Hustler’s Inspiration: Your Friendly Neighborhood Spiderman

Spiderman. Peter Parker. Mary Jane. Mr. Jamison. The Daily Bugle and saving the world. What do they all have in common with Da Hustle?

Absolutely nothing.

But no, this isn’t an early April Fool’s joke (or late, depending on how you look at it), but rather a great segway in to this week’s inspiration. We all know that the days of working for one company, having a big retirement party and getting the gold watch are pretty much gone. Surviving in today’s world takes skill, tenacity, dedication, and the ability to react to market conditions.

In other words, yes, you need to hustle.

Uh, no.

Depending on any one “job” is fast becoming a means to an end. Sure, you could try to work your way up the corporate ladder, but by the time you reach your goals your kids will be starting college. Who really has that kind of time?

You should learn to model your life after that of a spider. Any one single strand of silk the spider spins isn’t really going to do much good. It has very little strength on its own and is easily broken. However, when a spider spins an intricate web that contains layers upon layers of single strands placed together, the web is infinitely stronger, and the spider has a much bigger chance of survival. Each strand can represent a stream of income in your life; the more you have, the better suited you are for survival in a society that favors survival of the fittest.

Furthermore, a spider’s web can inspire fear in it’s enemies. Think about it: no one really cares about walking through a spider’s web, except for the annoyance of trying to pull the strands of silk off of your hair and clothing. But hardly no one ever enters an intricate web that is plainly seen, because it represents a danger that you would much rather avoid (not to mention you don’t know the size of the spider that created it). This can be represented by corporations that have their hands in everything: who really wants to go up against Coca-Cola, McDonald’s, Microsoft, or Google? One corporate lawyer is an equal playing field, but a network or web of lawyers makes even the mightiest of ’spider’s’ a little leary of embarking on that incredible journey.

The word for today’s times is diversification. Don’t know anything about it? Your favorite compnaies do! Here’s a short sample to illustrate:

• Sony makes/owns: televisions, CD players, MP3 players, the PlayStation 3 console, movies (Sony Pictures Studios, Columbia TriStar), music (Sony BMG Music Entertainment) & TV shows (Wheel of Fortune)
• Microsoft makes: Windows (yeah, Da Hustler hates it at times too), XBox, word processing and spreadsheet programs (Microsoft Office), ok so pretty much a lot of software for computers
• GE makes/owns: NBC television, light bulbs (duh), appliances, electronics, movies (Universal Pictures), theme parks (Universal Studios)
• The Walt Disney Company owns: ABC, ESPN & Lifetime television, movies (Touchstone Pictures, Miramax, Pixar), Disney Cruise Line, basically it has a stake in almost anything to do with kids

The list goes on and on. Furthermore, even though you may know these companies to be competitors, almost all of them make deals behind the scenes because the CEO’s know it’s in the company’s best interest to forge profitable partnerships. That’s working smarter and not harder, keeping your ‘enemies’ close, and diversifying.

I implore you to make diversification your new friend. Weave a web of business opportunities for yourself, to insure that if one well runs dry, you have other resources to supplement your financial liquidity. Social Security may not be there for you when you need it, and neither will your boss if it comes time to make tough decisions for the benefit of the company (or his pockets). Even some of the opportunities listed on this site are seasonal, so consider your area of the world and the needs of your local market when you embark on your hustle.

Oh, and here’s an extra tip: the Spiderman costumes look absolutely horrible, so unless you have something that looks like the real thing from the movie, you might want to choose another character this year. Trust me.

Hustler’s Inspiration: Perfect Strangers

What may be the first in a series of inspirational posts is a look back at where we came from: a time where things for simpler, entertainment was more wholesome and the only major war being fought was one that didn’t really involve troops (Cold War).

It was also a time that could have made or broken careers (in this case, mostly broken, but I digress).

Getting back on point, today’s inspiration is similar to the one presented in mid-August about Staring Through Your Rearview — using music lyrics to motivate you into action. When you think about the music today, there isn’t too much that really inspires or lifts us up. More specifically, television theme songs today are either quick and wordless melodies, or they just simply borrow from another popular song that an established artist has recorded. It’s simple, it’s to-the-point, and sadly, it does nothing for family values.

But taking a look back at the 80’s, there were MANY themes that either made you want to get up and do a little jig, or bring you closer to your loved ones as you share a few time slots together over dinner during the week. Da Hustler loves nostalgia, and going back to listen to some of TV’s popular series’ music produced a great surprise: the words actually meant something! The theme to Perfect Strangers is a great example, because when you pay attention to what is said, you almost get the sense that you can do anything:

Sometimes the world looks perfect
Nothin’ to rearrange
Sometimes you just
Get a feelin’ like you need some kind of change
Standin’ tall
On the wings of my dream
Rise and fall
On the wings of my dream
Rain and thunder, the wind and haze
I’m bound for better days
It’s my life
It’s my dream
Nothin’s gonna stop me now

Ok, the words put to music really make it stand out, but you can still get a sense of the power of suggestion.

Da Hustler feels like the change in the presentation of things on TV has also caused a change in the way people relate to each other, approach problems, and overall live out their lives. It’s amazing that a short jingle that lasts no more than a minute and a half has more meaning than the full-blown songs of today that last almost five minutes on average.

Could there be a coincidence between what people watch and the state of America today? Baggy pants on kids, and their unruly behavior? The loss of the small home-town feeling in many cities? Not truly knowing our neighbors? Ignoring car alarms and regarding them as a nuisance? The outbreak of unspeakable violent acts, such as Columbine, the D.C. snipers, and the Barbie Bandits? We have to remember that it’s what we put in that determines what we get out.

In your travels this week, try to be cognizant of the media that you allow into your surroundings. It may just alter your mood positively, and make you even less of a perfect stranger.

Da Hustler also found an more updated version:

Hustler’s Inspiration: Feel It

A couple of weeks ago Da Hustler showed how ‘pushing it’ can lead to success. Well, just as important as the push is another component, feeling it.

It’s okay to forge ahead and achieve despite the obstacles involved, but it’s much easier to do this when you have a feeling deep in your gut that gives reason behind the push. A push with no feeling is just going through the motions. Sure, you may be accomplishing something or doing the required minimum versus doing absolutely nothing, but people can tell when you aren’t really into whatever it is you are doing. Ever go to a fast food restaurant and get attitude from the workers when they take an order or give you your food? They don’t really want to be there, and it shows. I’d rather go somewhere else where the people actually like what they are doing, because the service will reflect that.

Passion is a feeling, and the more you have, the better job you are going to do. The more effort you will exert in your tasks, and the more you don’t mind going out of your way for people. Ever go to a restaurant and the waiter or waitress always has a glowing smile on their face, and they are so attentive to every customer? Those people are usually around for a while (if it is a good establishment) because the management has heard several positive remarks about their performance and they want to keep those customers coming back. It’s harder to keep a customer than it is to get a new one, and a good attentive waitstaff makes that job a heck of a lot easier. This is why it’s so important for employers to make your employees feel valued and appreciated, because it will definitely affect your bottom line.

Hustling is the same way really. The more passion you have for it, the easier it will be to get new customers and be successful in your negotiations with vendors. Because so much of hustling is selling yourself, you have to have that drive, that excitement, that feeling, because if you don’t, then no one else will either. None of the hustles on this site will be as effective if you don’t have that feeling, accompanied by the drive or push to ensure it will be successful. An easy way to develop the feeling within is to recite positive affirmations every morning when you awaken, no matter if it is rainy or sunny outside, blizzard or tornado, peace or wartime. Affirmations such as “I can do it,” or “I WILL make X dollars this week/month/year” may seem silly at first, but words have power, and continuously speaking these into existence will change your demeanor over time, creating that feeling that you need to truly be successful. If you’re into spiritual affirmations, I recommend listening to Pastor Joel Osteen of the Lakewood Church in Houston, Texas, the undisputed king of the positive affirmation. (Even moreso than Tony Robbins, because he doesn’t charge for it!)

Once you feel it, and follow-up with the push, the hustle is official! Get Ya Hustle On!