That oh so familiar unsettling feeling…

“Hustle cane, hustle clothes, hustle mu-sic, but hustle hard in any hustle that you pick.” Jay Z said. And he couldn’t have spoken any truer words in my opinion, especially in regards to music, because the music industry is most definitely a hustle. If you can’t hustle hard in this industry, then maybe you shouldn’t quit your day job. And if it is the industry for you, you still may not want to quit your day job, because as part of your hustle, I can almost guarantee you will be working for little to no money at least once in your career. Not to say that that is right, or that you NEED to work for little to no money, but that is a harsh reality in this industry. So if that is the case for you, then you will need to learn to hone your hustle.

I have been honing my hustle since 2001. I have been working for little to no money for 7 years; At one point I was working three jobs at one time, and still making no more than $30, 000 a year. I’ve worked almost 80 hour weeks and made less than $11 hour. Yes, It’s an unsettling state, for at times I am full of doubt and uncertainty; Unsure of myself, wondering, “Am I taking the right path?” “Am I doing all this work in vain”? “Will I ever make it?’ “Should I stay or should I go?”, “What will make me happy?”. And then… I remind myself…of my philosophy and the bigger picture.

My philosophy, circles around the idea that a job is a temporary, fleeting, replaceable, disposable necessity that gets you money. A career is a little more fulfilling. A career is something you work to build over a long period of time; something that defines (at least 33 % of) you; something you enjoy doing. Something, that if it must start off with little to no money, is OK, because equity is being built in it. In that state of mind, part of the hustle is being willing to work 2 or 3 jobs, on the side, (for example) while you build equity in your career, because in the long run, your career is what will make you happy and get you money too.

The bigger picture can be achieved by asking yourself a few simple questions of your work 1) Are you learning and/or growing? 2) Are there any opportunity’s (for advancement, for connections, etc.)? 3) Is the work you are doing your passion? 4) Do you like the people you are working with and for? 5) Are you making enough money (to satisfy your standard of living)?

A career that can get you an answer of YES to all five questions is ideal. A combination of job and career, that can get you an answer YES to all five questions is a good hustle.

Anything in between is what gives you that oh so familiar unsettling feeling. Many of us, like myself (I have a job and career, that can get me to answer YES to about four of those questions), I'd say im an OK hustle. But however, I want an ideal career. We are unsettled because we haven’t achieved the ideal. But don’t get discouraged. We all have that feeling at one point or another. Know what you want out of life (very important!), then hone your hustle, and step up and focus on getting there. Eventually you won’t even need to hustle anymore. It might be rough in the process,…but in the end I can almost guarantee you will be able to quit your day job.