it will come to resent you for it, rebel against you, resist you and ultimately they will retreat from you. You cannot make someone do what is not already in their heart to do. What is in their heart will be sought out, will come out, and in the end will win out. Nothing you think you can do about the situation will change that. Point blank, people have their own reasons for choosing the goals they pursue. They already have the incentive to get their hustle on; they don't need yours. If you want to see them hustle you need to find out which goals are important to them, then help them find the approach that works best for them to achieve their objectives...not yours.
Tap into their motives, their dreams, goals, desires to succeed, and you'll always see them hustle after what they want. If you want to push people's buttons properly, you will never have to worry about getting them to hustle if you keep their goals in sight. Tap into their motives, their desires to succeed, and you'll always see them hustle after what they want.
"You can have everything in life you want if you will just help other people get what they want." - Zig Ziglar
Help them tap into their desires. Keep their objectives in front of their eyes. Let them verbalize the dreams in their hearts, and encourage them to do so often. Do this and getting them to hustle will never be an issue. Most likely you will need to hustle in order to keep up.
That's all for now, gotta run...until we meet again, remember:
Keep it simple...See ya!
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